Classic Reformed Theology Series Volumes 1–5
March 2021 Archive
Herman Witsius Against The Donum Superadditum
God gave to man the charge of this image, as the most excellent deposit of heaven, and, if kept pure and inviolate, the earnest of a greater good; for that end he endued him with sufficient powers from his very formation, so as . . . Continue reading →
On The Etymological Fallacy, Semantics, And Defining Reformed
I have been thinking a bit about the etymological fallacy, which seeks to define words and other things by their origin.
Bavinck Contra The Donum Super Additum
It was called a “covenant of nature,” not because it was deemed to flow automatically and naturally from the nature of God or the nature of man, but because the foundation on which the covenant rested, that is, the moral law, was known . . . Continue reading →
The Dillenburger Synod Abolished Organs In Worship
Latin songs, as well as organs (first introduced into the churches by Pope Vitellianus about 665) are for the most part abolished in the churches of this land. Not that use of the Latin language or of music is rejected of itself . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 176: As It Was In The Days Of Noah (20)—Be Not Surprised
Or Why Peter Was An Amillennialist
This series is a study of what Scripture says about eschatology, i.e., the relation of heaven to earth and last things. We began with a survey of what Scripture says generally and now we are working through 1 Peter. We have come . . . Continue reading →
Is Your Pastor Beginning To Dress Strangely At Work?
To this very end have the Papists brought in such a variety of mass vestments, surplices, and other special clothing for the priests, in order that thereby they would have so much the more splendor and magnificence, as in the Old Testament . . . Continue reading →
The Hungarian Reformed Church Contra Instruments In Worship
The musical instruments, however, adopted for the pantomime (saltatrici) Mass of Antichrist, together with images, we abhor. There is no use for them in the church, and indeed they are marks and occasions of idolatry. Hungarian Reformed Church, Articles (1567) art. 17 . . . Continue reading →
A Brief History Of The Corruption Of Worship
…Through these witnesses of the Holy Scriptures and a hundred more, which one may provide here, we say the pope’s Mass, which he claims to be an offering for the living and the dead, is false, and an impure sacrifice of bread . . . Continue reading →
New Resource Page: On Christian Liberty
The doctrine of Christian liberty was one of the principal achievements of the Protestant Reformation. The medieval church had come to think that there are two streams of authority, Scripture and an alleged unwritten apostolic tradition curated by the church. Over time . . . Continue reading →
New In Print: Survival And Resistance In Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction In The Pacific Northwest
The publisher’s blurb says: Over the last thirty years, conservative evangelicals have been moving to the Northwest of the United States, where they hope to resist the impact of secular modernity and to survive the breakdown of society that they anticipate. These . . . Continue reading →
How The Tide Is Shifting (And Not In A Good Way)
As I mentioned in the latest episode of the Heidelcast, I am not a big fan of Oral Roberts (1918–2009). Please do not misunderstand me. He is a great American success story. Born in poverty, in Oklahoma, he helped to impel a . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 175: As It Was In The Days Of Noah (19)—Living In Light Of The Coming Of Christ
This series is a study of what Scripture says about eschatology, i.e., the relation of heaven to earth and last things. We began with a survey of what Scripture says generally and now we are working through 1 Peter. We have come . . . Continue reading →
A Follow Up Regarding Abuse In The Church: We Are Talking About Practice
Last week I wrote an introduction to spiritual abuse and how laity and officers should respond. A correspondent writes to ask what the laity are to do when when ruling elders and ministers refuse to address a situation. May a lay member . . . Continue reading →
Trans Activist Suing Jack Phillips
The poor Colorado cake-maker, Jack Phillips, Continue reading
Grammar Guerrilla: Regardless v. Irregardless
Americans love to add intensifiers to words. They do it to add force to existing words. Irregardless, an adjective and an adverb, is a good example of this tendency. The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1912, but it occurs in . . . Continue reading →
New In Print: Robert Rollock On Ephesians
Robert Rollock (1555–99) was one of the most significant Reformed theologians in Scotland in the late sixteenth century. He was an important figure in the development of Reformed covenant theology. He received Calvin’s theology and was especially influenced by Caspar Olevianus (1536–87) . . . Continue reading →
Updated Resource Page: Grammar Guerrilla
I was surprised to learn that of the more than 6,000 Heidelblog posts, two of the most popular have been Grammar Guerrilla posts: Grammar Guerrilla: Comfort v Comfortability and Grammar Guerrilla: Agreement v Agreeance. Continue reading →
The Top 10 HB Posts Since 2007
Earlier this week I posted a new resource page listing the annual the Top 10 Posts back to 2009. In response someone asked for a list of the all-time Top 10 HB posts. Here they are. One wrinkle is that #9 and . . . Continue reading →
It Happens In The Church
I grew up in the church. Some of my favorite memories come from the time I spent there — Sunday school, AWANA, VBS, youth group, and fellowship meals. For hours we would play hide-and-seek, run up and down hallways, and occasionally sneak . . . Continue reading →