Jonathan Edwards: Preach on Hell

Again, Jonathan Edwards, in his Distinguishing Marks:
If there be really a hell of such dreadful, and never-ending torments, as is generally supposed, that multitudes are in great danger of, and that the bigger part of men in Christian countries do actually from generation to generation fall into, for want of a sense of the terribleness [...]

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Dan Brown on pastoral prayer

The seminary I attend recently started a blog, and I want to highlight a helpful post by the practical theology professor Dan Brown on pastoral prayer. Here’s just an excerpt:
Spontaneity, while typical in our prayer life, holds no special benefit with God. Thinking through, and even praying through, the preparation of a public prayer allows [...]

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Lukewarmness in religion is abominable

Jonathan Edwards in Distinguishing Marks of the Work of the Spirit of God:
Lukewarmness in religion is abominable, and zeal an excellent grace; yet above all other Christian virtues, it needs to be strictly watched and searched; for ’tis that with which corruption, and particularly pride and human passion, is exceeding apt to mix unobserved.*
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*Distinguish Marks, [...]

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Good words from Carl Trueman

Carl Trueman calls some worship garbage. Here’s an excerpt:
You can tell a lot about someone’s theology from what they do in church.  Involve Kenny G’s music in your worship service, and I can tell not only that you have no taste in music but also that you have nothing to offer theologically to those who [...]

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How Reformed are the Young Reformed?

Phillip Benedict observes,
The Latin motto of many Reformed churches today, “Ecclesia reformata, quia semper reformada” (The Reformed church because always reforming) was coined in the middle of the seventeenth century by the Dutch churchman Johannes Hoornbeeck. It captures perfectly the restlessness of a tradition that recurrently generated internal revitalization movements inspired by such hopes even [...]

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