The thief who was saved on the cross has been the occasion of far too many unnecessary debates over whether one can be saved apart from baptism or without performing any good works or whether death-bed conversions are reliable. Such discussions distract from the truly remarkable theology this man possessed—a theology that leads me to regard him as one of the great theologians of the New Testament (See Luke 23:39–43) His salvation is the result of Christ’s intercession: “Father, forgive them…” (Lk. 23:34). Remember that earlier, while hanging on the cross, this thief, together with the other criminal, was reviling Christ (Matt. 27:44). Yet the transformation that unfolded continues to amaze me.

This is the story of how Valhalla fell, and how the gospel will reach every language.

The Ministry of Justice has published its rewrite of weddings law. Behind the castles-and-canal-boats headlines sits the real proposal – a bride could be married without saying a word, in the secrecy of a private home, on an officiant’s judgement of what her silence meant – and every couple’s vow loses its promise. Marriage – the lifelong union of one man and one woman, the gold standard for families and society – hollowed out from the inside. Why does it keep going? In 2013, it redefined marriage. In 2022, no-fault divorce drained the vow’s legal weight. This summer, marriage rights given to couples who never married. And a draft Bill that could make teaching man-woman marriage a crime. Now the wedding itself. The law would ask a couple to say one line – “I accept you as my husband, wife or spouse.” No promise to stay or be faithful – no “forsaking all others” in all 171 pages – and “spouse” is for couples who “do not identify with” husband and wife.

In 1831, Charles Darwin began his 5-year expedition aboard the Beagle. While in the Galapagos Islands, he noticed the slight variations between species of finches on different islands. He concluded that these finches must have descended from a common ancestor and changed over time to survive in their specific environments. Darwin universally applied his theory of change, or evolution, to all life on earth which, he speculated, must have descended from a single common ancestor. In his Origin of Species, he supposed, “Probably all the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from some one primordial form…”. These words changed the world. These words have also changed the church. Since the Darwinian revolution of the 19th century, many gallons of ink have been spilled by Christian theologians and pastors over the meaning of the word “day” in Genesis 1. Are we to believe that these 6 days of creation were ordinary days? Ancient church fathers like Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and Basil of Caesarea struggled to understand why the creation took so long, suggesting instead that the Lord created all things instantaneously. But today, many sincere Christians struggle to believe that the earth could have been created so quickly contrary to the modern scientific consensus.

Many of today’s young evangelicals have happily thrown off the legalistic fundamentalism of their childhood. They’ve come to a greater understanding of God’s abundant grace, and the gospel has liberated them from slavery to guilt and fear. That’s a very good thing. But I submit that recovering the gospel alone isn’t enough to keep legalism at bay. We need a renewed emphasis on the law of God or else legalism will inevitably reemerge. Specifically, we need a clear emphasis on (1) the law as a covenant, and (2) the law as a standard or rule.

What do you do with prayers that ask God to let the children of the wicked become vagabonds (Psa. 109:10)? Or with verses that seem too harsh to read in a public gathering without explanation (e.g., Psa. 137:9)? To benefit from these psalms, we must understand their place in God’s unfolding plan of salvation. Consider Psalm 58, which helps us to see the heart of judgment psalms: the reality of radical injustice and God’s response to it. Its author, David, was a righteous man who communed closely with God in Christ but was persecuted by the wicked. This man after God’s own heart shared God’s hatred of sin. Imprecatory psalms will make little sense to nominal Christians, but they resonate profoundly with those who, like David, grieve over injustice. Far from being embarrassing remnants of an outdated theology, these psalms help us live faithfully before God’s face in a world where evil still thrives.

The transport artery for Kenya is in the south of the country, from Mombasa in the south-east to Kisumu and beyond in the south west. The further north one goes the more ‘remote’ with everything looking south. So it is in West Pokot County. The further north you go the further from the main town of Kapenguria. The area of the North Pokot Sub-County where the work we seek to encourage is found, is up to 100 kms. away. This is where the brethren have the bank they must come to. This is where there are more study and employment opportunities. Kapenguria is the administrative centre; Makutano is the nearby business centre. Many people from North Pokot come to work and reside here, or come for some days to do business. There is a great need to plant a church here and Sunday meetings have just began once again with a view. The 3 brothers have committed themselves to taking it in turns to go there to preach.

In his magnificent work, A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, John Colquhoun has a chapter titled, “Rules for Rightly Understanding the Ten Commandments” (pp 85-98), which is similar to Question 99 of the Westminster Larger Catechism, “What rules are to be observed for the right understanding of the Ten Commandments?” I highly recommend all of Colquhoun’s book, but this chapter is helpful to Christians in understanding how to apply the Ten Commandments in their lives. Let us apply these rules to ourselves and teach them to our children.

Two earthquakes struck Venezuela last week on Wednesday 24 June, flattening buildings, destroying infrastructure and causing the deaths of over 2,000 people, as well as tens of thousands injured. The earthquakes measured 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude and were a mere 40 seconds apart, devastating communities in northern Venezuela and notably those living in the capital Caracas and La Guaira. Christian communities are not only suffering the consequences of the natural disaster but must also navigate an environment where there are reports of unequal access to humanitarian aid, with distribution prioritised for those perceived to align with the authorities, leaving church communities neglected. Believers have suffered damage to homes and churches – simultaneously, leaders are trying to support their congregations and surrounding communities. In La Guaira, a church collapsed completely.

In Broken Wharfe's Coffee House, John-Mark is joined by Steve Meister, Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Sacramento, to discuss the value and necessity of creeds and confessions for Protestants. Meister argues that Christianity is uniquely rooted in truth and “sound words,” so careful language—including non-biblical terms like Trinity and consubstantial—is needed to preserve biblical meaning against error and equivocation. He explains how creeds arise from ordinary church needs (preaching the gospel, baptism, church membership, pastoral qualification, and evangelism) and why “negative theology” and denials are essential for rejecting false gospels and false teachers.