Gentle Reformation
speaking truth gently| Gentle Reformation
The beginning of the first amendment to the United States Constitution reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. We will focus on the “prohibiting the free exercise” element. The present difficulty is that historic,| Gentle Reformation
All the demands in life can sometimes pull us away from our family. So, it is right and good to reevaluate our priorities and to focus on the family. Even more importantly, though, we should focus on Christ, for it is when we lose focus on him that our focus| Gentle Reformation
The following post is from guest author Fiona Mackay. Originally from the Isle of Skye, Fiona lives and works as an English tutor in Inverness, Scotland, along with her photographer husband, Roddy, and their three children. Her heart is for sharing her creative enthusiasm in both Shakespeare and local women&| Gentle Reformation
"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” You’ve heard that line before, I am sure. A storm is raging across Prospero’s island, and Trinculo is caught without cover. In his wandering he stumbles upon Caliban, the island’s deformed and despised native,| Gentle Reformation
Overall, I think this is a great idea and you've provided a very motivating and practical guide, easy for pastors to copy and paste or to stir up their minds to apply a modified version to their own ministries and congregations. Thanks!| Gentle Reformation
While attending an evening worship service recently, I was again impressed by the joyful blessing of simply being there with God and His people. Though I have shared before the biblical reasons for churches having an evening service on the Lord's Day (see here), this article is more| Gentle Reformation
Dr. Ryan Swale is pastor of Immanuel URC in Jordan, Ontario, and a graduate of Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary who wrote his dissertation on "The Imprecatory Pastor: A Practical Theology of the Imprecatory Psalms." Psalm 60 is perhaps not a psalm many of us have given| Gentle Reformation
As we pray for effective hearing of the word preached, let’s prepare for it as well in our daily household worship. That is, to enhance the hearing of the Word preached by reviewing the Word that has been preached and previewing the Word that will be preached is one of the aims of Worship Connected.| Gentle Reformation
People in the United States are not always well-disposed toward those who hold orthodox and historic Christian beliefs. Christians in 2025, when they seek to follow Jesus honestly, sincerely, consistently, coherently, and faithfully, are noticeably different from the world around them. Blending in is in many ways a telltale sign| Gentle Reformation
Rebecca VanDoodeward is a guest contributor to Gentle Reformation and author of Uprooted: A Guide for Homesick Christians, Your Future ‘Other Half’: It Matters Whom You Marry, and Reformation Women: Sixteenth-Century Figures Who Shaped Christianity's Rebirth. This article was originally published in the| Gentle Reformation
Many years ago I came across a cartoon in a rather ill-judged, Christian, magazine. I don't necessarily disagree with the observation and the point it was trying to make (being jolted into self-awareness is a good thing): but in the end it was untrue, unkind and unfair. So| Gentle Reformation
When those who preach Christ’s lordship over the nation also trip every alarm the Bible sets to warn of false prophets, it becomes clear that the dominion they promote is not Christ’s, but their own.| Gentle Reformation
The division of the church is a product of man’s sinfulness. There should be one visible church. When Christ returns, our denominational labels will be no more. There will be one church, and all of Christ’s body will be visible as one under King Jesus. But| Gentle Reformation
In the first century, the Pharisees took God’s good gift of the Sabbath and added to it so many ridiculous rules and regulations that it was no longer a blessing for God’s people. It became a burden (Matt. 12:1-14). What God meant to refresh His| Gentle Reformation
This article originally appeared on Ligonier.org. Murder mysteries are popular these days. Agatha Christie’s fiction works continue to be read by a new generation, making her the best-selling author of all time. TV shows such as Dateline or 48 Hours feature weekly narrations| Gentle Reformation
We wake up in the morning and perhaps lay in bed for a while. We get out of bed. We start our day. It is likely that most of us seldom contemplate our existence. We are likely settled into our own existence, and the routine of life has likely lulled| Gentle Reformation
Over the last number of weeks we've been chatting to lots of young people on the streets around our Church - one of the repeated objections that we have come up against, in discussions with Muslim folk, is that the Scriptures are not inspired, and that the Christians have changed| Gentle Reformation
We vote for presidents, but we also vote for local government officials. It may be tempting to focus entirely on one position, the president, while ignoring key politicians that you can have a relationship with and who make decisions that impact your local life. Here in PA, our municipal primary| Gentle Reformation
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He| Gentle Reformation
During recent outreach efforts on the streets of the East Coast, I have been met by a number of Jewish men and women who believe that the suffering servant of Isaiah is the collective Hebrew nation. Partly as an attempt to deny the case for Christ (which, in light of| Gentle Reformation
What pastor wouldn’t want his congregation focusing all week long on taking in and living out his preaching because their daily family or household worship is helpfully connected to the weekly corporate worship and is enhancing how they remember and observe the Sabbath?| Gentle Reformation
No denying that everyone around us is in a tizzy, which, fittingly, it seems, just happened to be the Wordle of the day recently. Whether face-to-face at yet the latest protest over something going on in another country, or leaning in with angry gusto at the pixel image before them| Gentle Reformation
Our lives will either reinforce or contradict our message—but the message must be communicated in words. In Colossians 4.6, Paul mentions three characteristics that must be true of our words.| Gentle Reformation
A family recipe was passed down from grandmother to daughter to granddaughter. Everyone loved grandma’s famous roast. Garlicky, flavorful, and peppery goodness! What was the secret? One evening the granddaughter—now in her twenties—was making the roast for her college friends. While preparing the roast, her friend questioned,| Gentle Reformation
You look at your schedule for the month and think, “How am I going to make it through this?” You hear the unwelcome words from your doctor, “It’s cancer.” You feel deep grief and regret over your child who is rebelling against God and the Christian upbringing you tried| Gentle Reformation
The cheerful supper done, with serious face, They, round the fire, form a circle wide; The sire turns over, with patriarchal grace, The big hall-Bible, once his father's pride. … He selects a portion with judicious care, And ‘Let us worship God!’ he says, with solemn air| Gentle Reformation
Immigration continues to be a pressing matter in our country. Problems are easily identified but solutions are hard to find. It seems timely to reconsider basic principles as we seek wisdom to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.| Gentle Reformation
Jesus, the eternal King from David's line, reigns with justice, peace, and love. His boundless, everlasting dominion fulfills God’s promise. Respond with faith and worship.| Gentle Reformation
When Christians Disagree: Lessons from the Fractured Relationship of John Owen and Richard Baxter by Tim Cooper is a 167 page book (including 20 pages of end material) recently published by Crossway. The book is a fast read, easily read in two or three short sittings. The volume is attractive—| Gentle Reformation
Sanctification is a deepening journey, not an upward climb. Discover how the Holy Spirit humbles us, revealing our ongoing need for Christ's grace and magnifying the power of the cross.| Gentle Reformation
The Westminster Confession makes over 4000 direct references to and quotations of the Scriptures. "In the space of six days" is not a reference to or quotation of the Scriptures. The Westminster Confession of Faith 4.1 says: "It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation| Gentle Reformation
This article uses a flower-buying illustration to explain God’s election and foreknowledge, emphasizing that God chose us, not for our perfection, but to display His grace by reviving us from sin.| Gentle Reformation
Have you ever felt that the fruit of the Spirit is lacking in your life? Perhaps one or two of the fruits come pretty easily for you, but there seems to be at least one that appears to have no visible fruit – it’s buried under the dirt of sin,| Gentle Reformation
The beatitudes are perhaps the most famous part of the most famous sermon ever preached. Jesus begins the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5 with these pithy and powerful descriptions of what the Christian life looks like (Matthew 5:2-11). They are not prescriptions or a formula that will| Gentle Reformation
The Great Commission calls us to make disciples with the assurance of Jesus' presence. Biblical figures like Jacob, Moses, and Joshua were strengthened by God's promise to be with them, a promise that continues today, empowering us to share our faith confidently.| Gentle Reformation
Do you ever get to the end of a Sunday feeling shattered? If you’ve come to church in the morning, gone to someone’s house for lunch (or done the actual hosting), made it to the afternoon service, then talked to people after the service, by the time you| Gentle Reformation
The Christian life is the graced process of becoming in practice who we already are in position.| Gentle Reformation
Yesterday, I preached from Isaiah 14 and addressed verse 29, which reads, Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent. This article is not| Gentle Reformation
The Amen is a biblically warranted element of public worship. It is to be vocalized by the congregation together, in response to the things heard from another, at the direction of the one leading and to the praise of God.| Gentle Reformation
Fear of death? Jonah's story shows hope emerges even in despair. Faith & Jesus' sacrifice conquer death's grip. #faith #hope #religion| Gentle Reformation
If we see a sheep on its own, we know something is wrong. We should look with similar concern on someone who claims to be one of Christ’s sheep, and yet shuns involvement in Christ's church.| Gentle Reformation
