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Most Christians in my experience would rather err on the side of not taking the law seriously enough rather than taking it too seriously. If anything, I want this book to err on the side of taking God’s law too seriously. Isn’t that better
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“But a few of the heirs rail against the humanistic historians who have told the story of the new American nation: a “grand experiment” in which the God of the Bible was first formally and publicly abandoned by any Western nation. They have argued that there was no deception, that America is still a Christian nation, that the Constitution “in principle” was and remains a Christian document, and it is only the nefarious work of the U.S. Supreme Court and the American Civil Liberties Union that has stripped the Constitution of its original Christian character. There is no greater deception than one which continues to deceive the victims, over two centuries after the deed was done.”
― Conspiracy in Philadelphia
― Conspiracy in Philadelphia
“There are millions of Christians today (and in the past) who have denied the obvious implications of such a view of God's earthly kingdom. Nevertheless, very few of them have been ready to deny its theological premises. If you ask them this question — "What area of life today is not under the effects of sin?" — they give the proper answer: none. They give the same answer to the next question: "What area of sin-filled life will be outside of the comprehensive judgment of God at the final judgment?"
But when you ask them the obvious third question, they start squirming: "What area of life today is outside of the legitimate effects of the gospel in transforming evil into good, or spiritual death into life?" The answer is obviously the same — none — but to admit this, modern pietistic Christians would have to abandon their pietism.
What is pietism? Pietism preaches a limited salvation: "individual soul-only, family-only, church-only." It rejects the very idea of the comprehensive redeeming power of the gospel, the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and the comprehensive responsibility of Christians in history. In this rejection of the gospel's political and judicial effects in history, the pietists agree entirely with modern humanists. There is a secret alliance between them. Christian Reconstruction challenges this alliance. This is why both Christians and humanists despise it.”
― Christian Reconstruction: What It Is, What It Isn't
But when you ask them the obvious third question, they start squirming: "What area of life today is outside of the legitimate effects of the gospel in transforming evil into good, or spiritual death into life?" The answer is obviously the same — none — but to admit this, modern pietistic Christians would have to abandon their pietism.
What is pietism? Pietism preaches a limited salvation: "individual soul-only, family-only, church-only." It rejects the very idea of the comprehensive redeeming power of the gospel, the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and the comprehensive responsibility of Christians in history. In this rejection of the gospel's political and judicial effects in history, the pietists agree entirely with modern humanists. There is a secret alliance between them. Christian Reconstruction challenges this alliance. This is why both Christians and humanists despise it.”
― Christian Reconstruction: What It Is, What It Isn't
“Good apologetics is a blessing to the church and to the world; the early church proved this. A valid apologetic, however, follows faith and does not attempt to argue the truth of revelation in an a priori fashion. Christians need not hide from their opponents in embarrassed silence; the Christian faith is the only worldview that fits the reality of life. Apologetic intellectual labor should not lead to exaggerated expectations nor deny the genuine subjectivity of Christian truth. Relying on reason to convert or ground the faith on intellectual grounds alone will always disappoint.”
― Reformed Dogmatics
― Reformed Dogmatics
“The Scriptures regularly use the metaphor of a body to speak about human social life. The church is the body of Christ, with many members (1 Cor. 12). Marriage is a “one flesh” union—that is, one whole body that is made up of a head and a body (Eph. 5:22–30). In fact, we can consider the whole household in bodily terms, with the husband as the head and the wife and children as the various distinct members.”
― Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World
― Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World
“The “Order Principle” in 1 Corinthians 14 means that Christian worship should be structured in such a way that instruction is clear, intelligibility is essential, ordained roles and teaching offices are maintained, all the saints are built up in the faith, love and peace are abundant, and God is glorified in all things.
It is for this reason that Christians have historically ordered their meetings and services around a well-structured service that takes believers through all of the essential components or elements of a full, robust worship experience. We might speak of this as the “liturgy,” from the Latin word liturgia meaning “service.” A well-ordered liturgy takes the gathered saints through an incredibly beautiful journey in which practically every aspect of the history of redemption is recalled and applied.
Although there is great variation in ancient, historic, Protestant, and even Reformed liturgies of worship, certain basic elements are usually present somewhere in the service. These include: an acknowledgment of God as Creator, a confession of the fallen state of man, a rehearsal of the Law of God, the proclaiming of the saving Gospel of Christ, the tangible celebration of the sacraments, and the blessing of the Christian life.
In other words, the service moves through the history of redemption: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. Worship is therefore Trinitarian. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are each extolled and praised.”
― Worshiptainment: The Modern Church's Golden Calf
It is for this reason that Christians have historically ordered their meetings and services around a well-structured service that takes believers through all of the essential components or elements of a full, robust worship experience. We might speak of this as the “liturgy,” from the Latin word liturgia meaning “service.” A well-ordered liturgy takes the gathered saints through an incredibly beautiful journey in which practically every aspect of the history of redemption is recalled and applied.
Although there is great variation in ancient, historic, Protestant, and even Reformed liturgies of worship, certain basic elements are usually present somewhere in the service. These include: an acknowledgment of God as Creator, a confession of the fallen state of man, a rehearsal of the Law of God, the proclaiming of the saving Gospel of Christ, the tangible celebration of the sacraments, and the blessing of the Christian life.
In other words, the service moves through the history of redemption: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. Worship is therefore Trinitarian. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are each extolled and praised.”
― Worshiptainment: The Modern Church's Golden Calf
James’s 2025 Year in Books
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