Dan Kunkle recently visited Christ the Center to discuss Christian education. This was a very thoughtful and engaging discussion.
Archive for the ‘Headline’ Category
Raising Children as Members of the Covenant Community
Guest Contributor: Kenneth Kang-Hui
If you ask the average Christian to cite the main differences between Baptists and Reformed Christians, the first thing that would come to mind is probably baptism, its mode and its recipients. Specifically, while there may be mild disagreements over the use of immersion or sprinkling as the mode by which the water is applied, of much greater contention is the issue of who exactly should be baptized. Is baptism only for those who have professed personal faith in the work and death of Jesus Christ or is it to be applied to the children of believers as well? Are the children of believers full members of the covenant community or are they technically outsiders who enjoy certain benefits by virtue of being raised in a Christian family but not because they are members of the Visible Church?
For those of us who adhere to the Reformed Confessions, the answers to those questions are clear and should shape our view of children in the church and what it means to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. However, it seems that more often than not, the way children are raised in Reformed Churches is no different than what could be found in typical Baptist or evangelical churches that do not subscribe to paedo-baptism. Children are dropped off, prior to the Sunday worship service, with the child care ministry where they are taught Bible lessons, given arts and crafts activities, or participate in children’s church. Read the rest of this entry »
Family and Sabbath in the Writings of Wendell Berry
Darryl G. Hart and Camden Bucey converse about family and Sabbath through the writings of Wendell Berry.
Reformation Heroes
Reformation Heroes: Written by Diana Kleyn with Joel R. Beeke
Today we are blessed to live in a country where we have little fear of physical or verbal persecution for our faith. We may read the Word of God without fear of punishment. We have the privilege of attending whichever church we desire and we may even encourage the public to come and join us for worship. This freedom has been all but common since the life of Christ and there is no reason to think that it will be common in the future. Sin is as abundant in the world now as it ever has been before. Reformation Heroes gives us an in-depth look at the Reformation gaining strength in the 15th and 16th centuries and the doctrines which were rediscovered, believed, and practiced at tremendous cost to the health, safety, and prosperity of those Reformers who held fast to the faith. Read the rest of this entry »
Feeding Your Family
I’m actually speaking of literal food this time. Inka Leoni at My Modern Metropolis has written a post which includes some very interesting photos of what families throughout the world eat in a typical week. When your week’s food is piled up in one place, it makes you wonder how well you consider the health of your family. Let me humbly recommend Food, Inc. before you buy next week’s groceries. Read the rest of this entry »
Effective Abstinence Education
Robert Rector comments on a new report demonstrating the success of abstinence education programs in the face of the failures of so called “safe-sex” and comprehensive sex-ed programs. What is most interesting is the response from the New York Times which capitulated to the study with the excuse that these successful abstinence education programs were “freed from the moralistic overtones and ideological restrictions.” Rector goes on to list three violated non-negotiables that lead to this sort of reaction.