Parchment & Pen Blog

My daughter, Katelynn, who is eleven, wants to start wearing make-up. I have a rule: No make-up at all until she is twelve. My wife does not agree with me. She thinks I am being legalistic. I can’t help it. That is just the way I think. I can justify it in ten different ways [...]

Do you wish you could be heading to seminary this Fall? Let’s face it, God will not lead most people to seminary. What if you could still get great theological training right from your home? The Theology Program was designed just for you. Learn from passionate theological teachers while interacting with fellow students. Each week [...]

Join C. Michael Patton, Sam Storms, and Tim Kimberley as they discuss the history and future of Evangelicalism.

Evangelicalism (Part 4) [ 29:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

2 Timothy 2:11-14 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him;      If we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;     If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.” There is strong [...]

I recently heard a preacher talk about compromise. His lesson was a good lesson in principle. The basic thrust was taken from the story of Solomon. Solomon was given a promise that if he followed the Lord as his father David did,  he would not lack a descendant on the throne of Israel. Yet Solomon [...]

I worked on these all night last night. Feel free to use. I could not find any visual aid in distinguishing among the prevalent types of literature represented in each book, so I made one. As well, I could not find any chart that breaks down the books according to percentage. I had to put [...]

There are a lot of things I would do differently if I could see the future. I have a collection of cassette tapes that are useless. Had I known that cassettes would only be in vogue for just a few years, I would have waited. We want to invest in things that are going to [...]

For those that don’t know, I was at one time an adherent of Word/Faith theology.  I considered it to be a legitimate representation of the Bible’s prescription for exercising our faith. It was not uncommon for me to recite certain passages of scripture as the basis for a verbal declaration of desired outcomes or an [...]

1. Isn’t there anything else the courts could be doing? I mean, does a cross for the burial site of a police man really offend you that much? 2. Ben Witherington makes a call to Christians about the faith of Obama. I agree. It is one thing to call into question the way he defines [...]

Join C. Michael Patton, Sam Storms, and Tim Kimberley as they discuss the history and future of Evangelicalism.

Evangelicalism Part 3 [ 35:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Considering how much my last post on suicide is being read combined with how many personal emails I am getting from the P&P audience about this, I thought I would update this post and share it with you all. There have been few times when I feared for my life—I mean really feared for my [...]

Here is an email question that I received with the response to follow: Good Afternoon: I am writing to you under emotional pangs, as I wrestle with the Scriptures, and what I hear from certain others who are Christian. The husband of a friend of mine committed suicide. My friend, I know well, and her [...]