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Regensburg And Regensburg II: Trying To Reconcile Irreconcilable Differences On Justification

Introduction When in 1618 the Reformed theologian J. H. Alsted (1588–1638) declared that the Protestant doctrine of justification is that “article of faith by which the church stands or falls” (articulus stantis et candentis ecclesiae), he was only repeating what all Protestants . . . Continue reading →

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To Obey Or Not To Obey, That Is The Question: An Examination Of Anthony Burgess’s Theology Of Law And Gospel In Vindiciae Legis: Part 2

Burgess used the similarities between the old and new covenants to refute Antinomian errors, but perhaps the most surprising facet of his broad distinction was that the gospel contains “commands.” The command for repentance, in a sense, belongs to the gospel, not . . . Continue reading →

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Machen Opposed Fosdick’s Christian Nationalism

Harry Emerson Fosdick’s provocative sermon, “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?,” delivered on May 21, 1922, is as good a date as any to locate the start of the controversy between conservatives and liberals in the Presbyterian Church.  It did prompt conservative reactions and . . . Continue reading →

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Christians Love Their Enemies

One of the distinctives of Christianity is the call to behave otherworldly. Revenge is a human instinct and something most people would say is a natural right. Christ tells Christians to turn the other cheek and let God take care of vengeance . . . Continue reading →

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The Cradle Of Christian Truth: Apostles’ Creed (Part 13)—From there he will come to judge the living and the dead

Casablanca is one of the most famous movies in cinematic history, leaving us with more than its fair share of artifacts ingrained in cultural memory even eighty years later. Humphrey Bogart alone left us with a stack of lines most of us . . . Continue reading →

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Luther On Bound Choice: Celebrating The Recovery Of The Doctrine Of Sola Gratia (Part 1)

In 1580, when the Lutherans and the Reformed met at Montbeilard, when the topic turned to predestination, Theodore Beza (1519–1605) rose, lifted his copy of Luther’s Concerning Bound Choice (De servo arbitrio), and said, “We stand with Luther.”1 The Lutheran representatives suggested . . . Continue reading →

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Was Calvin A Nestorian?

Nestorius, the fifth-century patriarch of Constantinople, has haunted Calvin’s Christology for centuries. A startling variety of theologians have accused him of Nestorianism, teaching that there are two Christs, two persons: one divine, the other human. Ironically, the first to charge Calvin with . . . Continue reading →