Extramarital affairs can start because of sexual chemistry—and Christians should never underestimate the power of this kind of chemistry. We hear stories of pastors having affairs, and we wonder how that could happen. Of course he knew better—he is a pastor! What . . . Continue reading →
August 2021 Archive
The Unexamined Premise Behind Mars Hill: Transformationalism
One of the unexamined themes Of the podcast series, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, is the stated purpose of the Mars Hill congregation and movement: to transform the Seattle metro. Continue reading
In By Grace, Stay In By Works Is Not Good News
God’s verdict of not guilty and his imputing of his own righteousness to us at the beginning of the Christian life is by faith alone… that’s how we get started. James is answering the question ‘does the ongoing and final reckoning of . . . Continue reading →
Right And Wrong Reasons For Leaving Your Local Church
In recent years, I have noticed the growing trend of people who leave their local church without any reflection as to whether their departure is a sinful one. To be sure, there are legitimate reasons to leave a local church. That’s what . . . Continue reading →
Kingdom Through Covenant—Round Two
Kingdom Through Covenant is a massive work of biblical theology written from a Baptistic perspective, now in its second edition.1 My very first attempt at public writing was a review of KTC’s first edition, which I did while in seminary, and which Dr. Clark very graciously posted on The Heidelblog. With more experience, I have often looked back with acute awareness of that review’s weaknesses and wished I could redo it. I am thankful for the chance to review the second edition on the same platform with hopes to improve my comments and assessment concerning this work. Continue reading →
Yes, He Really Does Teach Final Salvation Through Works
John Piper has been teaching “final salvation through works” (his language) at least since the publication of Future Grace (1995). Continue reading
In A Belated Bit Of Good News: The EEOC Actually Defends Religious Liberty
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against The Kroger Company Monday. In the lawsuit, the EEOC claimed Kroger Store No. 625 in Conway violated federal law when it fired two employees who asked for a religious accommodation to . . . Continue reading →
After Obergefell: The Slippery Slope Slides To Polyamory
The Sexual Revolution Requires That You Approve Of Every New Mutation
Natasha Aggarwal LL.M. ’21 didn’t know much about polyamory until last spring, when she became a clinical student in the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic at the WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School. But after working at the clinic with the newly . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 188: What Must A Christian Believe? (6): God The Father Almighty
We start this episode by thinking a bit about an audio clip in the intro. If you are one of those who skips the intro 😮 please go back and listen for context. See also the show notes below for more. I . . . Continue reading →
Piper’s Sea Shell Sermon Illustrates How Far The YRR Movement Was From The Reformation
So I am listening to the latest episode in the Christianity Today podcast series, “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.” Like the others it is illuminating, compelling, and frustrating simultaneously. Continue reading
Repenting Of Our Agnosticism
For a few months I have been thinking about a phrase I first encountered in 1995 when I was teaching an introductory course in theology at Wheaton. We were using Alister McGrath’s reader as the primary text for the class and he quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–45) as saying that, in Modernity, we must learn to live “etsi Deus non daretur” (as if God is not a given). Continue reading →
Just In Time For The Latest ESS Dustup: With Presbycast On The Athanasian Creed
Even as we were recording this episode last night a new round of controversy (on social media) arose over the orthodoxy of the doctrine of the so-called “eternal subordination of the Son” or the “eternal functional subordination of the Son” AKA “eternal . . . Continue reading →
Does The Analogy Hold Or How Does Science Work?
I am in the throes of trying to finish the third draft of the commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism (Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude), so I have not been listening to a lot of my podcasts. Mostly these days I hear myself say, . . . Continue reading →
Grammar Guerrilla: Wake, Woke, Woken And Transitive And Intransitive Verbs
The widespread use of woke, the past tense of wake, as an adjective is ungrammatical but there are other issues with the use of forms of wake. The conjugation of wake is: wake (present): It is time to wake up and smell . . . Continue reading →
With The Guilt, Grace, Gratitude Podcast On The Mosaic Covenant And The Republication Of The Covenant Of Works
It Is Not As Difficult As It Might Seem
It was good to talk with Nick, of the Guilt, Grace, Gratitude podcast about the Mosaic covenant generally and the question of the republication of the covenant of works specifically. This might seem like an impossible topic but it is not if . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours With Bob Godfrey On The Anxious Bench
Much of modern evangelical theology, piety, and practice, is not driven by Scripture as much as it is driven by history. Many evangelicals assume, as I once did, that the altar call is a biblical practice. They do not know, as I . . . Continue reading →