Do you remember a time when politicians were admired for their actions? [Insert sound of crickets chirping here] Texas State Representative Mary Gonzalez is an admirable person. She is the first openly pansexaul politician in American history. If you’re unfamiliar with the . . . Continue reading →
2014 Archive
Telling The Truth To A Skeptical Millennial Village
Most of the students I teach are so-called Millennials. A few generations ago Americans were raised by parents. Then they were raised by the television. This generation was raised by the computer and related (mostly mobile) media. As Thomas de Zengotita has . . . Continue reading →
From Experiment To Model To Network
It begins as an experiment; then, if it’s successful, it becomes a model. To preserve its success and the ongoing creativity and innovative potential of the leader/model, the church tends to isolate itself from the wider assemblies of the church (presbytery, general . . . Continue reading →
A Death And A Funeral
Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham rose . . . Continue reading →
Oregon Visits Escondido
Calvin On Faith, Union With Christ, And Justification
10. Who died. From the design of Christ’s death he confirms what he has said, for if he died with this view—that he might make us partakers of his life, there is no reason why we should be in doubt as to . . . Continue reading →
The Coherence Of Word And Spirit
A problem exists in the modern church, plagued by modernity, in her inability to see the coinherence of the word and Spirit. Pietism seeks a separation of the two, but Romanism prioritizes the office over the Spirit. If the institution and office . . . Continue reading →
The Hidden Cost Of “Cotton-Wooling” Children
But this wasn’t a playtime revolution, it was just a return to the days before health and safety policies came to rule. AUT professor of public health Grant Schofield, who worked on the research project, said there are too many rules in . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 60: Nomism And Antinomianism (3)
With this episode I had intended to begin a survey of The Marrow of Modern Divinity but Chris Gordon, my friend, colleague, and pastor at Escondido URC put in my hands a terrific little volume from 1831, which was an assessment of the Marrow . . . Continue reading →
Richard Greenham On The Nature And Use Of The Law
Q. How shall we come to the right sight of our sins and a sound persuasion of the greatness of them? A: By the Spirit of God leading us into the true understanding of the law and a due examination of ourselves . . . Continue reading →
When Subscription Isn’t
One of the chapters in RRC is about how we relate to our confession(s). Well, the whole book is about how we relate to our confession(s) but this chapter is devoted specifically to how we subscribe them. This is a big issue. . . . Continue reading →
Richard Greenham On Law And Gospel
What are the principal parts of God’s Word? The law and the gospel. What do you call the law? It is that part of the word that commands all good and forbids all evil. What if we could keep the law? Then . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: The Struggle Of Sanctification In The Psalms (2)
There are different types of the psalms in the psalter (the 150 Psalms). In this episode, Bryan Estelle, Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Seminary California, returns to complete our discussion on how the psalter helps us to think about sanctification, the Christian . . . Continue reading →
Doctrinal Precision: Too Great A Price For The Worldview?
Most worldview champions would probably argue doctrine does matter to one’s worldview. But, if this is the case, then how Catholics, Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox, much less Lutherans, Calvinists, and Pentecostals, share a worldview is unclear. At best, it seems contemporary evangelicals . . . Continue reading →
Palm Springs In January
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Calvin: Rome Is A Bird With Borrowed Feathers
Having ascertained Paul’s meaning, let us return to the Papists. First, by applying this eulogium to themselves, they act wickedly; because they deck themselves with borrowed feathers. For, granting that the Church were elevated above the third heaven, I maintain that it . . . Continue reading →
Refusing To Land Is Not Humility
I use this analogy when explaining to my students why they have to take positions on difficult theological issues: women in ministry, image of God, election, etc. Every year I have at least some students who don’t want to land the plane. . . . Continue reading →
Of Worldviews And Christian Liberty
There is no question that there is a Christian worldview. There is a Christian way of interpreting reality, of ascribing meaning to creation. There is a Christian faith that forms the grid or the lenses through which Christians are to interpret God’s . . . Continue reading →
No One Really Turns 5-Year Olds Loose To Save The World
This tribalism is damaging to children. Young people long to belong to something bigger than themselves (and this means bigger than their own generation). Children need community, structure, guidance, and history. In short, they need to belong to a culture instead of . . . Continue reading →
On The Absence Of Musical Instruments From The Synagogue
Ancient Jewish cultic music was valid only in connection with the cult, and the cult was valid only at the Temple in Jerusalem. When Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 70 CE, and the Temple destroyed, the cult ceased, and with it . . . Continue reading →