The following is taken from Richard R. DeRidder, ed., The Church Orders of the Sixteenth Century Reformed Churches of the Netherlands Together with Their Social, Political, and Ecclesiastical Context. Trans. Richard R. DeRidder with the assistance of Peter H. Jonker and Rev. . . . Continue reading →
September 2012 Archive
Semi-Pelagianism and Faith as the Instrument of Existential-Mystical Union with Christ (Pt 1)
William Perkins (1558-1602), in his 1595 Exposition of the Apostles’ Creed, on the question of effectual call, wrote: Againe, if the Vocation of every man be effectual, then faith must be common to all men either by nature, or by grace, or . . . Continue reading →
Was Jesus Married? Nothing to See Here.
UPDATE 09-21-12 21:09 Francis Watson suggests that the fragment is fake. The Guardian reports. UPDATE 9-19-12 17:20 Thanks to Ben (see below) for pointing us to a blog on this by Christian Askeland, who says that there are reasons to think that . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Union with Christ
Office Hours talks with John Fesko, Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at WSC, about his new book: Beyond Calvin: Union with Christ and Justfication in Early Modern Reformed Theology (1517-1700). There is some confusion about the Reformed doctrine . . . Continue reading →
What We Think We Know About Religion in America
The typical American adult pegs religious affiliation in the U.S. as follows: 24% Catholic, 20% Protestant, 19% unaffiliated, 9% Jewish, 9% atheist or agnostic, 7% Muslim, 7% Mormon, and 5% from all other religious groups. Continue reading →
A Useful Resource for Psalm Singing
So Psalm 58 invites us to have patience under persecution, to take comfort in the justice and judgment of God. Why? Because we know that that judgement – all the curses of Psalm 58 and the rest of the Bible – was borne for us by Christ. We, too, were children of the devil, deserving of all of this curse. But now, because that curse was carried for us, we know that when that last trumpet shall sound we will in Christ be found. So we need not fear the judgment. Rather, we look forward to it, knowing that finally God will be ultimately vindicated and glorified. Continue reading →
The Two Witnesses and Lampstands in Revelation 11
Bill asks, [C]ould you give me a quick answer to who the two witnesses are in Rev 11:3, and the identity of the two olive trees and two lamp stands in verse 4? Dear Bill, I understand the Revelation to have been . . . Continue reading →
Baptism and Circumcision According to Colossians 2:11–12
What follows is taken from a larger essay, “A Contemporary Reformed Defense of Infant Baptism:” What is the Connection Between Circumcision and Baptism? The connection between baptism and circumcision is quite clear in Colossians 2:11–12. The connection is not direct, but indirect . . . Continue reading →
Would Calvin Support the Occupy Movement?
Five years ago it was a leading premillennialist saying that were Calvin alive today he would, in effect, be John MacArthur. Now, the Secretary-General of the World Council of Reformed Churches, lecturing at Princeton Seminary (HT: Sovereign Grace News), claims that were Calvin . . . Continue reading →
7 Reasons Why P & R Churches Should Send Missionaries to Poland
Reaching Poland is critical to mission work in both western and eastern Europe. Yet Reformed Christians have ignored this reality for years and have neglected to send missionaries to this large European country. My goal here is to make the case for . . . Continue reading →
Why Complementarianism Can’t Be a “Gospel” Issue
For those who have not been following this discussion, here is a quick rundown as a preface to my point. On August 16, 2012 Denny Burk posted a Gospel Coalition video on his blog in which he noted that Tim Keller suggested . . . Continue reading →
A Reformed Work in Tepeyac, Costa Rica
Rev. Bill Green (WSC ‘1983) spoke to the adult class at EURC today about the work in Tepeyac, Costa Rica and particularly about the need for international church planting to build institutions in order to help facilitate the work for the long . . . Continue reading →
Herman Witsius on Preaching Law and Gospel
Herman Witsius (1636–1708) was a significant figure in the period of High Reformed Orthodoxy (c. 1640–1700). He attempted to build a bridge between the Cocceians and the Voetians, traditionally understood as two competing camps within Dutch Reformed orthodoxy. The debate between the . . . Continue reading →
NW Georgia Presbytery (PCA) Denies Theistic Evolution and Intinction
(HT: Aquila Report) The Northwest Georgia Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) voted without objection on September 15, 2012 to adopt a “Declaration on the Special Creation of Adam and Eve for Presbytery.” Of the 14 particular churches, 8 sessions . . . Continue reading →
Abounding Grace Radio Adds San Diego and Phoenix
Chris Gordon is the new pastor of the Escondido United Reformed Church. He is a 2004 graduate of Westminster Seminary California and, until this summer, was minister of the Lynden United Reformed Church in Washington. He began Abounding Grace Radio on KARI . . . Continue reading →
The “Calvin as Tyrant” Meme
For a fellow who has been dead since 1564 and for a movement that, socially considered, is little more than a demographic blip (about 500,000 people in North America) Calvin and Calvinism continue to receive a remarkable amount of attention in the . . . Continue reading →
Brian Lee on the Real Problem with the Statement by the American Embassy in Cairo
But the real problem with the statement is its failure to grasp the inherently offensive nature of most religious belief. It belies the widely held belief that “good religion” must be utterly private, banal, and non-offensive. Read more
Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs in the Septuagint
Thanks to Adam B. who posted on the Puritanboard a chart that stimulated this post. The chart has been modified slightly by numbering the Psalms to conform to the Septuagint (LXX). According to tradition, based on the letter of Aristeas, the Hebrew Scriptures . . . Continue reading →
Sons of the Cross
In recent days, in association with the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, chaos has once again broken out across the Middle East. One of the first parts of the chaos was a mob assault on the US Embassy in Cairo. As events have . . . Continue reading →
As I Was Saying
After much deliberation, prayer, and encourage from some friends and readers the HB is back. Thanks to a dear and loyal friend who did an amazing amount of work to make it happen. The last HB post was in May 2011. Much . . . Continue reading →