Hi, I’m Harin

Interchurch Cooperation or “Associationalism” The concluding paragraphs of 2LCF26 describe the Baptist practice of interchurch cooperation as a means of fostering peace, love, and mutual edification among congregations. The chapter firmly establishes that Christ alone is the supreme head of all churches; no external ecclesiastical authority—be it a pope, presbytery, synod, or any assembly of bishops—has the jurisdiction to dominate a local congregation. Despite the emphasis of Baptist polity on local autonomy and self-governance, 2LCF26 advocates for interchurch communion among churches, particularly those within close geographical proximity....

Discipleship in 21st Century Boston In Chapter 19 of Holiness, Ryle urges Christians to be like the tribe of Issachar, who had “understanding of the times” (1 Chronicles 12:32). Ryle says, “all ages have their own peculiar dangers for professing Christians, and all consequently demand special attention to peculiar duties” (Ryle 392). He was talking about 19th-century England. What about 21st-century Boston? What would be a peculiar danger for professing Christians in our context?...

Subtle Pride How does pride manifest itself? Is it always chest-beating, chin-raising bravado and swagger, like those energetic UFC entrances into the octagon? No, there is a more insidious form that exists in the guise of self-deprecation, where individuals belittle themselves to elicit sympathy, reassurance, and pleasant contradictions from others. In my high school years, I encountered this subtler form of pride among my peers who, despite being academic overachievers, continually lamented their shortcomings....

A Christless Heaven In Chapter 16 of Holiness, Ryle explains that “to be without Christ is to be without heaven” (Ryle 346). Not only does this mean that without Christ no one can enter into heaven, but it also means that a heaven devoid of Christ or God would cease to be heaven at all. He justifies this claim by thoughtfully pointing to the descriptions of heaven in Revelation that are all centered around the Lamb of Christ: the throne, the light, the temple, and the supper (Revelation 5:6; 22:3, 21:22; 19:9)....

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. Overcoming Pornography Throughout Chapter 14 of Holiness, Ryle offers challenging exhortations to professing Christians in visible churches. In his general discussion of overcoming sin, I found myself thinking about a particular sin that has wrecked countless lives: pornography....