Preaching Politics?

Our good friend and colleague, Dr. Brian Lee (the pastor of the "other" Christ Reformed Church in Washington DC), recently addressed the question of whether or not ministers should participate in a call by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to preach a politically-oriented sermon on Sunday, to defy the 1954 "Johnson Amendment" which prohibits such activity.

You can read Dr. Lee's thoughtful response here (Click Here)

Lee concludes with this gem:

The minister doesn't speak for himself; the title means "servant." Perhaps preachers should ask themselves, before they step up to the pulpit this Sunday, whether they'd feel comfortable reading on behalf of their boss the standard campaign disclosure when they're finished:

"I'm Jesus Christ, and I approve this message."

Every Eye Will See Him

Both TBN and Daystar have opened television studios (wannabe news bureaus) in Jerusalem.  Paul and Matt Crouch along with Joseph Prince are shown broadcasting from TBN's newly purchased Jerusalem studio--with an impressive view of the Mount of Olives in the background.

Both studios are in camera range of the Mount of Olives because they hope to be ready to broadcast (with "live" coverage, of course) our Lord's second advent.  It will probably come as no surprise that I remain quite unconvinced that this is what John meant when he wrote, "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.  Even so.  Amen" (Revelation 1:7).  The news story on the new TBN studio can be found here:  LA Times story on TBN/Daystar studios

Ironies abound.  Two "Christian" networks competing for the best "live" view of Jesus' return.  My guess is that the camera crews and on-air reporters are not Christians, because they need to be "left behind" to run the cameras and provide the on-air live commentary.

Even better, to establish their new studio, TBN purchased the building which houses the LA Times Jerusalem bureau!  The Times has long been one of scandal-ridden TBN's biggest critics (although the OC Register has been even more critical of recent doings at TBN than the Times-- Infighting at TBN).  Now the Times has to cut Paul and Jan a regular rent check!

Oh the ironies . . .

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (October 1-7)

Sunday Morning (10/7):  My text this Sunday will be John 1:35-51.  We'll be covering Jesus' call of his first disciples.

Sunday Afternoon:  I am leading our afternoon catechism service and we will be taking up Lord's Day 42, and the eighth commandment.  Our afternoon service begins @ 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study (10/3):  We return to our series on the sacraments, and we will now take up a discussion of the Lord's Supper.

The Academy (10/5):  We begin a four week discussion of two important books.  The first book is Ross Douthat's Bad Religion (Click Here).  The second is James Davison Hunter's To Change the World (Click Here).  If you plan on attending, it would be a good idea to purchase these books in advance and begin reading them. 

For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website:  Christ Reformed Church

"The Lamb of God" -- John 1:29-34

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon, the sixth in a series on the Gospel of John

Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

Parenting with Discipline and Grace

On this program, Mike Horton sits down with special guests Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson, authors of Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus. Elyse and Jessica discovered that much of their parenting was based on the power of guilt rather than the gospel of grace. Recorded before a live audience in Southern California, the authors share stories of parenting and childhood, and offer a better way for exhausted moms and dads to see God at work in the lives of their children.

Click Here

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (September 24-30)

Sunday Morning (9/30):  This coming Lord's Day I will be preaching on the "Lamb of God" and my text will be John 1:29-34.

Sunday Afternoon:  Ken Samples is conducting our catechism service (@ 1:15 p.m).

Wednesday Night Bible Study (9/26):  We return to our series on the sacraments, wrapping up our discussion of baptism, before we move on in the coming weeks to discuss the Lord's Supper.

The Academy:  The Academy resumes on Friday, October 5.  When we resume, we'll begin with a four week discussion of two important books.  The first book is Ross Douthat's Bad Religion (Click Here).  The second is James Davison Hunter's To Change the World (Click Here).  If you plan on attending, it would be a good idea to purchase these books in advance and begin reading them. 

For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website:  Christ Reformed Church

"The Testimony of John" -- John 1:19-28

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon, the fifth in a series on the Gospel of John.

Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

Your Own Personal Jesus

It is often said that Christianity is a relationship not a religion. But is this statement accurate? What are people really saying when they boil the gospel down to the idea of a “personal relationship with Jesus”? Why does this approach appeal to so many Christians in our time? On this edition of White Horse Inn, the hosts interact with this popular idea and compare it to Scripture.

Click Here

A Great New Resource at Monergism.Com

The good folks at Monergism.com have done it again!  They have provided an easy to access series of MP3 sermons (by solid preachers) on every chapter of the Bible in biblical order. 

You can find it here:  MP3 Sermon library By Scripture

I cannot imagine the hours of hard work which went into preparing this.  John, step back from your computer for a bit.  You'll go blind!  But I'm sure your hard work be a blessing to all.

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (September 17-23)

Sunday Morning (9/23):  We are in the first chapter of John's Gospel, and this coming Lord's Day I will be preaching on John the Baptist (John 1:19-28).

Sunday Afternoon:  I am leading our afternoon catechism service and we will be taking up Lord's Day 41, and the seventh commandment.  Our afternoon service begins @ 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study:  Resumes September 26 as we continue our series on the sacraments.

The Academy:  The Academy resumes on Friday, October 5.  When we resume, we'll begin with a four week discussion of two important books.  The first book is Ross Douthat's Bad Religion (Click Here).  The second is James Davison Hunter's To Change the World (Click Here).  If you plan on attending, it would be a good idea to purchase these books in advance and begin reading them. 

For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website:  Christ Reformed Church