By Gordon Miller
Moderator, 34th EPC General Assembly
“Meanderings” definition: Rambling or passing from one topic to another.
I hope you find the following collection of articles, quotes, quips, and Scripture to be informative, edifying, and thought-provoking. This information is not as thorough or detailed as the other articles in the Plumb Line. But I hope to stimulate honest and open debate on a variety of topics and challenges facing the church — especially the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. With cultural changes coming at ever-increasing speed, all of us on the Plumb Line Editorial Board desire that believers will stand firm, rooted in Scripture. I pray that you read this content in the spirit intended: love for Christ and for each other.
Note: The views and opinions expressed here are mine alone, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the full Editorial Board of the Plumb Line.
Books You Might Enjoy
Spiritual Disciplines for The Christian Life
by Donald S. Whitney. NavPress, 1991.
Many of you may be more familiar with Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline first published in 1978. Read while I was in seminary (the first week of Greek I knew I was sunk!), Foster’s book was an introduction to a more spiritual faith that a lawyer like me badly needed. Recently our Session began a study of Whitney’s look at the spiritual disciplines. The church in America would do well to dive into either of these books as an aid to spiritual growth and holiness as we travel the sanctification highway. I have found Whitney’s book a pleasant surprise. Easy to read, more detailed than Foster, and just as edifying. As the speed at which we experience life continues to increase and the level of joy or contentment seems to decrease, a book that suggests biblical steps to slow down and enjoy God would be a great addition to your library.
The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict was Fought and Won
by Victor David Hanson. Basic Books, 2017.
If you’re a political or YouTube junkie as I am, you have probably heard of the author. Solidly conservative, he is a joy to listen to if your politics lean right. More importantly, he is a respected student of history, especially the history of conflict and war. This 600-page study of the Second World War is a must read for those of you who find yourself fascinated by man’s feeble efforts to avoid conflict. Despite having read numerous books on the topic of war, I was constantly surprised by the brilliant insights by the author and the surprising amount of “new” information he supplied this reader. Not to worry, he writes as a historian not a political commentator.
Articles of Interest
Where and How Do We Draw the Line?
by Kevin DeYoung
“Clearly Reformed” July 1, 2012
As far back as 2012, DeYoung dissected “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.” Considering ongoing denominational disputes, how should a denomination establish doctrinal boundaries? DeYoung suggests seven steps to pursue when facing difficult doctrinal issues. (See my next recommended article.)
Why No Denomination Will Survive the Homosexuality Crisis
by Kevin DeYoung
“The Christian Post” July 16, 2012
Despite the seven steps DeYoung recommends in the previous article when faced with doctrinal issues, he concludes efforts at compromise on the issues surrounding homosexuality are doomed to fail. His solution is that a denomination “must fish or cut bait” and decide what it really believes. While my heart wants the EPC to discover a brilliant solution, DeYoung presents a strong argument that most proposed solutions just “kick the can down the road.” READ THIS ARTICLE!
Ralph Martin and the Crisis of Clarity
by Greg Schlueter
“Crisis Magazine” July 30, 2025
“There is a particular cruelty in offering welcome without truth. It is the cruelty of the smiling gatekeeper who opens the door to a collapsing house.” With this opening line, the author responds to what he believes to have been the unfair treatment of Ralph Martin by the Roman Catholic Church. Martin had spent much of his life calling upon the church to declare truth with respectful boldness when addressing the gay community, to speak the truth in love. Schlueter notes the church’s failure to do so has left those in desperate need of God with a soft-serve gospel that comforts but never convicts.
Podcast: The False Humility Threatening to Undermine Scripture
D.A. Carson
“Crossway Articles and Podcasts” November 18, 2024
In a most interesting interview, Carson reflects on issues he’s addressed that have adversely impacted the church: “Recently, I’ve been pondering the fact that many Christians slide away from full confidence in the trustworthiness of Scripture for reasons that are not so much intellectual as they are broadly cultural.” In the same vein, he points out how often believers decide Scripture is not sufficiently clear. They then use their own method of interpretation that usually employs cultural preference without serious hermeneutical effort. What’s left is a faith more interested in being accepted by the culture than one willing to stand for the truth of Scripture.
Quotes
“So often in the age of presentism, we in our narcissism and arrogance confuse our technical and material successes with automatic moral progress. We seem unaware that thinkers of the past — as early as the Greek poet Hesiod some 2,700 years ago — worried about just the opposite: they worried that material progress and greater wealth would result in moral regress, given the greater opportunities to gratify the appetites with perceived fewer consequences and to use sophistry to excuse sin.”
—Victor David Hanson (Hillsdale College Commencement Ceremony, May 10, 2025)
“Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true.”
—Blaise Pascal, Pensées.
“When Christianity is a dissident choice, one that comes with social stigma and other penalties, a door is opened to the formation of a more robust church community with higher expectations of its members — indeed, such is almost required.”
—Aaron M. Renn, “Positively Christian,” Touchstone July/August 2025
Humor
A little boy praying: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am.”
If you’re sitting in public and a stranger takes a seat next to you, just stare straight ahead and say, “Did you bring the money?”
Interviewer: “So, tell me about yourself.”
Me: “I’d rather not … I really need this job.”
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