You would think that if God were going to raise up someone to lead his people to freedom from their bondage under the Pharaoh of Egypt, he would choose someone other than Moses–a man who didn’t speak well in public, and who . . . Continue reading →
Author Archives: Kim Riddlebarger
Three Kinds Of American Religion: Sheilaism, MTD, And Civil Religion
First up is Sheila Larson. She’s the founder and sole adherent of “Sheilaism.” Yet her views are quite representative of many Baby Boomers (b. 1946-1964) and even some Gen-Xer’s (who came after them). Ms. Larson and those like her do visit our . . . Continue reading →
Riddlebarger on “Why Then the Law?”
In Galatians 2:16, Paul makes his case that “a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and . . . Continue reading →
Riddlebarger: The Attraction Of Judge Judy
Only Americans could love Judge Judy–the über-mom, as I call her, because of her uncanny ability to make grown men look like disobedient children. Yet I’m sure that if the Corinthians had the technology we have, they too would love Judge Judy. . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy Part 5: The Implications for Doing Apologetics
I hope that the points which follow will serve to place Reid, and by implication, Old Princeton, in a more objective and favorable light, and as a consequence, help Reformed Christians recover confidence in the proper use of Christian evidences when engaging . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy Part 4: The Decline of SCSR
Although more influential during his lifetime than Hume, one question lurking throughout this discussion is why Reid and SCSR fell into such relative obscurity so quickly if common sense is self-evident? The obvious reason is that Reid’s Inquiry was completely overshadowed soon . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy Part 3: On Perception
Kant argued that what we perceive with our senses is not the thing in itself, since sense data must be mediated through our a priori categories. We all may see the same object which exists independently of our minds. Yet, our experience . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy Part 2: On First Principles
The great conundrum faced by philosophers since time immemorial is the question “how do we know what we know?” This question falls under the subcategory of philosophy known as epistemology. Those who contend that all human knowledge arises through our senses are . . . Continue reading →
Riddlebarger: The Most Pernicious Arminian Error
This particular Arminian error may be the most pernicious, since at first glance. it appears to come close to the truth, but nevertheless bases the ground of our salvation upon an act of the creature, not in the decree of God and . . . Continue reading →
Who Was Thomas Reid and Why Does His “Common Sense” Philosophy Still Matter? (Part 1)
Thomas Reid (1710–1796) is best known as the founder and principal philosopher of “common sense,” or more properly, “Scottish Common Sense Realism” (SCSR). Reid was highly respected and quite influential in the days of the eighteenth-century Scottish Enlightenment, but the popularity of . . . Continue reading →
Kim Riddlebarger on the Challenges of 2 Peter
…But from the moment we open this all-too often overlooked, but very important letter ascribed to the apostle Peter, it soon becomes apparent that there are a number of problems faced by anyone who attempts to exposit this letter, or treat it . . . Continue reading →
On The Death of Infants and the Promise of the Covenant of Grace
Despite the widely accepted American dogma of an “age of accountability”–that unspecified moment when children supposedly become responsible for their sins, and for any possible rejection of Christ–there is no such doctrine taught anywhere in Scripture. Sadly, this unsupported dogma holds out . . . Continue reading →
On The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism
Hummel’s treatment of dispensationalism’s role in the politicization and formation of a distinct and commercially successful American evangelical subculture, along with its impact upon American culture and politics in general is a familiar but well-told story. Hummel contends that the rise of . . . Continue reading →
The Early Church Fathers On The Anti-Christ
The earliest Christian documents which mention the Antichrist contain slight theological reflection, apart from a brief mention of him in connection with a particular biblical passage. Over time, the short-shrift given him begins to change. Some tie Antichrist to heresy (appealing to . . . Continue reading →
The Significance Of The Covenant Of Grace In Reformed Theology
It is correctly said that covenant theology is the center of Reformed theology. In Eden, while under the covenant of works, all of humanity fell when the first of our race (Adam), rebelled against his creator, thereby plunging the entire human race . . . Continue reading →
Free E-Book: Riddlebarger On The Basics Of The Reformed Faith
Editor’s Note: A couple of years ago Kim wrote a series of brief essays introducing the Reformed faith. John Hendyrx at Monergism.com has gathered them into an e-book (available for Kindle and iBooks). Kim writes a brief introduction. It is free, electronic, . . . Continue reading →