Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur . . . Continue reading →
Con frecuencia, surgen las preguntas “¿En qué debe creer un cristiano para ser salvo?” o: “¿Cuáles son los elementos esenciales para ser salvo?” Casi siempre, la respuesta evangélica general es: “No necesitas mucho.” Los evangélicos tienden al minimalismo en la doctrina (en . . . Continue reading →
Until the early twentieth century, most Christians used some distinction between nature and grace, and the sacred and the secular. In the 1970s and 80s, however, American Christian fundamentalists (e.g., Jerry Falwell) began to use the adjective “secular” disparagingly. Similarly, the use . . . Continue reading →
In chapter three, MacArthur turns to Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus in John 3. Since I have been primarily critical of his methods and conclusions, let me begin with some areas of agreement. When he writes, “the central theme of the Old Testament . . . Continue reading →
Mr. White, Mr. Black, and Mr. Gray Cornelius Van Til used to write about Mr. White (the confessionally Reformed fellow), Mr. Black (the Roman Catholic fellow), and Mr. Gray (or Grey, the Arminian fellow). His point was that, on some issues, the . . . Continue reading →
The term nationalism is inherently slippery. Indeed, the idea of a nation, as we think of it, is fairly new. We should not assume that there have always been sovereign nations the way that we think of them in the Modern period. . . . Continue reading →
Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall . . . Continue reading →
Indeed, given Calvin’s distinction between two spheres of God’s kingdom, we need not agree with Mormons on theological questions in order to cooperate with them socially. We may even cooperate with Muslims, Hindus, and agnostics (e.g., the late Nat Hentoff 1925–2017, who became an outspoken critic of abortion on demand) who share certain basic convictions about civil life. To cooperate, we need only agree that there exists certain fixed, embedded laws in creation. Continue reading →
A former student of mine many years ago at Westminster Seminary California once mentioned that he was feeling concerned about his devotional life since beginning seminary—a thought many first-semester seminary students have. He said that before attending seminary, he had an active . . . Continue reading →
When, Dean Kelley published Why Conservative Churches Are Growing (New York: Harper & Row, 1972), the Protestant mainline was already in crisis. They were shrinking, and, as Kelley’s title suggests, the “conservative” churches were growing. This book was published the year before . . . Continue reading →
There are real, substantive differences between the way MacArthur writes in The Gospel According to Jesus and the way those of us in the confessional Reformation traditions speak about good works and salvation. This does not mean that MacArthur does not say . . . Continue reading →
This is a sensitive topic. People do not always think rationally, biblically, and confessionally about the office of pastor. Many do not understand what ministers do, and most people who are involved in the pastoral search process are well-meaning but inexperienced. And . . . Continue reading →
Understandably, for many American Christians, the fight or flight instinct has kicked in. They are made to pay taxes to support institutions—for example, public schools—that demonstrably work against their interests and seek to subvert the authority of parents in the family by . . . Continue reading →
As we engage the book proper, it is useful to remember that GAJ is organized in five parts: 1) Today’s Gospel: Good News or Bad?; 2) Jesus Heralds His Gospel; 3) Jesus Illustrates His Gospel; 4) Jesus Explains His Gospel; 5) Jesus . . . Continue reading →
Comity between churches is a topic that few in NAPARC dare raise. Darryl Hart, however, wrote this piece doing just that. Many are reluctant to talk about the comity agreement because it is not always observed—likely few church planters or pastors even . . . Continue reading →
Since the 1994 publication of Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT), the evangelical body has been convulsed periodically over the doctrine of justification. The patient, to strain a metaphor, sustained a second attack in 1998 with the publication of ECT II or The . . . Continue reading →
When I read Steelman’s essay, I tried to do so with an open mind. After all, until I saw Machen’s letter to his mother, I did not know concretely about his segregationist convictions. Honesty requires that we incorporate that fact (without exaggerating it or any single fact) into the story about Machen and into my understanding of who he was and what he did. Continue reading →
Yet that is exactly what Cardinal Walter Kasper would make of him (the original article is now only available to Times subscribers). There were a lot of moral Reformers before, during, and after the Reformation. Luther was not one of them. The . . . Continue reading →
In his introduction, MacArthur asks what is perhaps the central question in this debate: “What is the gospel?”36 He says that it is not merely an academic question (and all God’s people say, Amen!). He is exactly right when he writes, “And . . . Continue reading →
In 2008, another blogger (Russ Reeves) made some thoughtful comments on my essay, “Christ is Lord of All But…” This post was made in response to his comments. The original essay was recently republished on the Heidelblog, and you can find that . . . Continue reading →