For at least 200 years, the doctrine of the spirituality of the church developed without any reference to slavery. To suggest that Southern Presbyterians invented the spirituality of the church to sidestep the issue of slavery is to ignore the presence of the doctrine on both sides of the Atlantic long before the sectional crisis in America. We should not throw away the spirituality of the church because we are (rightly) ashamed of slavery.
Kevin DeYoung Two Cheers for the Spirituality of the Church
R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He is professor emeritus of church history and historical theology at Westminster Seminary California, where he taught for 29 years. He also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007 and the Heidelcast since 2009.
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Dr. Clark,
Are there any clear distinctions apart from the Word of God and the doctrines in the Harmonized Confessions?
Aren’t we all slaves, elect sojourners, if we believe God and His Promises?
Are we not held by His Grace through faith to serve Him and others joyfully because we are not our own but belong to Him body and soul, in life and death? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20