The law of God is at the heart of the HRM and the debates surrounding it. The traditional understanding of God’s law is that there are three parts of the law and three uses of the law. Reformed understanding would also include . . . Continue reading →
March 2023 Archive
Review: Francis Turretin (1623–87) and the Reformed Tradition by Nicholas A. Cumming (Brill, 2021)
Nicholas A. Cumming is the Assistant Professor of Humanities at Pepperdine University. Francis Turretin (1623–87) and the Reformed Tradition is an adaptation of his doctoral dissertation at King’s College London. Published in the St. Andrews Studies in Reformation History Series, the book . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Machen On Christianity & Liberalism (3)
This is part 3 in our series on Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. In this episode Dr Clark describes the so-called “social gospel.” Continue reading →
Carl Trueman On Preaching On Sexual Ethics
According to new research by the Barna organization, nowhere are pastors feeling the pressure on this point more than on matters surrounding the ethics of sexuality and of reproduction… Yet more worrying than the specific examples cited by Barna is the more . . . Continue reading →
Walking Two Miles With Roman Oppressors: Christ’s Pilgrim Ethic (1)
You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Machen On Christianity & Liberalism (2)
The series on Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism continues. Continue reading →
The Shocking Reality Of Ordinary Christian Life
We tend toward being very pragmatic. We want to walk out of Bible study with a to-do list and may assume that the cosmic struggle represented in Revelation doesn’t lend itself to practical application. But that simply isn’t so. Revelation presents a . . . Continue reading →
Give Me the Hills and Hollers, Or I Die!
So, in general, there is some awareness in the wider church of this reality in underserved America’s small-town and rural regions. There is still, however, a greater need to raise up an explicitly Reformed and Presbyterian witness to serve these areas.
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Roman Roads And Paul’s Call To “Imitate Me”
Last week in Romania a 2000 year old, fully intact, Roman road was discovered. It was well-built and intact. Many Roman era roads are still used today. This road was built in 106AD. For generations, Roman road engineering was passed down from . . . Continue reading →
Top Five Posts For the Week of March 13–19, 2023
These were the top five posts for the week beginning March 13, 2023. Continue reading →
Should You Attend An Ecumenical Service? (Part 2)
An old friend wrote recently to ask whether it is appropriate for a confessional Presbyterian and Reformed (P&R) pastor or congregation to participate in an ecumenical service. In Part One of this series, we discussed our terms. Now we continue the question: should . . . Continue reading →
Tertullian Acknowledged The Existence Of Infant Baptism
God’s approbation sends sure premonitory tokens before it; every “petition”4 may both deceive and be deceived. And so, according to the circumstances and disposition, and even age, of each individual, the delay of baptism is preferable; principally, however, in the case of . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast: Sin, Salvation, & Service: The Threefold Truth Of Romans (12)
In this episode Dr Clark looks at Romans 3:21–24 and considers Paul’s response to the Judaizers about the nature of the law and the gospel. The Judaizers tried to cheat, as it were, by lowering the standard. Paul reminded them and us . . . Continue reading →
Saturday Psalm Series: Principal Place: A Pragmatic Plea For Psalmody
The Modern church has earned a dubious distinction: we live in the most psalm-less period in the history of the church. A Quick History Of Psalmlessness We know that the Jews sang psalms. We know that our Lord sang psalms with his . . . Continue reading →
100 Westmont Students Walk Out On Pro-Life Speaker
On Feb. 6, Lila Rose, founder of Live Action and one of the most articulate pro-life advocates in the public square, spoke in chapel at Westmont College, an evangelical liberal arts university in Santa Barbara, Calif. Surprisingly, out of the roughly 1200 . . . Continue reading →
Patience Needed In The PCA
There are grave theological and practical deviations from our Standards disturbing the purity and peace of this faith communion. For quite some time, the PCA has been troubled by those who not merely disagree with our Church constitution (the Book of Church Order and . . . Continue reading →
Christ Is Lord Of All, But…
The question of thinking like a Christian is an important topic and one close to my heart. We discuss this very question each fall in the Historical Theology orientation course. We read and discuss a roundtable discussion published some years ago in . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Machen On Christianity & Liberalism (1)
Machen’s 1923 book, Christianity and Liberalism, is still relevant and maybe more so now than ever before. Continue reading →
The Downside Of A “Band of Brothers” Mentality
The imagery of the band of brothers has been used for wartime propaganda. In popular culture it’s most recognizable by Stephen Ambrose’s record of Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment assigned to the 101st Airborne Division in World . . . Continue reading →
George Gillespie and the Regulative Principle of Worship (Part 2)
A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies (1637)
In each of his four main arguments, Gillespie stayed true to the Rule of Worship. He steadfastly contended against the Anglican bishops by asserting the authority of God’s Word in binding the conscience of the Christian in the worship of God. This was the same defense employed by the Reformers before him and it is the same doctrine which Reformed Christians find in their confessions and catechisms in the present day. Continue reading →