1. The law promises no good thing to miserable sinners; it promises good only to those who observe it. 2. The law has no force in itself for removing sins; it has force only for punishing. 3. The law cannot be fulfilled . . . Continue reading →
August 2010 Archive
The Mystery of Children’s Church
In Christian congregations across the Western world, at a certain point during the worship service small children are dismissed to the what is often called “children’s church.” I can understand why evangelicals (without a direct connection to or confession of the Reformed . . . Continue reading →
Crouching Tiger, True Repentance
There is an argument that Tiger Wood’s sexual immorality is private and none of our business. Fine. His very public apology, however, gives us an opportunity to think about the nature of repentance and faith. During his apology Tiger made reference to . . . Continue reading →
RUF Established at UCLA
Going to college is a lot like playing “Fity-Two Pick Up.” It’s a time when a lot of things get tossed in the air. I’m thankful that there were people like Warren Embree and Bill Stephens (and Vern Pollema) and others who . . . Continue reading →
A Great God and A Great Goal: Reformation2Germany
Related Resources: Check out this interview with Sebastian and Will Traub about the work in Germany.
Atonement and Common Grace
How do we reconcile the notion of a limited, personal, substitutionary atonement with a universal non-saving favor? If God is favorably inclined toward all, how can one say that Christ did not die for them? And if Christ did not die for . . . Continue reading →
Waldensian Synod Approves Homosexual Marriage
Mike Brown sent me a note (with an attached link to an Italian news site) with a notice that the Waldensians have approved Homosexual marriage. The good news is that there is now, in Italy, an alternative for those who want to . . . Continue reading →
The Theological Roots of Resurgent Homosexuality
Ironically, in the name of “life-long commitment,” “gay marriage” (though it includes expressions of human affection) ultimately deifies self-love. It does not see the other, but narcissistically sees a reflection of self in the other. A society that makes selfishness sacred, as a defining . . . Continue reading →
Is This What They Meant By "Safe Spaces"?
Wes White is calling attention to the theology of PCA Teaching Elder Ron Choong. He describes his blog as a “theological safe space.” This adds background to some of the concerns leading up to the most recent PCA GA and the language . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours Needs Your Voice Now!
Office Hours from Westminster Seminary California needs your voice before Friday, September 10, 2010. Listen now» To kick off season 2 of Office Hours we’re preparing a special program featuring Mike Horton, Bob Godfrey, and me. We’ll be talking about what it . . . Continue reading →
Collin Hansen on Evangelical "Self-Inflicted Amnesia"
Sometimes younger Christians give the impression that we have things figured out. We’re the future. We’ve found the old methods wanting, so we’ve developed new ones. We’re the generation that will strike the right balance where our forebears fell over to one . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Reaching Secular Israelis with the Gospel
There is more than a little romanticism among American evangelicals about “Israel.” For Christian tourists, Israel is a vacation spot, a place to try to see where redemption took place. For Reformed Christians in Israel, however, it isn’t a tourist spot but . . . Continue reading →
Is the Reformed Faith a Second Blessing?
In response to Jason Stellman’s monday post the question has arisen as to what should be required for membership in a confessional Reformed (e.g., Three Forms) or Presbyterian (Westminster Standards) congregation. The argument has been made that, in American Presbyterian churches, the . . . Continue reading →
Roman Catholic Scholar Converts to Evangelical Faith
Re-posted from c. 2007 Dateline Paris, 1534. © Paris News Service By Guy LaFontaine Jean Calvin, 25, of Noyon, a leading scholar of the classics and law student in the University of Paris, has reportedly converted to the evangelical cause. A classicist . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Martin Klauber on Protestant Orthodoxy in the Classical Period
There aren’t many scholars who know in detail what happened to Protestant theology after the “high orthodox” period in the mid-late 17th century (think Francis Turretin). Marty Klauber is one of those fellows and we sat down to talk last spring when . . . Continue reading →
Clark Pinnock Dies at Age 73; Was God Surprised?
Too soon? Bad taste? Perhaps but so is suggesting that God might have a body (see Most Moved Mover) and that the future is “genuinely open” to God. As soon as I read of Pinnock’s death in Christianity Today the first thing . . . Continue reading →
Resources On The New Perspective On Paul
In 1963, Krister Stendahl published a seminal essay in a movement that was to become known as the New Perspective on Paul (hereafter NPP), “The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West.” As Michael Kruger writes, Stehdahl argued “the traditional . . . Continue reading →
When Pastors Do Not Pay Attention
Remarkably, after a decade of controversy over the self-described Federal Vision movement, there are pastors and teachers who do not seem to understand it. One can see why one might have been confused in the early days of the discussion but now, . . . Continue reading →
Why Evangelicals Cannot Be Trusted with the Bible
Carolyn Arends wants to give an argument for the benefits of God’s moral law but she lacks the categories by which to do it. Her argument has only two categories good/bad and relationships. The title and subtitle of her essay should alarm . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: But Through Faith Alone-Guy Waters on the NPP and the FV
The latest episode of Office Hours is up and it is a discussion with Prof. Guy Waters about the nature of the New Perspectives on Paul and the nature of the self-described “Federal Vision,” movement. We talk about what Paul really said . . . Continue reading →