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.

Jim Renihan writes: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am exceedingly thankful for the entire IRBS community. As I write, I am weighed down in concern for our beloved brother James Dolezal and his family. Many of you may have heard that on June 22 he was struck by a car while crossing a street (in a crosswalk) near his home. Both of his lungs were punctured, several ribs were broken, and there was a small brain bleed. Today is too close to the event to know what the prognosis will be. Many of you have responded quickly to this news, bringing James and his family before the holy throne of our merciful High priest. I deeply appreciate you.

Population decline, rather than growth, is going to be the most serious temporal problem mankind has faced. If present trends continue, the fallout from a rapid population decline will be significant. Younger cohorts will not produce enough tax revenue to sustain pension plans and the provision of health services for the larger older cohorts. Schools will be shut because there will be fewer children. Also, there will be less tax revenues to fund teachers, school programs, bussing, and infrastructure maintenance. Instead of schools, more hospitals and long-term care facilities will be needed. Instead of teachers, more doctors, nurses, and other health-care workers will be needed. But the smaller population cohorts will not be able to meet the staffing demands. In countries with declining populations, productivity and GDP will decline. This will likely result in a permanent economic stagnation and recession.

Christian Concern reports: The Darlington Nurses have secured substantial damages from County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, following their landmark Employment Tribunal victory in January 2026. The case, brought by seven nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital, Bethany Hutchison, Lisa Lockey, Karen Danson, Tracy Hooper, Annice Grundy, Carly Hoy and Jane Peveller, was supported by the Christian Legal Centre, which has provided the nurses with legal, media and pastoral support from the beginning of their ordeal. The case has become one of the most significant legal challenges in recent years concerning the freedom of female staff to access single-sex spaces in the workplace, with the nurses being compared to the Ford Dagenham workers and being dubbed ‘The Angels of the North.’