When New York’s Governor George Clinton gushed about the “majesty of the multitude,” Alexander Hamilton took up his pen to puncture the governor’s pretensions.1 Enamored with the loose-knit structure of the fledgling nation, prescribed by its Articles of Confederation, Clinton was fighting the proposed Constitution, which gave more power to the federal government. Convinced that Clinton was using flattery to play to the crowd, Hamilton wrote, in the first of the pro-Constitution Federalist Papers (published as a book 1788), “[O]f those men who have overturned the liberties of the republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an […]

   In 1971, John Lennon wrote a hymn for the secularist faith. The song, “Imagine,” fantasized about the state of world affairs if everyone were stripped of all beliefs and prejudices—with the notable exception, of course, of the former Beatle’s favorites. “Imagine there’s no heaven,” sang Lennon, It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today . . . Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace . . .

   Many were stunned when on July 29, 2005, the United States Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist, who is also a medical doctor, announced that he opposed President Bush’s policy on restricting embryonic stem-cell research. In a floor speech before the Senate, he argued that scientists should be able to capitalize upon the “truly magnificent, truly remarkable properties” of embryonic stem cells. 1 The trend is clear: politicians with a pro-life history, from Orrin Hatch to Frist, are dazzled by the potential of embryonic stem cells. This issue is not going away; President Obama removed the previous restrictions on federal […]

Pastor: John Scripture Reference: Revelation 20:1-15

   Three months into the 18-month siege of Hippo by the Vandals, St. Augustine (354-430) died of disease at age 76.1 To the city’s defender, Count Boniface, he had written, “[W]ar should be waged only as necessity,” and “[P]eace is not sought in order to the kindling of war, but war is waged in order that peace may be obtained.”2 He thus anticipated three just-war criteria later specified by Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274):3

   by Thabiti Anyabwile This year, it was a joy to see the Lord continuing to answer prayers for fruitful expansion of the kingdom and biblical theology among predominantly African-American churches.  One of the clearest ways that was on display was in the publication of a couple books I pray will be influential among African Americans.

   By John MacArthur Yesterday we looked at seven common conditions or tests that don’t necessarily prove or disprove the existence of saving faith. What then are the marks of genuine saving faith? Are there some reliable tests from the Word of God that enable us to know for certain whether one’s faith is real? Thankfully there are at least nine biblical criteria for examining the genuineness of saving faith.

Pastor John Scripture Reference: Revelation 19

   By John MacArthur What kind of things do and do not prove the genuineness of saving faith? Answer

   In January 2007, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Swiss Federation of Churches co-sponsored a discussion on Chief Executive Officer (CEO) salaries. The WEF, a gathering of leading business and political leaders, meets annually in Davos, Switzerland, and its concern with this matter is no surprise—CEO pay affects whom a company can recruit as well as the bottom line. However, the participation of the Federation of Churches indicates that rising CEO salaries have raised ethical concerns. This explains the heated rhetoric at the January meeting. Thomas Minder, CEO of a Swiss cosmetics firm, refused to mince words when […]