Years ago, it seems like we spent a lot of time in church listening to sermons about or studying apologetics, but these days, not so much. Why?
Church/Bible/Doctrine
When our pastor prays, he uses the word “Lord” or “Father God” in nearly every sentence, sometimes more. Is it wrong for me to be annoyed by this?
There are real forces of evil at work in the world, so it can be tempting to conflate spiritual warfare and culture war. But it is also dangerous.
Is it wrong to continue asking God for something over and over again? Is it a sign that the answer is “no” if you haven’t yet received it?
If you believe that people go immediately to heaven when they die, do you think it might have been a bit cruel to Lazarus for Jesus to bring him back to life?
Who goes to synod as voting delegates? What change did Synod 2023 adopt?
If God loves the world (John 3:16), why are we told not to love the world (1 John 2:15)?
Our Christian Reformed church called a minister from the Reformed Church in America, and the RCA church in town called a CRC minister. Is that allowed?
James 2:26 (“Faith without deeds is dead”) seems to contradict Galatians 2:16 (we are “justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law”).
We need to know that our prayers make a difference, but prayer is not magic or manipulation.
Are officebearers in the Christian Reformed Church required to teach only penal substitutionary atonement theory, or may they explain other atonement theories?
There are important context clues to help us understand this phrase.
Can a couple get married in the eyes of the church but not in the eyes of the state if they have financial or family concerns about a legal marriage?
No one can simply write a letter to synod unless they have standing to do so and have followed the prescribed procedures for submitting material for synod’s agenda.
Assuming God did predestine only a select few to be saved, why would he bother creating people he did not elect for salvation?
How will our people learn Reformed doctrine in church now that synod has removed the requirement for catechism sermons?
I’m hearing suggestions that the Bible is not a rule book, but Christian confessions declare it “the only rule for life and faith” (Westminster Confession) and “infallible rule” (Belgic Confession, Art. 7). Which is right?
What do confessing members and officebearers who have previously signed the Covenant for Officebearers do when the Christian Reformed Church changes its confessions, and they no longer agree with the beliefs in the confessions?
People often say that we should read the Bible to know what God is saying. How do we read the Bible to make decisions that don’t necessarily have a moral answer?
Are there different standards of belief for officebearers and confessing members of the Christian Reformed Church?
What’s the status of a congregational meeting and a congregational vote—especially when it comes to extending a call to a pastor?
Our church council called a special congregational meeting to vote on calling a chaplain. Is that necessary when the chaplain isn’t going to be working at our church?
Our council sometimes meets all together and sometimes separately with only elders or deacons. How do we know what each group can decide?
Issues some people regard as political are what others regard as core kingdom-of-God issues that must be engaged.