Is the Regulative Principle of Worship a Straitjacket?
W. Jackson Watts Since the Protestant Reformation, Christians of different kinds have espoused the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW). In short, the RPW asserts that God should only be worshipped in the ways prescribed in His Word. Various writers on worship have provided numerous definitions, but each parallels…
Presbyterian Praise for Feet Washing
W. Jackson Watts I’ve always chuckled whenever I’ve heard Southern Baptist friends recoil defensively against the practice of feet washing as an ordinance. While there actually are some Southern Baptists here and there who have practiced this biblical rite, they join most other mainstream, larger Protestant denominations in…
Church Membership and the Tough Cases: Reflections on Divorce and Remarriage
W. Jackson Watts In a prior article I discussed the centrality of church membership to our evaluations of where we are as churches at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic. The truth is that church membership touches all aspects of church life and Christian experience. I have an…
Why Membership Matters More Than Ever
W. Jackson Watts I’m often reluctant to speak of things “mattering more than ever.” These kinds of statements tend to ignore historical precedents and other factors that make our own times less unique than we imagine. Take pandemics as an example. Plague and pestilence were present in many…
How to Reach Generation Z: A New Study (Part Two)
Matthew Pinson In my last post I discussed the recent study conducted by Springtide Research, “The State of Religion and Young People 2020.” This study was featured in a conversation between Mark Bauerlein and sociologist Dr. Josh Packard on the First Things podcast entitled “The Loneliest Generation.” The…