2020 Archive

Negotiating With Polyamory: A Snapshot Of Evangelicalism In 2020

by on February 22, 2020 | 17 Comments

H. Richard Niebuhr (1894–1962) is the slightly less famous younger brother of Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). The latter was a favorite of two presidents, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. The former is most famous for his 1951 book, Christ and Culture, though his early work, The Social Sources of Denominationalism (1929) and The Kingdom of God in America (1937) remainfluential. In the latter he perfectly characterized liberal Christianity as that in which “A God without wrath brought men without sinto a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” In Christ and Culture he offered a taxonomy of Christian approaches Continue reading →

Why The Mission Needs The Marks

by on February 19, 2020 | 11 Comments

Doubtless the one of the most significant movements within evangelicalism at the moment is the “emergent” or “emerging churches” movement. The adjectives “emerging” and “emergent” designate different wings of the movement. Generally, the “emergent” wing is more radical and the “emerging” wing a little less radical. Just as frequently, however, in the contemporary rhetoric from both wings of the movement no distinction is made and this essay will speak of the “emerging movement” (hereafter, EM). Like their older evangelical brothers and sisters, the EM also rejects (at least elements of) fundamentalism and revivalism. In their place, they are constructing a cross-traditional, eclectic synthesis. Continue reading →

Chris Discovers And Embraces The Reformed Confession

by on February 18, 2020 | 3 Comments

The following essay is written by Chris Smith, (B.A. History, Thomas Edison University; MDiv, Westminster Seminary California). He is a candidate for the Master of Arts in Historical Theology at WSC. He’s a native of Nebraska (Go Big Red!) and hopes to . . . Continue reading →

Against Revising Church Order Art. 39 (Or Why We Should Not Sing Fewer Psalms) (Updated)

by on February 17, 2020 | 25 Comments

We sometimes talk about “the worship wars” as if they are a new thing. They are not. There are examples of ecclesiastical arguments over what should be sung in church dating to the ancient church. In one case a regional synod in Spain issued a ruling against the singing of hymns (non-canonical songs) that some churches had begun singing. Continue reading →

Explaining the Nine Points of Synod Schereville

by on February 15, 2020 | 5 Comments

In 2007 the Synod the United Reformed Churches in North America adopted a statement of pastoral advice concerning the self-described “Federal Vision” theology. One of the main matters of business at Synod Schereville was to address an overture brought by Classis Michigan regarding the Federal Vision theology. As part of dealing with that overture Synod took two actions. First it re-affirmed and strengthened the language first adopted at Synod Calgary regarding justification by faith alone (sola fide). Continue reading →

Talking With Unbelievers: Conversation Not Conversion

by on February 14, 2020 | 10 Comments

“Reformed evangelism.” I used to think this was an oxymoron, that Arminians ask people to choose, and that Calvinists let the Arminians do the work of the evangelists. I thought that the Calvinists would teach converts the doctrines of the faith once . . . Continue reading →

Caspar Olevian And The Substance Of The Covenant Now $10.00

by on February 11, 2020 | 1 Comment
Caspar Olevian and the Substance of the Covenant

Caspar Olevianus (1536–87) was an influential figure in the development of Reformed (as distinct from other versions of) covenant theology. He was a student of John Calvin (1509–64) and Theodore Beza (1519–1605). Like them, he was a Roman Catholic humanist scholar who . . . Continue reading →

Your Faith Has Saved You

by on February 10, 2020 | 16 Comments

Bob Godfrey preached the evening sermons last night. His text was in Luke 8:40–56. It is a challenging passage, as he observed, but I was struck by one verse in particular and by the difference between the Greek text and the ESV. I was reading the former while Bob was reading, as he should, from the latter from the pulpit. As he read v. 48 we heard, “And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’” What I was reading, however, …‘Daughter, your faith has saved you…’” (ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν). Continue reading →

As It Was In The Days Of Noah (28): 2 Peter 1:3–11 (part 4)

by on February 7, 2020 | 1 Comment

The Christian life is not the instrument of salvation. To attempt to make it so is a self-defeating move, since none of us, in this life, shall attain perfect sanctification. Thus, all of us fall short of the mark. This is undeniably true. In that case, we are left to going back to the dog’s breakfast of the late-medieval doctrine of congruent merit, the doctrine rejected by the entire Reformation, that God imputes perfection to our imperfect efforts unto justification and salvation. Continue reading →

New Reformed Church In Vancouver, WA: Peace URC

by on February 7, 2020 | 3 Comments

Peace United Reformed Church, Vancouver, WA held her first worship service last Lord’s Day and 94 people attended. The introduction below is written by the Rev. Chris Coleman, the church-planting pastor. Chris is graduate of Biola University and Westminster Seminary California. He . . . Continue reading →

Schaff’s Creeds of Christendom: A Most Valuable, Free, Electronic Resource

by on February 5, 2020 | 2 Comments

There are other collections of ecumenical creeds. There are other collections of the Reformed confessions (e.g., Reformed Confessions in the 16th and 17th Centuries). There are other surveys (e.g. Pelikan and Hotchkiss, Credo) but there is still nothing that does just what Philip . . . Continue reading →

How Alastair Discovered And Embraced The Reformed Confession

by on February 5, 2020 | 6 Comments

Introduction Alastair Herd is a 2019 graduate of the University of Warwick (BSc, Chemistry), who has worked as a research technician. He is currently between positions as he recovers from an, as yet, undiagnosed illness with a range of symptoms. He is thankful . . . Continue reading →