Bert Lace

Elder Reformation Church of Shelbyville, KY

[Jerry Dorris @jerrydorris]

Telling someone they “want marriage too much” or that “marriage has become an idol” is lazy counsel and unhelpful.

Why? It treats God’s good gifts like rivals to God, and then traps the person into an introspection loop that’s impossible to escape. “Do I desire marriage too much?” “Do I love the idea of marriage too much?” “Do I want a spouse too badly?”

Better counsel is precise. Ask: What is marriage being asked to do? The answer exposes ruling desires / idols that may need mortifying:

Validation: “If someone chooses me, then I matter.”

Identity: “Marriage will tell me who I am.”

Security: “I can’t be okay unless I have a spouse.”

Relief: “I need marriage to escape loneliness, pressure, boredom, or sadness.

Status: “Unmarried means I’m behind, lesser, or exposed.”

Control: “This must happen now, no matter the compromises.”

Comfort: “I want my imagined settled life, and I resent God for withholding it.”

Comparison: “Others have what I deserve, God has been unfair.”

Savior: “Marriage will fix what’s wrong inside me.”

[Megan Basham @megbasham]

It's okay to be angry that millions of people came to our country not to bless it and assimilate and embrace their identity as Americans, but to defraud Americans and take from the system while denigrating the founding values of the United States.

We should be angry about that.

[Jerry Dorris @jerrydorris]

https://t.co/f4YAsZkOie

[James Baird @james_d_baird]

“the magistracy is ordained of God and is vested with authority to promote the maintenance of human life and its development in accordance with both tables of the Law of God”

—John Murray’s report to the OPC of the “Articles on Church and State” at the Reformed Ecumenical Synod

[Eric Conn @Eric_Conn]

Many people need to hear this: Having a desire for a good thing does not mean you are "making an idol of it."

This is an old Tim Keller trick.

Ironically, the things that got labeled as idolatrous were the family, marriage, and children. Never the pet sins of the Left.

[Jerry Dorris @jerrydorris]

Drive the gays back into hiding. Give no quarter for small town sodomite parades. The silent majority is speaking and corporate America is listening. We're done with child groomers and attention seekers. Be gone! In Jesus name.

Here is a long article by the LGBT telling you that corporate sponsorship has completely dried up, and it is now solely based on private donations.

https://t.co/wdLErF5isz

[Bert Lace @bert_lace]

@jerrydorris @megbasham 👆🏼

[Jerry Dorris @jerrydorris]

A member of Reformation Church submitted this video to his employer’s “What PRIDE means to me” campaign. Corporate wanted public clips to signal support for LGBTQ. After his submission, the whole program vanished. Videos pulled. Prizes canceled. No reply.

That is Christian witness. Christ is King!

[Eric Conn @Eric_Conn]

Before he died, Keller (a registered Democrat) wrote about how the church had to cut off people on the right—so it could partner with mainline lefty evangelicals, same sex attracted crowd, lady pastors, and pro-abortionists. His wish (evil) is coming true.

It’s not leftward drift—it’s an intentional hard left turn.

[Megan Basham @megbasham]

So it looks like many of the elders who urged charges against Garris are in NYC, and quite a number are affiliated with Redeemer Pres. It’s going to be interesting to see how Keller’s third way children conduct their ministries.

[Michael Clary @dmichaelclary]

Seven thoughts about the Rio Grande Presbytery's suspension of @ZacharyGarris.

1. Pastors are in the word-speaking business. It's literally in our job description. We are called to speak what is true and correct error (2 Tim 4:1-5). Garris' job is to speak words to uphold the truth and correct error.

2. Garris was not convicted for being wrong. He was convicted for sarcasm. That's a standard the Old Testament prophets, the Apostle Paul, and Jesus Christ himself wouldn't meet. Sarcasm is a legitimate rhetorical tool in the pastor's toolkit. The Presbyters who voted to convict him obviously had a personal vendetta against Garris and used the courts to lawfare a good man.

3. The idol of decorum is a problem with modern evangelicalism. The PCA will tolerate gay affirming pastors like Greg Johnson (of Revoice infamy), but will not tolerate truth tellers like Garris whose only crime is hurting someone's feelings.

4. Decorum is an idol because it gives power to the weak bureaucrats of the institutional class. Strong men like Garris speak truth plainly and directly. Weak men weaponize subjective standards of decorum to punish any speech that offends them. No doubt, the Rio Grande presbyters who voted against Garris feel justified in their decision. They probably see themselves as righteous martyrs after the overwhelming backlash they've received since their ruling. But their standard is a highly subject rule of decorum, not the word of God.

5. The Rio Grande presbytery's attack on Garris is also an attack on every faithful pastor in the PCA (and beyond). Scripture tells us to not charge pastors with wrong without clear evidence of serious sin (1 Tim 5:19-20). This is not favoritism for pastors, but a recognition that every pastor is in a spiritual battle.

6. The Rio Grande presbytery's attack on Garris is also an attack on the sheep of his church. This decision harms the souls of God's people by wearying their shepherd and distracting him from the work he's called to do. The RGP is trying to deprive God's people of their shepherd. Their attack on Garris is the same as an attack on Garris' entire church.

7. Finally, the Rio Grande presbytery was doing the devil's bidding by attacking Garris. Their ruling would undermine the authority of the word of God in the church and sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of God's people.

Calvin addressed this. Calvin said pastors need to be protected from frivolous charges like this as a "remedy against the malice of men" because "none are more liable to slanders and calumnies than godly teachers."

He goes on to say, "this is the craftiness of Satan, to draw away the hearts of men from ministers, that instruction may gradually fall into contempt. Thus not only is wrong done to innocent persons, in having their reputation unjustly wounded, (which is exceedingly base in regard to those who hold so honourable a rank,) but the authority of the sacred doctrine of God is diminished" (Calvin's commentary on 1 Tim 5:19).

The Rio Grande Presbytery's actions were shameful, and I pray the PCA's higher courts do the right thing by overturning RGP's ruling and vindicating Garris.

[William Wolfe 🇺🇸 @WilliamWolfe]

Trevin Wax sat on a stage with JD Greear at a NAMB lunch in Indianapolis and opposed the Law Amendment

[James Baird @james_d_baird]

MAKE AMERICA CHRISTIAN AGAIN

in 1777, Congress called the people to pray that God would forgive their sins “through the merits of Jesus Christ”

and advance “that kingdon which consistent in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost”

[James Baird @james_d_baird]

in 1776, America did not merely declare our independence from Britain

we also proclaimed our dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ

[Jerry Dorris @jerrydorris]

Men, how you treat your wife may reveal how you think Christ treats you. Your functional gospel shows up in how you use power and respond to weakness at home.

[Jerry Dorris @jerrydorris]

Some mistake the rough edge of public-square discourse for a lack of holiness, while mistaking their own silence for piety. Men of God must speak plainly and say what is right. Cowards stay silent to impress other silent men.

[James Baird @james_d_baird]

my critics resort to this argument:

“if you say gov must promote true religion, then gov will promote false religion, so tell gov to promote no religion”

which reminds me of the pragmatic “give your teenagers condoms”

and the policy of “ensure the homeless use clean needles”

[James Baird @james_d_baird]

religion is baked into every legal system b/c laws encode a worldview

meaning: this proposal would require SBC messengers to support a view of civil law that is untenable

and would produce societal ruin

[James Baird @james_d_baird]

Bart wants to shut out Baptists who like my book 🤣

let’s give him a wake up call

[Stephen Wolfe @PerfInjust]

“Every messenger to this Convention must be a political atheist.”