The Westminster Confession of Faith says this about the Sabbath:

VIII. This Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

In defense of the Sabbath for Christians, some have argued that the reason we don’t appreciate the Sabbath is because we don’t appreciate the other half of the commandment: to work six days.

In other words, if we honored the commandment to work six days, we’d be much more inclined to rest on the seventh. This post is brief, in that the combination of these two points, 1. working six days and 2. resting the seventh, raises one question for me.

When do we play?

Is play a subcategory of work, so we play on the six days of the week that we work? Or, is play a subcategory of rest, so we play on the seventh day of rest?

The Westminster Confession of Faith defines rest and Sabbath-keeping so that it explicitly excludes play: “are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.”

So when do we play? What are your thoughts on this question?

* Matt Bianco is a PCA elder, the homeschooling father of three children, a result of his marriage to his altogether lovely high school sweetheart, Patty.

<>реклама юридической компании

Read more

commendation by Marc Hays

In this post I’ll be commending to you an article and a man. Said man wrote the commendable article. In fact, he writes many commendable articles, hence the commendation.

On April 30, Toby J. Sumpter published an article on his blog entitled, “The Porn War”. He reminds us that the war against sexual sin must have a strong defense, but that simply having a defense will never win a war.  He begins,

Defensive warfare is not a winning tactic, but it is a necessary tactic. And usually, when the Spirit has sacked a man, and he comes to his senses, repents, and wants to get out the prison cell of lust and pornography, the defensive angle has to be emphasized first. You need to get real accountability (pastor, parent, wife, godly roommate), change jobs, stop traveling so much, throw away your computer, put Covenant Eyes on your smart phone, cut off your hand or eye causing you to sin (Mt. 5:28-30). Jesus prescribes amputation, so don’t expect this to be very fun. (more…)

Read more

Since belief in the Trinity lies at the very heart of the Christian faith, a tiny difference in Trinitarian theology may well have repercussions upon every aspect of Christian life and thought.[1]

Trinitarian theology is just that, the very heart of the Christian faith, yet Christianity has largely pushed Trinitarian theology to the sidelines. As some have pointed out, it has become nothing more than an awkward mathematical formula that we must accept as part of the faith, but has little to no bearing on our lives beyond that. By way of illustration, the very word processor I’m typing this post into keeps trying to change my use of the word Trinitarian into the word Unitarian!

(more…)

Read more

I recently interviewed Calvin College professor of Philosophy and author, James K.A. Smith. Dr. Smith has written books such as Desiring the Kingdom, Imagining the Kingdom, the forthcoming Embodying the Kingdom, Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?, and more.

We primarily discussed his book, Desiring the Kingdom, and he made some points that I thought were worth revisiting.

First, when it comes to education, we are going to educate primarily based on our answer to the question, “What is man?” If we imagine humans to be consumers, our education will look similar to public education. If we imagine humans to be primarily thinkers, we will educate another way. But, if we imagine humans to be primarily worshipers, then our education will look another way.

(more…)

Read more

by Marc Hays

Today in the 6^th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Romeike family’s case will be heard in open court.  They have been granted asylum in the United States on the grounds that they were being persecuted for their religion by refusing to enroll their children in Germany’s government schools.  Prior to 1938, homeschooling was legal in Germany.  Adolf Hitler decided it should be otherwise.  I wrote a brief post about that here.  Today the status regarding their asylum in the United States will be determined.

Over the past week I have continued to read HSLDA’s articles about the Romeikes, other German homeschoolers, German law, United States law, and international law.  I am not an expert in these matters, which is why I help to pay Mike Farris’ electric bill each month and am happy to do so.  As much as I enjoyed reading HSLDA’s articles, I remembered that everyone seems right until another comes along with a challenge (Prov. 18:17), so I looked up some opposing views as well.  You can read one of the better opposing arguments that I found here. (more…)

Read more

by Marc Hays, homeschooling father of six.

Next Tuesday, April 23, 2013, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, will be hearing arguments in the Romeike v. Holder case.  The Romeikes have fled Germany and found asylum in the U.S. in order to avoid persecution by German government officials.  Based on a 1938 Nazi German law, parents are denied the fundamental human right to educate their children according to the dictates of their religion.  (more…)

Read more

Paul wrote two letters to the Church in Thessalonica, both of which address the question of the second coming. What is more interesting than trying to untangle what exactly he was teaching in regards to eschatology is the other issues he address in relation to the second coming.

1. Paul encourages the believers in Thessalonica to be strong in the face of persecution (1 Thess. 2:14, 3:1-4).
2. Paul addresses sexual immorality in the church at Thessalonica (1 Thess. 4:1-8).
3. Paul wants them to continue loving one another (1 Thess. 4:9-10).
4. Paul wants them to work hard (1 Thess. 4:11-12).

It seems Paul had to write a couple of letters to the Thessalonians because their misunderstandings regarding the second coming were affecting their behavior. They were grumbling about persecution, they were engaging in sexual immorality, they were questioning the need to continue loving one another, and they were growing lazy. He doesn’t tell them when Christ will return, but he does give indication that their understanding of Christ’s return matters. (more…)

Read more

Marc Hays is a father of six, all of whom are being inducted into an ancient civilization with an eye for the future through faithful obedience in the ever-fleeting present.

And ne’er shall April 10^th go by, from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remember’d. We few, we happy few, we band of home-schoolers. For he (or she) who competes in mock trial this day shall be my brother (or sister), be they ne’er so vile (or rather fearful), this day shall gentle their condition.  And other students in other tutorials will think themselves accursed they were not here. And hold their rhetorical skills cheap, whiles any speaks, who tried a case with us on April 10^th. (more…)

Read more

* Matt Bianco is an elder in the PCA. He is a married, homeschooling father of three. 

Karl Marx had a certain theory of ideas, one that we see in play even today. Well, Marx had a lot of ideas and theories that we see being enacted and lived out today, but one specifically I want to consider in this post.

Karl Marx believed that ideas resulted from our experiences, specifically the situations we faced in life. What is he saying? Well, first, what is he not saying? Marx is not just saying that there are ideas, norms, that make up life–that allow us to make sense out of life–whose interpretation and application are simply colored by our experiences. For example, as a postmillennialist, I believe that history is heading in a certain direction, to wit, a positive direction in which the rule of Jesus Christ will be experienced and known in history. I believe this; it is a norm in my life, but my interpretation and application of it can be colored by my experiences. If my life goes fairly well, I have a successful career and a Godly, happy family, I see these as the fruits of history heading in that direction. If my life is a bit rougher, and I experience the pain and suffering of sickness and death in my family, then I see these as the crosses by which the Kingdom will be made manifest. In both cases, I continue believing in the norm of a postmillennial future. In the former case, I see that happening without too many hiccups, while in the latter case, I emphasize the cross as the means to that future. This, however, is not what Karl Marx is describing.

(more…)

Read more