The death and resurrection of Jesus are too often mentioned in a superficial manner. Jesus Christ grappled with man's greatest fear and vanquished our unconquerable enemy. This is not a subject to address with trite phrases and comments, any more than today's annual memorial of the fallen in both World Wars and in subsequent conflicts. …
Category: Church reform
Brotherly love
The term "brotherly love" came to prominence with the Christian Gospel. Prior to this, the Greeks and Romans practised infanticide, rape and violence as a matter of form. Jesus introduced brotherly love as a new Christian commandment, by which they would know His disciples Jn 13:34-35. It is a premium mark of the godly. It …
The future for Scottish Presbyterianism
There is a debate about the future of Presbyterian churches in Scotland. The debate is inadequate because it does not begin with Scripture but with historical and theological analysis, presumably to detect where things went wrong in order to put them right. There is certainly a role for this, but the cure should arise from …
A new beginning in Rome
The Boyd family gathered in Rome today. It was a unique gathering, on a unique occasion, in a unique place, to witness an international union between Scotland and Peru, and a new beginning in Rome. My only-begotten, beloved son James was united in marriage before God and His earthly witnesses with Rebeca, the beloved of …
Inadequate Presbyterian debate
I have often complained about the poor quality of debate in public discussion and also among Christians. My forth-coming publication about the Book of Job draws attention to this perennial, long-standing human failure. Intelligent, informed debate is essential for progress and community cohesion. As long as the Presbyterian church is unable to debate properly or …
False Gospels
A false gospel is a gospel that gives a false hope. It does so by preaching a false Christ. There are various ways of preaching a false Christ. Arminians preach a Christ who does not actually save, that puts salvation into the believer's own hands, emphasizing the decision to follow Christ otherwise Christ cannot actually …
Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ
Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ is the title of a book by John Bunyan, "the Bedford tinker". It is a good title, expressing the essence of the Gospel Call, that all who hear about Jesus Christ are welcome to learn what He has to offer and what He can do for them. Jesus' offer …
Presbyterian prejudices
I have recently published a few blogposts on Presbyterianism. I am familiar with other branches of Christ's visible church and I critique many unbiblical doctrines promoted by these, but zugological balance necessitates the critique of those that are nearer home. I have already done so with evangelical errors but Presbyterianism itself needs not only a …
The Reformation of Presbyterianism
Current Presbyterianism needs a Reformation as surely as Roman catholicism needed it in the 16th century, and still needs it in the 21st century. Roman catholicism never learned from the Protestant Reformation, but instead it battened down the hatches and carried on worse than before. This is a natural reaction, and not many people learn …
The spirit and form of Presbyterianism
If you ask what Presbyterianism is, you may be told that that it is a form of church government in which the church is structured in a hierarchical manner with lower courts subordinate to higher courts until a General Assembly oversees them all. This is inadequate. This describes the form, not the substance nor the …
