[God] himself took on him the burden of our iniquities, he gave his own Son as a ransom for us, the Holy One for transgressors, the blameless one for the wicked, the righteous one for the unrighteous, the incorruptible one for the . . . Continue reading →
Search results for “Diognetus”
The Epistle of "Mathetes" to Diognetus
For several weeks earlier this Spring the adult catechism class was studying some of the early post-apostolic fathers. One of the documents we studied was the Epistle of “Mathetes” (the disciple) to a certain Diognetus. It’s an excellent example of the erudition, . . . Continue reading →
Sub-Christian Nationalism? (Part 19)
While Christian Nationalists busily try to put the theocratic band back together (i.e., to restore Christianity to its privileged place in American society), the culture continues to disintegrate at an alarming rate and to an alarming degree. Christians do well to spend . . . Continue reading →
You’ve Been Invited To A [Fill In The Blank]: Should You Go?
As the culture descends further into post-Christianity and even the memory of Christianity fades in the minds of most Westerners, Christians will find themselves facing many of the same questions faced by the Christians of the first and second centuries. Many of . . . Continue reading →
World And Life View: License To Baptize? (Part 3)
In an essay dated 1 March 1996, Fred Pugh sketches what has become a fairly standard view among many neo-Kuyperians.1 His account probably obviously leans to the cultural-political right, and the antithesis is established as “secular humanism.” Continue reading →
Another Way To Respond To Satanists And Other Pagans (Part 1)
In a brief episode of the Heidelcast, I offered five or six points about the controversy over the placement of a Satanist altar in the Iowa state capitol, its destruction, and how Christians ought to think about the controversy.1 In the ensuing . . . Continue reading →
Sub-Christian Nationalism? (Part 13)
The theocratic impulse is truly ancient. All the pagan nations of the Ancient Near East had state religions. The Israelites, Egyptians, and Canaanites all had state religions, as did the Greeks and the Romans. The latter were particularly vicious in enforcing the . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 16
In MacArthur’s account of the parables of the kingdom of God, the nature of saving faith, and in his use of sources, we face three interesting sets of questions and some recurring problems in chapter 13 of The Gospel According to Jesus. . . . Continue reading →
Did Christians Teach Predestination Before Augustine?
A reader named David recently wrote to the Heidelblog to pass along a question that someone else asked of him: “What do the church fathers prior to Augustine believe about free will? I was told that all of the church fathers prior . . . Continue reading →
Does Hebrews 11:1 Teach Blind Faith?
Before we take a deep dive into the meaning of Hebrews 11:1, there are two passages we should look at that push back against the idea of blind faith. The first is found in Matthew 15:14 in which Jesus refers to some of the Pharisees as “blind guides.” “If the blind lead the blind,” he says, “both will fall into a pit.” Continue reading →
Polycarp Vs. The Christian Nationalists
The Christian Nationalists are proposing an American Revolution. Some of them want, in place of free churches, voluntarily attended by free Americans, to institute a federal church, directly contrary to the First Amendment of the Constitution—”Congress shall make no law respecting an . . . Continue reading →
Where Is The Church Heading?
Introduction None of us knows the specifics of the future. There are a few things that every Christian knows from Scripture about the future. We know that Christ shall return (Acts 1:11), that there shall be a bodily resurrection (1 Thess 4:16), . . . Continue reading →
How Did Christians Speak In Public?
I do not follow Australian rules football, the career of Australian pastor Guy Mason, or that of television presenter Ryan Kochie but, a month ago, they collided on Australian television. Andrew Thorburn is a banker who has a lay leadership role in . . . Continue reading →
Lamenting Christendom
What difference should the visible church make in the broader culture? How significant should it be? How one answers this question tells us something about how one views the relations between Christ and culture and the evident death of Christendom. Defining Christendom . . . Continue reading →
The Crisis Of The Hour: Christ And Culture
There may be no more pressing issue before Christians (as individuals) and the visible church (as a corporate body) than the question of Christ and culture. Much of what concerns us all just now goes back, in one way or another, to . . . Continue reading →
Incorrect Item Delivered: A Review of Paul’s “Works of the Law” in the Perspective of Second-Century Reception by Matthew J. Thomas
When I was a student at Westminster Seminary California, I once ordered a used volume of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers series online. When the package arrived, I was surprised to discover that in its place I had been shipped a commentary . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 204—What Must A Christian Believe? (20): The Forgiveness Of Sins (2)
This is episode 20 in the series, What Must A Christian Believe? In our survey of the rule of faith, i.e., the Apostles’ Creed, we have reached the tenth article, “the forgiveness of sins.” The truth of our righteousness with God is essential . . . Continue reading →
They Are Still At It
People assume (as I once did) that since the Martin Luther (1483–1546) first protested the abuse of indulgences, in 1517, that Rome must have been shamed into ending the practice. She was not. The sale of indulgences continues. In §1471 of the Catechism . . . Continue reading →
Reformation Day, The Trinity, And The Culture War
Some objected to the critics of the Federal Vision that the social crisis is too great that to be arguing about the Federal Vision. That objection has resurface in recent days in the wake of a social media post in which a prominent member of the Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement and a Baptist theologian has argued, “The Father is the Father because he sends the Son. The Son is the Son because he submits to the Father’s will. The Spirit is the Spirit because the Father and the Son send Him. There is no Trinity without the order of authority and submission” (emphasis original). As one might imagine, this line of reasoning has prompted a considerable response. In response to the critics, some have re-stated the same argument made by the Federal Visionists and their enablers in 2008: “Are we really going to start arguing about ESS again? With all the other stuff going on in the world, this is the battle some of you want to fight? Again? I seriously do not understand some of you. Like, at all.” Continue reading →
Heidelcast 193: Taking Calls On Christian Platonism And Covid-19 Restrictions
We are taking a break from the series, What Must A Christian Believe to take some calls and answer some questions. The first question comes from Deborah in Chicago who asks about the trend among evangelicals to talk about “Christian Platonism.” What is . . . Continue reading →