But touching other nations and specially Christian Commonwealths in these days, the case is otherwise. Some are of the opinion that the whole judicial law is wholly abolished and some again run to the other extreme, holding that the judicial laws bind . . . Continue reading →
Author Archives: R. Scott Clark
An Interview On Adoption with Dan Cruver
Below is an interview I did with Dan Cruver in 2008. § BY DAN CRUVER Published Jul 14, 2008 1. What do you cherish most about the doctrine of adoption? There are three things that should be mentioned. First it is the . . . Continue reading →
A California Court Defends Free Speech And Religious Freedom
The State of California brings this action under the Unruh Civil Rights Act, Civil Code section 51, against defendants Cathy’s Creations, Inc. and Cathy Miller. Miller refuses to design and create wedding cakes to be used in the celebration of same sex . . . Continue reading →
Engaging With 1689
Recently I had opportunity to engage in a friendly dialogue with some Baptist academics over the merits of the project proposed in Recovering the Reformed Confession. That project is, as they say, wending through the publication process. Because of space limitations I was unable to do a couple of things, namely, to engage more fully with some of the texts and approaches to Baptist covenant theology (as distinct from Reformed covenant theology). Continue reading →
Housing Project Update February 5, 2018
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Office Hours: Where Are They Now? Jared Beaird
Students come to Westminster Seminary California from across the globe and from a wide variety of backgrounds. Even though they usually graduate affirming Reformed theology they do not always begin there. Westminster Seminary California was an important destination in the journey of . . . Continue reading →
The Role of Creeds and Confessions in Doing Theology
A wise traveler makes preparations for a trip (Matt. 10:8–10). Any traveler who attempts a difficult journey without a map risks not arriving or worse. The Christian life is a journey to the heavenly city (Heb. 11:8–15). A map is a record . . . Continue reading →
Richard Baxter On Initial And Final Justification Through Faith And Works
The magisterial Protestant churches (i.e., the Lutheran and Reformed) and their theologians did not speak of, teach, or confess a “two-stage” doctrine of justification or even a “two-stage” doctrine of salvation (justification, sanctification, and glorification). Yet, today, one sees leading evangelical and . . . Continue reading →
Church Membership Is Biblical
“I am a member of the church universal. I do not need to be a member of an organized church.” “Our church does not believe in church membership.” “Church membership is unbiblical. It is a man-made tradition.” These are but a few . . . Continue reading →
With Megiddo Radio On The Current Justification Controversy
It was good to talk with Paul Flynn of Megiddo Radio today about the ongoing controversy over justification and salvation. It was a wide-ranging discussion. Paul and his family are members of Loughbrickland Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland. Click on the link . . . Continue reading →
New In Translation: Synopsis Of A Purer Theology Volume 2
The period of time around the Great Synod of Dort, the 400th anniversary of which we are celebrating in 2018–19, was an important time in the history of Reformed theology. During the Reformation, though the magisterial Protestants faced significant internal challenges, the . . . Continue reading →
John Murray: Justification Is Still The Article Of The Standing Or Falling Of The Church
This is what is meant when we insist that justification is forensic. It has to do with a judgment given, declared, pronounced; it is judicial or juridical or forensic. The main point of such terms is to distinguish between the kind of . . . Continue reading →
Recovering The Importance Of The Public Reading Of Scripture
Bible reading has become a largely private practice—something we do in our own personal “quiet time.” A few verses, or perhaps as much as a chapter, are often read before the sermon on Sunday morning. But when was the last time you . . . Continue reading →
Why It Is Reasonable Not To Send Your Children To Public School
The world has changed quite a bit since I entered Dundee Elementary in 1965–66. No-fault divorce did not yet exist. Two-parent families were the norm. Abortion had not yet been legalized. The late-modern drug culture had not yet exploded. WWII had been . . . Continue reading →
What Happened To Divine Immutability?
The biblical doctrine of God’s immutability says that God is always what he is. He is never any more or any less than he is. He is not becoming. He is not changing. He is utterly reliable. He is utterly perfect. He . . . Continue reading →
Principles Of Spiritual Self-Defense
My first interaction with theology of Norman Shepherd probably came in seminary. He was dismissed from his position as a professor in a Reformed and Presbyterian seminary, where he taught the course on the doctrine of salvation (soteriology) in 1981. I began . . . Continue reading →
Why This Reformed Christian Will Not Be Charismatic In 2018
Tim Challies has published a list of predictions for the “New Calvinist Movement” for 2018. It has understandably provoked discussion. He writes, In 2018 we will begin to see wider practice of the sign gifts among those who hold to Reformed theology . . . Continue reading →
Should Laity Attend Elders’ Meetings?
As I ran errands yesterday I listened to a recent Presbycast episode from which I learned that there are NAPARC congregations in which laity (non-ordained members of the congregation) regularly attend elders meetings and participate in the decision making process. In Presbyterian . . . Continue reading →
Trinitarian Orthodoxy Accounts For The Fullness Of The Biblical Revelation
When the fullness of God’s self-revelation in Scripture is not taken into account, heresy is the result. Those who emphasize the oneness of God to the neglect of what Scripture teaches regarding the deity of the three persons fall into errors such . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: What’s Up Down Under?
For Americans, where the Reformed theology, piety, and practice is a fraction of the number of Christians, it is easy to overlook the presence of the Reformed faith in other parts of the world. There are Reformed Christians and churches across the . . . Continue reading →