U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently released an advisory titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” It warns that social isolation is a major public health problem. The 81-page document presents six government-directed “pillars” of action to address the health hazards of social isolation. . . . Continue reading →
2023 Archive
Withered Joy And The Splendors Of The Sanctuary—Psalm 63 (Part 2)
As we saw in the first stanza of Psalm 63, while kneeling upon rocks and fenced in by thistles, David locked the eyes of his heart upon the Lord’s steadfast love within the sanctuary. His hope grasped on his future reunion with . . . Continue reading →
Turretin On The Fundamental Articles of Faith
But [the Reformed] all agree in these fundamental articles: the doctrines concerning the sacred Scriptures as inspired, being the only and perfect rule of faith; concerning the unity of God and the Trinity; concerning Christ, the death, concerning the law and its . . . Continue reading →
Re-Publication of the Covenant of Works (1)
As Michael Horton acknowledges in his work on covenant theology, one of the more difficult issues in covenant theology is how to relate the Mosaic Covenant to the earlier Abrahamic Covenant and the New Covenant. Complicating matters is the old Dispensational doctrine . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Machen On Christianity & Liberalism (37)
This is part 37 in our series from Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. Continue reading →
U. S. Dept Of Education Guidance On Prayer In Public Schools
Students may pray when not engaged in school activities or instruction, subject to the same rules designed to prevent material disruption of the educational program that are applied to other privately initiated expressive activities. Students also may read from religious materials; say . . . Continue reading →
Keep Yourselves in God’s Love––An Exposition of Jude’s Epistle (12): Remember to Remember
Despite all this, beloved, you must remember the words foretold by our Lord Jesus Christ’s apostles, 18 since they said to you, “In the last time, there will be mockers, pursuers of ungodliness according to their own desires. 19 These are the . . . Continue reading →
Justice Gorsuch Warns About The Erosion Of Civil Liberties
Since March 2020, we may have experienced the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country. Executive officials across the country issued emergency decrees on a breathtaking scale. Governors and local leaders imposed lockdown orders forcing people to . . . Continue reading →
Of Semicolons And The Spirituality Of The Church
In a recent essay, I tried to make the case from Westminster Confession 31.4 (in the American version; 31.5 in the 1648 edition) that the current transgender crisis does not fall under “cases extraordinary,” and thus, ecclesiastical assemblies should not be petitioning the . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Machen On Christianity & Liberalism (36)
This is part 36 in our series from Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. Continue reading →
The “Already And Not Yet”
Scholars who are overly saturated with the eschatological Kingdom of God as ‘already and not yet’—that is, already inaugurated, but not yet consummated—as well as with the Pauline soteriological concept of union with Christ, falsely put the doctrine of justification into the . . . Continue reading →
Discovering The Reformed Confession (Part 3): Young, Restless, And Acts 29
I did not know what my transition to covenantal and Calvinist theology meant for pastoral ministry, but I knew it meant something. I was looking for church planters similar to myself, who eschewed the programmatic and “seeker-sensitive” model of ministry. I found . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Machen On Christianity & Liberalism (35)
This is part 35 in our series from Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 8
In a controversy, the temptation is to become competitive and to try to defeat one’s opponent, rather than to seek the truth. Controversy is an opportunity for the mortification (putting to death) of sin and vivification (the making alive of the new . . . Continue reading →
A Pastor Is Not A Bully And A Bully Is Not A Pastor
To the surprise of many, effective leadership goes hand in hand with loving gentleness. This isn’t a popular trait in our world today. You’ll find plenty of books in the self-help section on how to be more bold, assertive, or proactive. But . . . Continue reading →
Top Five Posts For the Week of June 5–11, 2023
These were the top five posts for the week beginning June 5–11, 2023. Continue reading →
Heidelcast For June 11, 2023: Sin, Salvation, & Service: The Threefold Truth Of Romans (22)
In this episode Dr Clark works through Romans 6:2–11, considering Paul’s teaching about the union of the believer with Christ’s death to sin and Christ’s resurrection life. He touches on differences between the covenants of works and grace and on the nature . . . Continue reading →
The Simplicity of Biblical Polity
A “senior pastor” is one elder among many (as Peter, Paul, and the unnamed elders were at the Jerusalem Council, Acts 15:23) and has no extraordinary authority.* Unfortunately, some—usually large—presbyterian churches become de facto staff-led rather than elder-led. The senior pastor becomes . . . Continue reading →
Withered Joy And The Splendors Of The Sanctuary—Psalm 63 (Part 1)
A hot and dry land—this is something some of us are familiar with, especially if you live in Southern California with its multi-year drought. Thankfully, we still have enough water for our persons, but our lawns and gardens feel the lack. As . . . Continue reading →
Video: A Commencement Address You Should Hear
Commencement addresses are typically forgettable—not this one. David Hall is married to Ann, and they are parents of three grown children and grandparents of eight grandchildren. He has served as the Senior Pastor of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA) since 2003. Previously, he . . . Continue reading →