Over the years D.A. Carson has been incredibly kind to TGC Canada in general and to me in particular. As most readers will know, Don was born in Montreal and spent his entire childhood in the Province of Quebec. He went to seminary in Toronto,…
When the lockdowns and stay at home orders first started to impact the large group gatherings of local churches, the conversation very quickly moved to matters of loyalty and legality. Is it appropriate for churches to obey the mandates of the local…
Several people have asked me recently what our church is doing with respect to Bill C-6. If you aren’t sure what Bill C-6 is, see here. As the article there linked makes clear, the concern with the bill is the broad and rather ambiguous definition of…
North American Christians increasingly find themselves facing the pointy end of the law. This is a relatively new experience for us. For most of the last 200 years the law has been our friend, our ally and even at times our weapon. But now, all of…
Controversy sharpens the mind. The church didn’t clarify the doctrine of the Trinity until its substance was being challenged and denied. The same could be said with respect to the doctrine of Christ and later with the doctrine of Scripture. The same…
The current argument for civil disobedience runs something like this: The Bible commands us to gather for worship. The government currently forbids us to gather for worship. The authority of God is greater than the authority of the government.…
According to the 10th Annual “State of the Bible” survey released by the American Bible Society, Bible reading has declined over the course of this pandemic. Christianity Today, reflecting on this data concludes that diminished engagement with our …
What does and doesn’t constitute “civil disobedience”? That’s a question that many Christians of conscience will be struggling with over the next few weeks. I’d suggest the following:
Most Bible-reading Christians will admit that as a general rule, believers should be subject to the civil magistrate. Romans 13:1–2 states the principle and supports it with an associated warning:
