Author Archives: jwm

Doctrine Is Doxological!

Posted on by
Reply

Bits and Bytes from Bavinck

(notes and quotes from reading Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics)

“Among Reformed theologians, therefore, the following proposition returns again and again: ‘the principle into which all theological dogmas are distilled is: God has said it.’” (Vol. 1, p. 30)

“Therefore, just as wood does not burn because it smokes but smoke nonetheless signals the presence of fire, so a truth confessed by the church is not a dogma because the church recognizes it but solely because it rests on God’s authority.” (Vol. 1, p. 31)

Concluding the section on Introduction to Dogmatics:

“And the essence of the Christian religion consists in the reality that the creation of the Father, ruined by sin, is restored in the death of the Son of God and re-created by the grace of the Holy Spirit into a kingdom of God. Dogmatics shows how God who is all-sufficient in himself, nevertheless glorifies himself in his creation, which, even when it is torn apart by sin, is gathered up again in Christ (Eph. 1:10). It describes for us God, always God, from beginning to end — God in his being, God in his creation, God against sin, God in Christ, God breaking down all resistance through the Holy Spirit and guiding the whole of creation back to the objective he decreed for it: the glory of his name. Dogmatics, therefore, is not a dull and arid science. It is a theodicy, a doxology to all God’s virtues and perfections, a hymn of adoration and thanksgiving, a ‘glory to God in the highest’ (Luke 2:14).” (Vol. 1, p. 112)

The Church’s [Not So] New Fundamentalism

Posted on by
Reply

The links below relate to an in-house discussion within my denomination, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), though the issues affect other fellowships as well. Ordained Servant is a publication aimed at officers in the OPC, her deacons, ruling elders, and ministers. The Church’s [Not So] New Fundamentalism appeared in the June/July 2025 online issue. The November 2025 issue carries a response by the Rev. Peter C. Van Doodewaard, an OPC, pastor, entitled About Machen and New Fundamentalism. It also includes as part of the Servant Exchange my response to my brother’s article, Do We Have a Problem? Patriarchal Fundamentalism and Abuse. The issues are important enough, I believe, to warrant continued reflection and study of the Word of God.

Sabbath Rest from Satan’s Hosts

Posted on by
Reply

“Have you ever been in a really dark place?” I asked God’s people as I began a sermon on Mark 1:21–28 this morning. Struggling with darkness might include those who have suffered abuse at the hands of family members or church figures, those who are wrestling with serious illness, and even those who may be struggling with sinful temptation. You have hope even in dark places, for Mark points you to the first miracle he records Jesus performing.

            On a Sabbath, probably the first one after calling four fishermen to follow him, they enter the synagogue at Capernaum, and Jesus begins to teach with an authority that amazes the crowd. The reverence of the synagogue service is shattered by the piercing confrontation between a man possessed by an unclean spirit and Jesus. Satan the great imitator, responds to the incarnation by having his followers take over various human beings. Although demon possessions seem to have clustered during the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, Satan and his fallen angels continue to seek to harm God’s people today. There are dark places.

Continue reading →

The Unlooked-for Blessing of Being around the Death of Others

Posted on by
Reply

Mary Bonner, one of my sisters, is very close to death as I write these words. No, I did not use a euphuism, “near the end of her earthly pilgrimage,” or some such. Mary had no time for calling death something other than what it is. Her hospice bed is in the living room of her house, and her children are providing superb care, along with the hospice nurses. This morning her breathing changed and ability to speak diminished. Her children and grandchildren are with her, in person and in the case of a geographically distant family, by phone. I would not be surprised if she passes before this draft is posted on the web.

Jason, one of her sons, reported on her condition, and added a paragraph, which I quote with his permission:

Mom regularly visited Marj Dolan, a widow from church who was living in a nursing home. Mom would visit her faithfully once a week, I would visit somewhat often as her ”computer tech guy.” Marj was loved by our family and by our church, but in 2019 she had a stroke and quickly moved into hospice care. Mom invited her to spend her last days of life at our house, so she could be cared for by people who loved her. She moved into the guest room. Hospice was in and out, and Mom along with us kids took care of her. Mom showed her love and care in those final days of her life, those days in which you are completely helpless and at the mercy of those around you. The unlooked-for blessing of being around the death of others is much more clear now, but those experiences have helped prepare me and my siblings for the inevitable death we would have in our future.

Continue reading →

What About Matthew 18?

Posted on by
Reply

This article, which appeared originally on the Presbyterian Advocacy Coalition site, is reproduced here with permission. A PDF copy can be downloaded here.

What About Matthew 18?1

The Use and Misuse of Jesus’ Command

Jesus, in Matthew 18:15–17, gives you instructions on how to handle serious conflict with a fellow believer. If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. The goal is to win your brother over. Should that fail, take two or three witnesses. If that fails, take it to the church. (In the Orthodox Presbyterian Church [OPC], in which I serve as a pastor, we have a formal judicial process outlined in the Book of Discipline to help carry that out properly.)

Not every perceived offense ought to trigger the process of Matthew 18. Many offenses can simply be forgiven and passed over in grace. Remember that Jesus did say something about removing the plank from your own eye before searching for the speck in someone else’s. But something that is serious between brothers and sisters, something that interferes with fellowship, something that really needs correcting, can and should prompt us to go to the other party.

Continue reading →

Who Am I?

Posted on by
1

Grounded in Grace: Helping Kids Build Their Identity in Christ by Jonathan D. Holmes. New Growth Press, 2024. Paperback, 120 pages, $16.99.

“Who am I?” How can parents (and grandparents) help their growing children who are dealing, or will have to deal, with that question? Holmes suggests, “Our children are under enormous pressure to figure out who they are in an environment and culture that is sending them conflicting messages.” (3) The author hopes to help, not only parents, but also others who interact with children.

Traditionally, children found their identity by following in their parents’ footsteps and achieving approval from them and other adults. Boys might often follow in their father’s trade, while the goal of girls would be to become a loving and submissive wife. More recently in our culture, “the determiner of identity has moved from something outside of you to something inside of you.” (7) Your inner voice is crucial.

Continue reading →

Sunday Evening Musings

Posted on by
Reply

It can be dangerous for a pastor to start musing, particularly with a keyboard under his fingers, on a Sunday evening. I don’t trust my own brain after preaching twice, so feel free to use your delete button now or at any point that I start to ramble.

Currently I’m working through the Book of Psalms on Sunday evenings, not covering every Psalm, but preaching on many of them. Usually it is one Psalm per Sunday evening. But tonight I preached on Psalms 127 and 128 together — they do have interwoven themes and language. Although I don’t usually follow the Hallmark liturgical calendar, in the past I have preached on one of them on Mothers Day and the other on Fathers Day with the hope that a biblical, redemptive message on the family might be better than the sentimentality often served up on those occasions. But this time I was preaching on them simply because the previous Sunday evening message was on Psalm 126 (lectio continua does shorten the time spent looking for a text).

Continue reading →

“You Are Still a Mother”

Posted on by
Reply

“I’m sorry. There is no heartbeat.” One week away from her due date, Jackie Gibson and her husband, Jonny, heard those words cut through the silence of the room in the hospital. Their daughter, Leila, died before she was born. In You Are Still a Mother,[1] Jackie Gibson quotes those crushing words several times as she chronicles navigating her grief.

The Gibsons know, and knew at the time of Leila’s death, the Good Shepherd, the Man of Sorrows, who knows our grief and suffering. He, his person and work, form the basis for the hope mentioned in the subtitle. Yet the book is utterly honest. There is no shortcut through grief. It continues. Jackie writes:

I am not the same person I was before Leila died. The trauma of my devastating loss has etched itself onto my heart and body. Grief has taken up residence in my heart and is now my companion for life. Sometimes its presence is loud and clanging, and other times it is tucked away and so quiet that I forget for a moment that it is there. But grief is there. And whenever I feel that pang in my heart, I remember that Leila’s death has changed me. (54)

Wisely she wishes that debriefing in the hospital had included information about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Continue reading →

The Use and Abuse of ‘Superiors, Inferiors, or Equals’

Posted on by
Reply
Painting by John Rogers of debate in the Westminster Assembly on a portion of the Confession of Faith. Insert: Title page of the first printing of the Shorter Catechism for members of Parliament

What Don’t the Westminster Catechisms Say?

“The Westminster Shorter Catechism speaks of the husband as superior to the wife, and of lay people as inferior to their leaders” state Michael Foster and Dominic Bnonn Tennant in their popular book, It’s Good To Be a Man.[1] Prior to reviewing the book, when I suggested to one of the authors that the Shorter Catechism lacks that statement,[2] I was told that the intended reference is to the Larger Catechism and that the correction will be made. However, as I pointed out in my review, while Q. 64 speaks of “preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals” (and Q. 123–133 of the Larger Catechism use similar language), neither those answers, nor any others in the catechisms describe “the husband as superior to the wife” or “lay people as inferior to their leaders.”[3] Messrs. Foster and Tennant appear to be appealing to the catechetical language of “superiors, inferiors, or equals” to support their view of the inferiority of wives and of those holding the general office of believer, although, since neither catechism states what they suggest, their argument lies somewhere on the spectrum between sloppy writing and improper use of sources.

            While the example above is blatant, one does not have to spend extended time on social media to realize that those authors are not alone in seeing the phrase in the catechisms as supporting the view that husbands are superior to their wives, or even that women are ontologically inferior to men. Is that a proper use of the Westminster Catechisms? Or is it a misuse, possibly even an abuse, of those standards?

Catechisms, a glance at history

            Why do the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms use the language of “superiors, inferiors, or equals” with reference to the Fifth Commandment, particularly when some earlier catechisms of the Reformation did not?

Continue reading →

When Shepherds Harm the Sheep

Posted on by
Reply

In the church of Jesus Christ, those serving under the Good Shepherd have the responsibility of protecting the flock entrusted to their care. For pastors and other leaders to harm the sheep ought to be unthinkable — but it happens. Equally tragic is the fact that too often fellow officers in the church fail to take action to protect the sheep.

Michael J. Kruger, President of Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC, is well known for his academic work on early church history and the formation of the canon. He recently authored Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church.

This post is not a book review. An excellent review can be found here (p. 20). Rather, this gathers some thoughts used as I discussed the book with some fellow pastors a few weeks ago.

Continue reading →