Nathan E. Lewis

Sophia (My 8 year old daughter) traveled with me to Dallas, TX, this past June. While I participated in the PCA’s General Assembly meetings, Sophia joined other children at a Vacation Bible School and series of field trips. One of the highlights of the trip was our visit with dear friends, Jay and Karen David, my age and expecting the birth of their first children - triplet boys this July 14! (View other photos of Sophia’s adventures in Dallas.)

You may not appreciate my satirical sentiments, but I am hoping that I will at least get you to read the Declaration of Independence and be thankful for God’s gracious reception of us rebel freedom fighters. As you read, keep echoing in your mind and heart, “America, America, God shed his grace on thee…”

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

(And so it is “separation” that birthed the greatest nation in history, who calls the world to unite, who has overused the rhetoric of “one world empire,” of lights and hands joining everyone together in peace and harmony.)

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

(Yes, all human beings are created equal. How quickly has every American institution built class order in opposition to this founding pillar of our nation! Even the Church!) Continue reading »

At the recent Reformed Youth Movement Camp 2008 at Suttle Lake, Oregon, Pacific Northwest youth groups were joined by a youth group from Heritage PCA in Oklahoma City. The Youth Director, Nathan Carr, and his wife, Sarah, accompanied about 12 students. These teens noticed that one of the campers from Evergreen PCA in Beaverton, Paul, was autistic, walking around camp talking to himself, in his own little world. They reached out to him, engaging him in conversation to learn of his interest in making movies with his video camera. He told them that he one ready to shoot and they agreed to be his cast. Other campers joined in and soon Paul was directing over 20 teens. The campers wrote down their lines and took their cues from Paul. I have known Paul since his birth and have taken a special interest in him. There are few times in his life (limited to my observation) when I have seen him so happy and engaged. He was in his element. My estimation of the Oklahoma teens is high to say the least. Continue reading »

Overture 9 from Philadelphia Presbytery requested the 36th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to create a committee to study the “Scriptural teaching bearing on women’s eligibility for election and ordination to the office of deacon.” Overture 15 from Western Canada makes the same request. Overture 17 from Rocky Mountain Presbytery asks that if a study committee is erected that its mandate also include providing parameters for the role of women in the church. The Bills and Overture Committee after 5.5 hours of discussion recommended that the Assembly deny these requests. A minority report was formed in the committee and signed by 26 committee members including Dr. Bryan Chapell, President of Covenant Seminary, who represented the minority on the floor of the Assembly.
Dr. Philip Ryken, Pastor of 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (successor of Dr. James Boice) with his Session and congregation, are among those who initiated the conversation in the Philadelphia Presbytery resulting in Overture 9. Floor debate produced mostly divided votes and exposed the fear of the Assembly, and perhaps the entire denomination, of a slippery slope. The PCA’s history of departing from the PCUSA to form a new national church 36 years ago over several issues including the ordination of women may have been more influential in squelching the request than a careful argument arising from the biblical text. Continue reading »

The Incarnation of the Son of God
Four Talks by Nathan E. Lewis
Reformed Youth Movement Camp
Suttle Lake, Oregon
June 16-20, 2008

Table of Contents
Talk One: The History of the Incarnation
Talk Two: The Science of the Incarnation
Talk Three: The Gospel of the Incarnation
Talk Four: The Theology of the Incarnation
Continue reading »

I met an honest Mormon today. My doorbell rang and I greeted two Mormon elders. The one in control of the conversation held the Book of Mormon prominently before him, asking me if I had ever read it. I told him that I owned a copy and that I had read it several times. He asked me, “Have you found it to be warm and engaging?” I kindly told him that I had discovered it to be a complex historical read, quite different from the earthy historical narratives of Moses and Samuel. I must have said too much betraying my level of biblical knowledge because he asked me, “Are you a Minister?” When I confessed that I was, he promptly told me that I was not under proper authority, the succession of the Prophethood, and so I was going to hell! How refreshing to finally meet an honest Mormon! Continue reading »

Click on the Photo to view nine families around the world complete with a listing of what they eat in a week and how much it costs them. When I was a child our family sang the following prayer at the dinner table: “For health and strength and daily food we give you thanks, O Lord.” With rising food costs at home and around the world, I am grateful for the food God has provided. Perhaps 2008 is a perfect opportunity for us to rethink how much we eat; what we eat; and the amount we are willing to pay for what we eat. Are any of you readers willing to tell us what you/your family spends on groceries in one week? Perhaps you don’t know. If you don’t know, then I would encourage you to keep record.

This past week, I joined the Order of the Stout Monks, meeting with five other men outside of Kelowna BC, near the Gray Monk Winery, to pray for each other, to hold one another accountable in personal behavior, to coach on strategic ministry ideas and plans, and to encourage each other with the word of God. Men, even those working as ministers of the gospel, need life-long friendship, encouraging support, and accountability in holiness and grace. The Stout Monks are committed to meet once annually for at least the next decade toward these ends. The name of the order, “The Stout Monks,” is taken from the legendary addition to the Rule of St. Benedict: “If any pilgrim shall come from distant parts with wish to dwell in the monastery, and will be content with the customs of the place, and does not by his lavishness disturb the monastery but is simply content, he shall be received for as long as he wishes. If, indeed, he shall find fault with anything, and shall expose the matter reasonably and with the humility of charity, the Abbott shall discuss it with him prudently lest perchance God hath sent him for this very thing. But, if he shall have been found contumacious during his sojourn in the monastery, then it shall be said to him, firmly, that he must depart. If he will not go, let two stout monks, in the name of God, explain the matter to him.” Continue reading »

Pastor Nathan Lewis is preaching four sermons on the Ascension of Jesus Christ. He preaches at Chehalem Valley Presbyterian Church in Newberg at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays and then at Evergreen Presbyterian Church in Beaverton at 11:00 a.m. Below you can read Nathan’s sermon scripts and you can also go to Audio sermons to hear a recording of his preaching. Continue reading »

Yesterday evening while I was on my daily walk, stopping to complete a set of push-ups, two Mormon missionaries on bicycles stopped to talk with me. They were pleasant and soon into the conversation, I realized that they were mainstream, following their training to the “T” unlike the honest Mormon who came to my doorstep, October 2006, prompting me to write, “I Met an Honest Mormon Today.” The honest Mormon Elder on my doorstep told me that I was going to hell because I was an ordained minister under false authority.
Last night, the two polite Mormon elders were typically pushing the Book of Mormon hard. It’s not the Bible or Christ that they push. Only if someone, like myself, asks them about the Bible, do they say, “Yes, we believe the Bible to be God’s word….” Only if called to testify about Christ do they say, “Yes, Christ is important.” In the training of these hard-working, committed young men, the Book of Mormon must be showcased, a starting point in the presentation of the gospel of the restoration that occurred through Joseph Smith.
I keep the discussion with Mormon elders pleasantly congenial. (read “I Met an Honest Mormon Today,“) I am intrigued by the Mormon religion and apologetic. So many Americans consider it to be quite similar to Christianity, but the contrasts outweigh the comparisons. The Mormon worldview is intriguing to me as it is exotically different than the Christian worldview. When I meet Mormon elders I have questions, many questions, simples questions. I frame them politely and clearly. And so I am often humored at the consistent dodging technique that must be part of their training. Why Don’t Mormon elders answer my simple questions?
Last night I asked the following simple questions. The one missionary fell silent and the appointed spokesman asked me unrelated questions in place of answering my simple questions. Continue reading »