I’ve got no patience with it, I will not tolerate it, and we’ll make sure that, uh, we find out exactly what happened. —President Barack Obama, May 13, 2013 on the IRS scandal.
May 2014 Archive
If You Benefit From The HB…
The Power Of The Group To Extract Conformity
But the face of Big Brother seemed to persist for several seconds on the screen, as though the impact that it had made on everyone’s eyeballs was too vivid to wear off immediately. The little sandyhaired woman had flung herself forward over . . . Continue reading →
She Learns Something New Daily
I learn something new every day from the Heidelblog and it makes me a better teacher — Tara (@tcarrrr) May 20, 2014
The Backroad From Escondido To Ramona May 2014
How Public Discourse Sounded In 1965
(HT: Pundit Press) Warning: This debate occurred in 1965. James Baldwin uses an objectionable word that was more freely used then to describe American Blacks, which is forbidden today.
Do The Reformed Distinguish Between Law And Gospel?
As a preliminary reply to Mark Jones’ recent post at Ref21 here are some resources to help clarify the picture regarding the Reformed appropriation of the law/gospel distinction: “Law and Gospel in Early Reformed Orthodoxy: Hermeneutical Conservatism in Olevianus’ Commentary on Romans,” . . . Continue reading →
Right On Time: Godfrey On The Law And Sanctification
Well, obviously, the Reformed world is in the midst of a controversy over sanctification. To help bring some balance and perspective to the discussion the faculty of Westminster Seminary California has been discussing sanctification this season on Office Hours. In the providence . . . Continue reading →
Who Needs Discussion When You Already Know The Answers?
And, before I go any further, I would like to express my personal thanks to all of you for not rescinding my invitation. I know that matters were dicey for a while, given that I have held and defended actual positions on . . . Continue reading →
It All Depends Upon Who Says It
As a follow up to my recent interview with Stella Morabito I thought that this clip illustrates some important realities that we discussed. Joe Klein and Jeff Greenfield have impeccable mainstream media credentials. Klein writes for Time. Greenfield is perhaps best known . . . Continue reading →
Escondido Fire News (May 17, 2014)
The air is relatively clear this morning in central and southeast Escondido. The fires never approached the southeast part of town (near the seminary). Earlier in the week there were a couple of small (a fence, a car, and an outbuilding), oddly . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 69: Stella Morabito On Political Correctness
The Heidelcast is a broadcast about history and theology and recovering the Reformed confession but one of my great concerns in recent years has been the potential and actual loss of religious and other civil liberties. It’s not unusual for Reformed ministers . . . Continue reading →
Latest On San Diego Fires (May 16, 2014)
Authorities have determined that the Bernardo fire was the result of construction. One of the fires at Camp Pendleton was the result of a burning semi-trailer. The Las Pulgas fire (Camp Pendleton) has grown to 8,000 acres. The causes of the other . . . Continue reading →
Escondido Fire (May 15, 2014) UPDATED
The Escondido Fire Dept. is battling a two-alarm structure fire at Calvary Assembly Church, in central Escondido. It’s a little suspicious that this fire should start now. It’s warm and winds have died down. It’s still very dry (6% humidity) but . . . Continue reading →
He Goes Toward The Flames (UPDATED)
In 2007, in an earlier version of the Heidelblog, I posted this photo of (now) San Diego Fire Capt. Danny Miranda. He’s served as a deacon in the Oceanside URC and today he’s one of many firefighters from across Southern California who . . . Continue reading →
Video: DC-10 Super Tanker
Credit: NBC 7 San Diego
Is The URCNA Going Forward, Backward, Or Sideways?
Years ago a Protestant Reformed minister told me that the URCNA was nothing more than the CRCNA of the 1950s. I took exception to that statement but it did make me wonder how much truth was in it. Would the URC be . . . Continue reading →
San Diego Fire Update #2 (May 14, 2014) Updated

This gallery contains 3 photos.
As the sun has begun to set, the winds have calmed, and air tankers are flying overhead almost constantly now. Cal Fire has shifted their concentration from a fire to the south. They are picking up fire retardant at the Ramona airport . . . Continue reading →
San Diego County Fire Updates (May 14, 2014) Corrected
You may have seen online that wildfires have broken out in San Diego County. There was an 800 acre fire yesterday southwest of Escondido in the 4S Ranch area (west of Rancho Bernardo) but fire crews had that under control. Today the . . . Continue reading →
The Cadaver Synod
“…this see of St. Peter always remains unblemished by any error”—Vatican I, Session 4 (July, 1870), cap. IV.6. …A man of exceptional intelligence, exemplary life, and strict asceticism (the only fault alleged against him was ambition), Formosus had bitter and relentless foes . . . Continue reading →