Heidelcast: 28 February 2010 Chick-Fil-A & the Sabbath (Updated)

UPDATE

Daniel writes to report that some Seventh-Day Adventists are claiming that I agree with them and they are apparently appealing to this broadcast for support. Let me try to end this foolishness right here. Here’s my response to Daniel and to these SDA folk:

Hi Daniel,

This is shocking. I can’t see how anyone who’s paid the least bit of attention to what I’ve written or taught on this could possibly think that I agree with the error of the Saturday Sabbath. I spent a better part of a chapter in Recovering the Reformed Confession refuting the error of the Saturday Sabbath. With Calvin and all the Reformed churches I heartily reject the Anabaptist error of the Saturday Sabbath as not taking account of the resurrection and the inauguration of the new creation that accompanies the resurrection. God could have sent no clearer signal that the inauguration of the new creation has begun and that with it a new Sabbath has been instituted than by raising his Son from the dead on the first day of the new week.

See Recovering the Reformed Confession where I discuss this at length.

Listen also to this lecture on the Sabbath.

There is a little bit on it here.

See also this.

If these folk bothered to read the Westminster Confession of Faith or the Heidelberg Catechism they would see that, as a Reformed Christian, I’m committed to the historic Christian doctrine of the Sabbath.

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7 comments

  1. Hello found this blog through another blog and have been listening to the podcasts. One that I have a question on is the one titled ‘Chick fil A and Sabbath’.
    The podcast was right on and my question is since Westminster advocates , teaches the importance of the 10 Commandments for the life of a believer does Westminster also teach, advocate the Sabbath as in the 7th day Sabbath which is Saturday since Saturday is the 7th day as noted in the podcast.
    If not Saturday as the 7th day Sabbath then why since in the podcast the 7th day of rest was taught ?
    In Christ,
    Marc

  2. Hi Dr. Clark

    I’m an ex-adventist, have a B.A. in theology from one of their seminaries, I made the transition to the reformed theology and beside appreciating very much your effort in defining reformed theology, I think it is properly for me to encourage you not to be distracted by the adventists procedures by which they hope to gain credibility.

    I don’t know how much you are aware about the eschatology of the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDAC), and if you are aware of the importance they place on the jewish sabbath keeping. Because their target audience is composed in general by evangelicals which share dispensationalists views about the decalogue they have a hard time in trying to persuade the evanghelicals about the continuous validity of the decalogue in general and the fourth commandment in particular. In order to built their credibility they need to borrow some credibility (or steal it, depends on who you’re asking) from those theologians who are reformed and believe that the Lord’s Day is the Christian Sabbath. Of course, they believe that reformed theology, especially if it is combined with theonomy will lead to a state law which will impose Sunday sabbatarianism which is in their eschatology the mark of the Beast (Revelation 13). That was the constant theme from the 19th century and it is promoted heavily in the published writings of their prophet, Ellen White.

    Not only their view particular view about the saturday sabbath but also their theology about salvation which is in essence covenantal nomism and semi-pelagian is sustained by erroneous interpretations which try to steal credibility from the reformers. I’m sure you are familiar with the Finnish School on Luther and its attempt to rewrite the historical account of Luther’s theology. There is an official publication for pastors which is distributed also to other theologians and pastors outside their denomination, called Ministry, and in their December 2009 issue they published an article written by Erwin R. Gane, Ph.D. , retired professor and pastors who has been one of the leading theologians in the SDAC, in which he argues that Luther’s view of justification includes sanctification, and Calvin is seen through the same lens. He relies on the Finnish School in regard to Luther. But in Calvin’s case, ironically and foolishly, he uses quotations from Calvin’s Institutes 3.11 in order to prove that Calvin believed that justification includes sanctification, ignoring that Calvin in that chapter is refuting exactly this view that fails to keep sanctification distinct from justification promoted at that time by Osiander. I think it’s worth to read the article and see how badly Calvin’s words are twisted in order to present him as taking the opposite view of the reformation, here is the link

    http://www.ministrymagazine.org/archives/2009/MIN2009-12.pdf

    And of course, the assumption is that the followers of Luther and Calvin are responsible for making the distinction between sanctification and justification, another variant of the “Calvin and the Calvinists” thesis.

    Gabriel
    Gabriel

  3. Hi Dr. Clark,

    There’s one question I’ve never heard a confessional Sabbatarian answer. How could God change the Sabbath to Sunday after Christ’s resurrection since Acts still calls Saturday the Sabbath? If you have an answer, I would like to hear it.

    • Hi Bill,

      ITunes updated their system recently and havoc ensued. The only way to be sure to get the HC is to subscribe.

      Just checked and both this week’s & last week’s podcasts are listed in the store.

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