Sing About Jesus, Not About You: Rejecting Self-centered Church Music
In a previous essay, I discussed the increasing individualistic approach to music in our modern society. Now I want to focus on how this trend has affected our church music, both on the level of individual songs and on the level of our approach to church music in general. An examination of lyrics, style, and setting can inform us of how we should sing and how we have missed the mark. Lyrics Perhaps the most basic element of our church...
Economics: Theological Foundations
In his celebrated 1994 work The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, evangelical historian Mark Noll dourly concluded that evangelical’s “intellectual sterility” had produced “virtually no insights into how, under God, the natural world proceeded, how human societies worked, why human nature acted the way it did, or what constituted the blessings and perils of culture.”[1] While I have written elsewhere that Noll’s thesis exaggerates the...
An Introduction to Conservatism: Canons Four–Five
In a previous article, I introduced classical conservatism, surveying canons one through three, from Russell Kirk’s The Politic of Prudence. In particular, conservatives believe in an enduring transcendent moral order. They adhere to custom, convention, and continuity, and they follow the principle of prescription. Thus conservatives look upwards and backwards to form their ethic. In this article, we will briefly review canon four,...
The Use and Abuse of Christian Liberty
One of the more challenging passages in the New Testament is found in Romans 12:1–2: Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect...
New HSF Member: Zach Vickery
The Helwys Society Forum is excited to announce its newest member to the forum: Mr. Zach Vickery. He is originally from Dothan, Alabama but now resides in Clayton, NC, with his wife Emily. He is the Associate Pastor at Tippett’s Chapel Free Will Baptist Church and is also a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow. Zach holds degrees from Welch College (B.S., Biblical Studies and General Christian Ministry; M.A., Theology and...
Book Review: Between Life and Death
Back in the fall of 2018, I was processing feelings of grief after losing my grandfather. He passed away at home surrounded by family and friends. I remember cherishing these final moments with him. In the days after his memorial service, I remember encountering the work of Kathryn Butler on Oceans Rise. I honestly can’t recall how I stumbled upon this blog, but her forthcoming book Between Life and Death caught my attention. I was...
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