December 2010 Ordained Servant

From the Editor. With the depredation of marriage and the family in American culture it is perhaps to be expected that there will be a backlash. Sadly, in some quarters of the church a new manifestation of Pharisaism has emerged in Reformed churches: what has recently been called Reformed Fundamentalism. While I will be the first to admit that there is a Pharisee in every fallen human heart, the whole impetus of grace is to overcome this tendency toward self-righteousness that lurks within each of us. I take up this subject in the pages of Ordained Servant Online with some trepidation, because many sincere Christians have been caught up in this movement, and I do not wish to alienate them. But, just because they are precious in the Lord's eyes, I feel compelled as a pastor and editor to face this problem head on. The greatest problem with fundamentalism of all kinds is that it tends to eclipse the gospel—that is a dangerous tendency indeed.

Matthew Kingsbury turns a nice phrase in the title of his article "The Church-Integrated Family," seeking to correct a well-intentioned misunderstanding of the nature of the natural family in its relationship to the supernatural family, the church. James Gidley turns our attention to a group of Christians who are potentially disenfranchised by the emphasis on the natural family, in his article "Covenant Blessings for Singles."

Don't miss Stephen Tracey's review of Hywel Jones's popular commentary on Psalm 119.

On the technology front, I review a DVD by a Reformed professor that seeks to assists parents in guiding their children to use technology to the glory of God. Helpful, but there is an important missing ingredient.

Blessings in the Lamb,
Gregory Edward Reynolds

From the Archives: FAMILY WORSHIP and YOUNG PEOPLE

http://opc.org/OS/pdf/Subject_Index.pdf

• "Elder to Elder: Home Visitation and Family Devotions." (David Winslow) 8:1 (Jan. 1999): 19-20. [reprinted 15 (2006): 60-61]
• "Soul Searching: Religion among the Teens." (Gregory Edward Reynolds) 16 (2007): 136-39.

Ordained Servant exists to help encourage, inform, and equip church officers for faithful, effective, and God glorifying ministry in the visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its primary audience is ministers, elders, and deacons of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, as well as interested officers from other Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Through high quality editorials, articles, and book reviews we endeavor to stimulate clear thinking and the consistent practice of historic Presbyterianism.