Kuyperian, Author at Kuyperian Commentary

On May 25, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture 2

Women, Head-Coverings, and the New Reality

Guest post by Rev. James Zekveld

The Corinthian church has many problems, but it is doing well in respecting the creational order of men and women in its assemblies by requiring the women who might pray and prophecy to wear a head covering.

We should be cautious about stating, “This is what Paul teaches us to do in this passage normatively.” There is a different moral weight to varying passages in scripture. Some are clearer, “I delivered to you what is of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Some are less clear, “Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:29). The number of interpretations by godly men, illuminated by the Holy Spirit on the head coverings (1 Corinthians 11:1-16) passage reveals something less than clear. Paul’s references to custom should make us cautious about putting great moral weight on this passage.

That doesn’t take away one iota from the call to each Christian to take seriously what Paul is teaching here. After all, each ought to be convinced in his mind. But we need to be careful how we bind one another. Here, I offer my understanding so that those whose consciences are burdened may be unburdened and those who are overconfident in their interpretation may refrain from lording it over their brothers.

Paul is applying the scriptures to two new realities in the assembly: a new unveiled worship of God through Christ and the unique manifestations of the Spirit in the first century through prophecy and tongues. To understand Paul’s goal in this passage, we need to understand the implied order of the assembly, the prophetic realities of the first century, and the gendered hair symbolism behind Paul’s recommendation of head coverings.

The Assembly

The Apostle is addressing the question of order in the assembly. Corinth is dealing with new covenant realities. The temple in Jerusalem is no longer the central place of worship among the people of God; instead, God is worshipped in Spirit and Truth anywhere the body of Christ gathers for that purpose. The church returns to the Garden of Eden, where God freely interacted with Adam.

In the temple, all sorts of veils protected those not ritually clean from God’s presence. The priests, too, were to come covered: covered before God in special clothing, even wearing special turbans and caps when entering God’s presence. All those veils are removed now. Christ’s flesh is the veil. He protects us from God’s holiness breaking out against us. The assembly returns to its Edenic glory, communing with God in union with the true High-Priest, Jesus Christ.

In the Garden, Adam was the liturgical speaker. Paul sums this up when he writes that Adam was created first, and Eve came from Adam. Paul says in verse 3, “I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” The word translated husband in the ESV is the more generic word for man. Paul is not saying every man is the head of all women. The context is the assembly. The liturgical speaker is to be a man. He is speaking to the congregation, the wife, the bride of Christ. He will tell Timothy, “I do not permit a woman to teach a man with authority.” Appointing female speakers in the assembly undermines the authority and power of the church.

According to the garden pattern, the assembly is to be led by men. The congregation is the bride, hearing and receiving the word through their symbolic, liturgical husband.

Pentecost

Yet in this moment of history, there are new realities as well. The Spirit has been poured out so that both men and women see visions. God is speaking through all members of the congregation, emphasizing the ability of all to come before him based on the righteousness of Christ. There may also be an eschatological reality in this. There will be no giving or receiving in marriage in the new heavens and the new earth. It is hard to imagine that the same order we experience now will be experienced in heaven.

Regardless, God in his sovereignty moves through women to pray and prophecy in the congregation. Paul and Corinth recognized that this sovereign movement ought to be respected. Therefore, in this exceptional circumstance, women are allowed to address the assembly. But in doing so, they ought to signify that they recognize the good order God established at creation. Therefore, Paul approves of the Corinthian decision to require head coverings for their women when they pray and prophesy.

They put on this symbol for the sake of the angels. The reference to angels may be a double entendre. They do it for the sake of the ministering spirits who serve the elect so that the angels might rejoice in the good order of the service of God. Angels can also refer to human messengers. So, the Corinthian women also do it for the sake of the ambassadors of God, the pastors, who speak the Word of God, and who earnestly desire the good order of the church of God, even as the angels in heaven do. Considering how the assembly reflects heaven coming down to earth, Paul’s double entendre is apt.

Long Hair

Why head coverings? Paul is not raising some new veil here, particularly for women, while men may come before God unveiled. The key verse here is verse 6: “For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.”

It is customary across all cultures for men to have shorter hair than women. Of course, there are exceptions, even in Israel, where Nazirites, both men and women, grow out their hair long, picturing in their bodies the bridal status of the body of Israel. However, in general, women delight in growing their hair long as a glory to their husbands. In the assembly, if moved to prophecy, they should simulate masculinity by covering up that glory with an artificial covering. For a moment, they are God’s glory, rather than their husbands’ glory.

Summary

Relying then on custom and general observations about hair length, Paul advocates for head coverings to continue to honor the order that God has established. In doing so, he honors the work of Spirit-filled prayer and prophecy in women, as the word of God. Therefore, based on this passage, no woman should feel obligated to wear a head covering while seated in the congregation of God. This is true, despite the many wise and venerable men who have lauded such a practice.

Pastor James Zekveld serves as Pastor in Trinity Covenant Church in Fort St. John, B.C. Canada. He is married to his dear wife Hannah, and has three children, Victor, Arley, and Phoenix, with a fourth coming soon.

On May 1, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture 1

The Problem with Gospel-Centered Movement

We transitioned from the “Gospel-Centered” movement of the early 2000s, which advocated that our natural loves were actually idolatrous, to the “Gospel-Rare” movement of our day, which suggests that our natural loves only require the Gospel in those rare spiritual experiences.

The Gospel-centered movement chastised anyone who maximized the natural biblical order. They offered pilgrimages towards absolution if only we loved family less and Jesus more. But the result of such dangerous bifurcation was an idolatrous view that minimized the spheres of society for some nebulous piety.

On the other hand, the “Gospel-rare” movement sees the Gospel as completely dispensable when it comes to the salvation of the nations. They wish to divorce Politics from the Gospel and treat the Gospel as merely a message about eternal life. They limit the Gospel to spiritual realities.

However, the Apostle Paul views the Gospel, particularly the promise of the Resurrection, as deeply rooted in the conquest of the nations (I Cor. 15:24-26). For the nations to come to Christ, we need neither a distorted view of the Gospel that minimizes our earthly concerns nor divorce it from its political implications.

The Gospel is a full-orbed, redemptive-historical message that draws people to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and turns our affections rightly to our families and friends, as well as to the victory over principalities and powers.

On March 17, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture 1

St. Patrick’s Baptismal Theology

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and so it seems appropriate to offer a brief defense of St. Patrick’s hymn as a baptismal exhortation in three short points:

First, baptism is Trinitarian. The Great Commission affirms this truth in Matthew 28 (“Baptizing them into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”), and Patrick’s hymn reflects this in the opening and closing verses: “I Bind Unto Myself Today the Strong Name of the Trinity.” The Triune God is the alpha and the omega of baptism.

Second, baptism is protective. It is the armor’s helmet in Ephesians 6, the Christian’s clothing in Galatians 3, and a sign of new life in Romans 6. Baptism protects. Patrick’s hymn reflects this: “Against the death-wound and the burning, the choking wave, the poisoned shaft, protect me Christ till thy returning.” Baptism signifies Christ’s protection over us.

And finally, baptism is fidelity. There is a rhythm to this great hymn. There is a logic to it all the way through verse 7, and then something dramatically happens in verse 8. The cadence changes, the rhythm is modified, and the central figure comes to the scene. Patrick puts Christ everywhere—above, within, behind, before, and in all places. And the allegiance is not ours to Jesus, but for Patrick, it’s Jesus’ fidelity to us to be with us from font to grave. Christ is ever faithful!

As we bring young and old to the font, let us remember our baptisms also, for in it, the Trinity is displayed, our lives are protected, and Christ surrounds us with his fidelity.

On March 4, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture Like

Instead of Working for a Living, Take Dominion

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them,

‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;

have dominion over the fish of the sea,

over the birds of the air,

and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

Genesis 1:28

Ultimately, the Dominion Mandate from Genesis 1:28 defines what is economically valuable and what is not. Value comes from ruling the earth and subduing it, from being fruitful and multiplying. Conversely, activity that does not preserve or increase dominion isn’t economically valuable. The topic for this article is economic value and intends to speak to providers, those responsible for creating economic value to sustain themselves and others in their household.

Christian providers must understand that value is measured in dominion. Knowing this changes your entire approach to work. Of course you must work for a living, but if your work is not steadily taking dominion, you will soon find yourself “out of work.” This biblical wisdom for work as taking dominion directs and motivates us in our labors away from just being active toward a truly productive work ethic.

Work Ethic from a Dominion Mindset

While you can be active in many good things, only activity that rules and subdues is economically valuable to human existence. You are a creature, not self-existent like God, so you continually spend down resources in order to exist, and you will only thrive in your work if you obey the Lord’s Dominion Mandate to rule and subdue the earth. Thus, every day when you go to work, go to take dominion. This cultivates a work ethic from a Dominion Mindset.

Keeping a Dominion Mindset about your work points you to value and it exposes how many things can pass for work that are not truly valuable. For Christian providers, advice to“Work while you’re working” translates to: Make sure everything you do as “work” contributes toward taking dominion. If you do not keep a Dominion Mindset about your work, you will end up active, but not valued. You will be spent, yet have nothing to spend. If your business is not to be busy solving problems for your neighbors on a daily basis, your problems as a provider will be multiplied.

Valuable Work

A workplace adage says, “You get paid for the value you create.” A variant adds, “You get paid in proportion to the problems you solve.” Taken together with the Dominion Mandate, value is something created by the worker who takes dominion over problems. If your work provides relief from problems or advantage over chaos, then it is valuable because it grants the economic benefit of taking dominion over what was previously unruly. Thus, when you turn unruly, complicated, problematic situations into a benefit for your community, the economy rewards these actions in proportion to the benefit you offer.

Whether working for yourself or someone else, the value of your work corresponds to the benefit it yields your neighbor. Self-employed business owners know you cannot just set any price for your labors in the marketplace. It doesn’t matter what the work costs you in effort and energy expended. The only thing that matters is whether what you do benefits your neighbors. If your work helps them solve problems, they will pay you for that benefit. The bigger the problem solved, the bigger the payday, because solutions to big problems are more beneficial, more economically valuable, than solutions to small problems. It is also true that solving a small problem for many people can be more economically valuable than solving a big problem for a few people. The value of your problem-solving skill all depends on how much dominion your solution can offer.

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On January 23, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture Like

Trump in the Washington National Cathedral

Mariann Edgar Budde has been playing the role of Bishop at the Washington National Cathedral since 2011. The incident proved what I call the JBJ principle. But before elaborating on the principle, let me summarize the incident:

The President and Vice-President, their wives, and a large portion of the new Trump administration sat there through the torture of an Episcopal Service that combines the best of idolatry with a funereal liturgy.

I say that as a fanboy of the Book of Common Prayer. But let’s be honest, there is not much left of books or prayer in the Episcopal Church. The “so-called Bishop,” as Trump adequately expressed, urged the president to defend the leftist causes that have gotten us into this madmaxness of history. She petitioned the president to protect the plight of illegal immigrants, LGBTQ adherents, and other causes.

JD Vance offered us his “Jim” look at the conspicuous abuse of common-sense. Pastors should speak politically, but the fundamental problem with Budde (insert pronoun) is that she lacks the DNA of priesthood. She was born the sex from which no priesthood stems! And that is problem numero uno. The second problem is that the president was trapped. He was compelled to hear drivel from the ass’s mouth.

So, now we begin to see the JBJ principle in action.

Jim Jordan stated that truth must be the starting point of the three great virtues of goodness, truth, and beauty. It is better to have truth than the beauty of the National Cathedral. It is better to have truth than to stare into the eyes of an elderly woman who specializes in travesty and error. It is better to have truth surrounded by white, unadorned walls than to sit in the synagogue of Satan, no matter how adequately adorned it may be. Pretty tombs only hide decay.

Donald J. Trump, a man who does not claim King Jesus, is still imbibed with sufficient common grace to see falsehood.

We can only pray that in 2029, our next Republican President can sit under the tutelage of wisdom instead of the pulpit of terror. Perhaps we may have truth and beauty and goodness joined together in a sacred assembly.

On January 20, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture 1

11 Reasons to Rejoice in the Trump Inauguration

The joy of the Trump inauguration stems from eleven elements:

1) The deleterious effects of Biden’s policies coupled with his mental decline.

2) The Democrat’s intentional pursuit of derailing Trump’s candidacy throughout the last two years.

3) The awakening of powerful voices to the destructive nature of woke ideologies creating fruitful alliances possibly never seen before in American politics.

4) The overwhelming election night of Donald J. Trump signaled a clear desire to move towards national conservative policies.

5) The Church’s renewed interest for the good of the city.

6) The mandate to undo the destructive DEI agenda within various institutions.

7) The failed European project of open borders.

8 ) The Vice-Presidency of JD Vance, who stands as a clear runner-up for 2028.

9) The removal of various roles/voices within the government and the innovation of DOGE as an economic gatekeeper against waste.

10) The distinct return to an “American First” philosophy.

11) The kindness of Jesus Christ in preserving our great nation!

God bless the 47th President of the United States of America!

grayscale photo of a holy bible with a cross pendant

On January 9, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture Like

Who is Israel?

The question of what it means to be a Jew or Israelite touches upon deep theological and covenantal themes rooted in Scripture. The Old Covenant (OC) provides the foundational framework for understanding the identity of the people of God, while the New Covenant (NC) in Christ redefines and fulfills these realities. Through an examination of the covenantal history and its fulfillment in the church, we can discern the evolving identity of Israel as God’s people.

The starting point of Israelite identity is the covenant God made with Abraham. While Abraham fathered both Ishmael and Isaac, only Isaac was considered the son of the covenant. Both sons were circumcised, but the covenant promise was specific to Isaac (Gen. 17:19-21). Circumcision marked inclusion in the covenant community, but this physical sign was insufficient on its own to secure the covenant blessings; faith and divine election determined true membership.

This distinction highlights a fundamental principle: covenant identity in the OC was never purely biological.[1] It was a matter of divine promise and faith, evidenced by God’s sovereign choice of Isaac over Ishmael. Even within Abraham’s household, circumcision extended to male servants, yet these individuals were not considered full heirs of the covenant in the same way Isaac was (Gen. 17:12-13, 23-27).[2]

The OC allowed Gentiles to join the covenant community under specific conditions, demonstrating that Israel was not an ethnically exclusive entity. A Gentile could become part of the covenant if they:

Belonged to the household of an Israelite (Genesis 17:12-14).
Embraced the faith of Abraham (Exodus 12:48-49).
Waited three generations if they were Edomites or Egyptians (Deuteronomy 23:7-8).
Waited ten generations if they were Ammonites or Moabites (Deuteronomy 23:2-3).

Tim Gallant aptly summarizes this dynamic by observing that Israel had “soft edges” to its identity.^[3]Gentiles could enter the covenant community and even become Israelites through circumcision and faith. However, these “soft edges” also had limits. Not all circumcised individuals were Israelites – Esau and Ishmael, though circumcised, were not part of the covenant people. Conversely, those who forsook circumcision were cut off from Israel, underscoring that covenant status was contingent upon obedience to God’s commands (Gen. 17:14).

The covenant shaped Israel into more than a religious community – it forged them into a family, tribe, and eventually a nation. Over time, the covenantal framework intertwined with biological lineage, so much so that Paul could refer to Israel as his “kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3). While Israel retained an ethnic core, their identity was never reducible to ethnicity alone. Covenant membership had a biological dimension, but it ultimately rested on faith and God’s promises.

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On January 6, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture Like

What is Epiphany?

Happy Epiphany!

It doesn’t have the same ring as “Merry Christmas” or “Christ is risen!” but Epiphany carries significant repercussions for our Christmas and Easter theology. In some sense, Epiphany is the key that unlocks both classic Christian festivals. Epiphany secures the triumph of Jesus’ life and mission.

In Epiphany, we celebrate the “manifestation” of Jesus to the Gentiles. When the Magi came to give him gifts, they gave him gifts as a foretelling of the great gift the Son will give the Father at the end of history (I Cor. 15:24-26). When Christ returns, he returns with the kingdom as a gift to the Father. Jesus receives gifts, but he is the great gift-giver of history (Eph. 4:11-13).

Jesus introduces himself to the Gentile world as a fulfillment of Simeon’s song. He is a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Israel (Matt 2:1-12). Jesus’ entire ministry is a ministry of gift-giving, which culminates as his body is given for his people (Lk. 22:19). Indeed, gift-giving is a crucial component of the revelation of Jesus to the world.

We can be sure of the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) because Epiphany’s gifts to Jesus are gifts that will be dispersed among men. Jesus is the unfailing gift-giver to the nations. He has never failed to provide for his people. He promises to be a “light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:32).

For the Christian, Epiphany signals a season of discipleship through gift-giving rituals. The entire biblical premise of sanctification entails a life of exchanges (my life for yours).

Christians are called to think through their ordinary rituals and adjust them accordingly to reveal Christ’s work to the nations. We can consider three questions to build a gift-giving environment in our homes and churches:

First, how can my home be a gift of refreshment to my children and those who enter it? Have I made my house a house of prayer? Is it perfumed with the aroma of heaven?

Second, how/what are my daily habits? In what ways are those rituals bringing life to my own soul and those around me? Am I refreshing my spirit to refresh others in the hope of the Gospel?

Third, how am I being an ambassador of Jesus in my endeavors? How is my private and public life sharing the mission of Messiah to the world? Is my life manifesting glory in my community?

Epiphany means to make known what was hidden. Christ’s presence was a mystery to the Gentiles, but now his life is made known to the nations as a babe and as the Creator of the cosmos.

Epiphany summons us to wrap our lives as gifts to those around us and to be constantly on the lookout to give of ourselves to others out of the abundance of gifts we have received from Christ, our manifested Lord.

On January 1, 2025 By Kuyperian In Culture 2

Paul and antisemitism in 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 has been something of a flashpoint in New Testament studies because of its alleged antisemitism. The New Testament scholar Pieter van der Horst has even said that we should not preach on this text, only against it.

Paul says,

(14) For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, (15) who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind (16) by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! (ESV)

Is this antisemitic? It might depend, of course, on how the term is defined. For our purposes we will define antisemitism as “hatred, disdain, or blanket denunciation of the Jewish people as a whole”. In this article, we will defend Paul against charges of antisemitism from enemies of Scripture, but also from friends, who, while not necessarily embracing the term, justify antisemitism on the basis of this passage. For example, in a recent podcast episode of The King’s Hall, Pastor Brian Sauvé suggested that the Jews are indeed “uniquely malevolent” and appealed to 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 to support his view. We will demonstrate, however, that such an appeal is misguided. We will address three questions concerning the passage and on the basis of the answers give three reasons why it leaves no room for antisemitism.

Who are the “Jews” in verse 14?

Paul is talking about the churches in Judea and how they suffered at the hands of “the Jews”. The ESV has a translators’ footnote here that the word Ioudaioi “can refer to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, who opposed the Christian faith in that time”. While the wordusually refers to religious leaders in John’s gospel, it may not have that meaning here. The next phrase clarifies the meaning, however: as Gordon Fee points out, the word translated “who” is not a relative pronoun but a definite article with a participle. Literally, it is “the also killing Jesus ones”. Fee argues that this grammatical construction is restrictive: Paul is not talking about all Jews, but these particular Jews. (Though of course Paul is talking about different groups of Jews: those who killed the Old Testament prophets as well as those who are hindering him.)

Who are the Thessalonians’ “countrymen”?

Paul talks about the Thessalonians’ suffering in verse 14. This is most likely subsequent to Paul’s initial experience in Thessalonica, related in Acts 17. There the Jews took “some wicked men of the rabble” (verse 5) and formed a mob. It would appear that this mob consisted of both Jews and Gentiles. The word “countrymen” (sumphuletēs) in 1 Thessalonians 2:14 is not used anywhere else in the New Testament but comes from the word phulē (“tribe”). Since the Thessalonian Christians were at least mostly Gentiles (Paul reminds them in 1:9 that they turned “from idols to serve the living and true God”), the word “countrymen” cannot mean just Jews. In fact, it probably has more of a geographic than ethnic connotation: “the men of your own place”. The point Paul is making is that what the Thessalonian Christians suffered at the hand of unbelieving Gentile Thessalonians was the same as what Judean Christians suffered at the hands of unbelieving Jews.

When did the judgment occur?

Paul says, “wrath has come upon them at last” (verse 16). He uses the aorist verb, which is usually translated into English with a past tense. The aorist can, however, be used to express the certainty of a future event – this is called the proleptic (or futuristic) aorist. (The most famous occurrence is in Romans 8:30: “those whom he justified, these he also glorified”.) Most commentators interpret verse 16 in this way: for example, Leon Morris says, “It refers rather to its certainty, for Paul is thinking of wrath in an eschatological setting. It is at the last great day that his nation will receive the due reward of all its misdeeds.”

There is, however, another possibility. Paul could be talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. (Some liberal scholars, such as Birger Pearson, even suggest that on this basis these verses constitute an interpolation, and were added after the fact.) In this way, the Jews responsible for Jesus’ death and Paul’s persecution have already been punished for those sins.

Why this passage leaves no room for antisemitism

We are now in a position to evaluate the charge that this passage supports antisemitism. Firstly, it is not talking about all Jews – or even the Jews as a whole – but particular Jews in the first century (though Paul goes further back to include the persecution of Old Testament prophets). Secondly, Paul makes the point that the Thessalonian Christians were suffering things from Gentiles just as Judean Christians had suffered from Jews: these Jews were not “uniquely malevolent”, since the Gentile unbelievers of Thessalonica were just as bad. It is not just Jews who “displease God and oppose all mankind”. Thirdly, the Jews who killed Jesus, persecuted Paul, and rejected the gospel have already been judged: both in the gospel going to the Gentiles (as related in Acts 28:28) and in the destruction of Jerusalem (and especially the temple) in 70 AD. Hence, the suffering of Jewish people throughout history cannot be seen as God’s judgment for first-century sins. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 leaves no room for antisemitism.

John Dekker is married with six children and serves as pastor of Christ The King Church in Eugene, Oregon. He also teaches at Reformed Evangelical Seminary and has a PhD in Biblical Studies from Christ College in Sydney, Australia.

On October 15, 2024 By Kuyperian In Culture 3

An Eschatological Vision for Ministry

By Rev. Bo Cogbill

A Homily to Ministers of the Gospel at Anselm Presbytery

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray with me.

Father of Heavenly Lights and fount of all Wisdom, guide us we pray, by your Word and Spirit, so that in your light we may see light, in your truth find wisdom, and in your will discover your peace. Add Your blessing to the reading, the hearing, and the preaching of Your Word, and grant us all the grace to trust and obey You, and all God’s people said, “Amen.”

The scripture reading we’ll consider tonight is from Paul’s letter to Timothy.

Hear God’s Word:

1 Timothy 4:7–16 – [7] Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; [8] for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. [9] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. [10] For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
[11] Command and teach these things. [12] Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. [13] Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. [14] Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. [15] Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. [16] Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
[1] Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, [2] older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

This is the word of the Lord; thanks be to God.

We could probably do a whole series of presbytery talks on this passage – talks about what is and isn’t’ a silly myth or irreverent babble, talks about how ministerial scandal might be avoided if we saw the women and girls among us more like mothers and sisters and daughters than mere women, or how some of us need to get a little more value from our bodily training, but PM Stoos asked me to address Anselm w/some of the words I tried to encourage the RES students with during our convocation a little over a month ago.

That talk was supposed to be on an eschatological vision for ministry.

I’m pretty sure the expectation going in was for me to inspire the students who were aspiring to the ministry by giving them a vision for what role their ministry might play in the eschaton, but instead, I tried to do the opposite.

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