Is the church essential or non-essential? Does the Bible really teach that the church should occupy a place of primacy in our lives? Is the church really fundamental to our Christian identity or is it really just supplemental?

In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic caused society to shut down. And when society shut down, questions arose about what institutions in our culture were actually essential and which were non-essential. Many states in our country determined at the outset of the pandemic that the church was in fact non-essential and mandated closures.

One of those states was California and one of the churches mandated to close was Grace Community Church in Los Angeles. But Pastor John MacArthur knew his Bible and knew his church history and he knew that the church was essential. That is why Grace Community Church ultimately defied Gov. Newsom’s order and remained open.

Last year a documentary was released entitled The Essential Church, which detailed Grace Community Church’s journey to remain faithful to God, to his word and to the mission of the church. It is a truly inspiring story and if you have not yet watched it, then consider clicking the link above and checking it out.

In January of 2023, Nate, Peter and Kyle also sat down and talked about the essential nature of the church and why the church should have pride of place in a Christian’s life. They discussed the challenging, and perhaps dangerous proposition that the church calendar should come before the sports calendar, the school calendar or even our personal calendars.

So join, Nate, Peter and Kyle as they discuss the primacy of the church.

https://theparrhesians.com/

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church recently released a document entitled “A Pastoral Letter of Racial Lament and Hope.” The paper is a pastoral word to the denomination regarding racism and the EPC’s response to this very real and serious problem. The paper was disseminated to churches in the EPC for review as well as response. The Stated Clerk of the EPC offered comments about the paper here.

Peter Chace, Kyle Bennett, and Nate Devlin all read the paper and found it to be significantly problematic. They believe the paper reflects much of the wisdom found in the prevailing culture, borrowing substantially from the popular modern notion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and secular “anti-racisms” rhetoric. The paper seems to be yet another piece of evidence that the EPC continues its slide toward theological and cultural liberalism.

https://theparrhesians.com/

Your system is perfectly designed to get you the results you are currently getting.

As Christians, we are called to think Christianly, but every once in a while Christians should think a little bigger, especially about the systems that we create or the conditions in which we live. The world is full of unspoken and unseen systems that help govern the world and our lives. As Christians, what do we think about the system around us, such as education or human sexuality? What do we think about culture or tradition? Hospitality or civics?

These systems are surprisingly powerful and they often shape us in unchristian ways.

Join Peter, Kyle and Nate as they talk about the systems that are all around us and how we as Christians should think about them.

https://theparrhesians.com/