Scott’s Blog

I was reading a Washington Times piece on Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling overturning California’s homosexual marriage ban.  As the article states, ‘He denied that there is “any rational basis” for distinguishing the marriage of man and woman from same-sex relationships’ and ‘The evidence shows conclusively that moral and religious views form the only basis for [...]

My thesis, “Church authority and non-subscription controversies in early 18th century Presbyterianism”,  is now available online at the University of Glasgow’s website. Abstract The practice of confessional subscription, or giving assent to a confession of faith through signing a formula of approbation, was the subject of debate among Presbyterian Churches in the early eighteenth century. While [...]

One of the most common questions I am asked as a minister is “How do I know God’s will for my life?” Sometimes it is asked in those very words, but often it is asked about a specific decision someone is facing: Should I sell my house? Is this who I should marry? Where is [...]

The following video is a trailer from a movie by LGBT advocacy group More Light Presbyterians. The description from their blog: Thy Will Be Done follows Male-to-Female Transsexual Sara Herwig in her path to ordination in the Presbyterian Church. Efforts have been made to block her ordination by the evangelical conservative groups who don’t recognize [...]

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that [...]

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. – Luke 24:50-51 The year I graduated from University a fellow student, Heather Whitestone, won Miss America. Many of us who had little or [...]

In seminary we were shown a video of an Eastern Orthodox liturgy. It included St. John Chysostom’s Easter Homily, which, we were told, is read every year as part of the Easter liturgy. I love the exuberant invitation of Chrysostom’s sermon and like to use it on Easter as the invitation to the Lord’s Supper. [...]

The next day [John the Baptizer] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) The Bible makes it clear that Jesus’ suffering on the cross was not merely a great injustice in the death of an innocent man, or the tragically [...]

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. -Mark 1:35 I was watching the cartoon movie Cars with my children the other day.  The movie begins with the main character Lightning McQueen in a race.  He is in [...]

Yesterday I preached on the visit of the magi.  My main point was that the priests and Bible scholars had forgotten Israel’s calling to be a light to the nations even as God was revealing Christ’s birth to Gentiles.  I spoke about how easy it is for us, as the Church, to remember our calling [...]