Right at its beginning the Gospel of Mark characterizes the gospel as a message of good news about the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). According to Scripture, Jesus’ gospel maybe summarized this way: “The time is fulfilled and the and the Kingdom . . . Continue reading →
Secular institutions and even extra-ecclesiastical Christian institutions have always been, in their essence, law. The civil magistrate may exercise mercy—Calvin’s first published work was a commentary on Seneca’s De Clementia (On Clemency), Seneca’s defense of the virtue of mercy to Nero. When . . . Continue reading →
For a long time I have been thinking about and planning to do something which I, with God’s assistance, I am now undertaking because I do not think it should be postponed: with a kind of judicial severity I am reviewing my . . . Continue reading →
Take away, indeed, from the heretics the wisdom which they share with the heathen, and let them support their inquiries from the Scriptures alone: they will then be unable to keep their ground. Tertullian, De res. 3. On the Resurrection of the . . . Continue reading →
Since this is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses (October 31, 1517) this has been understandably designated the “Luther Year.” There were, however, other figures in the Reformation, who made their own contribution. Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli (1484–1531) is among . . . Continue reading →
Works will come into consideration as a manifestation of genuine saving faith. Work in the scriptural sense also means not just an external display but the expression of one’s life that flows out of the depth of the heart…. Scripture also speaks . . . Continue reading →
British comedian Stephen Fry is in a bit of trouble in Ireland because of his answer to a question about what he would say to God at the gates of heaven. He replied, “How dare you create a world in which there . . . Continue reading →
This does not happen by the physical water but by the sprinkling of the precious blood of the Son of God, who is our Red Sea, through which we must pass to escape the tyranny of Pharaoh, who is the devil, and . . . Continue reading →
Walter Sobchak is a memorable character in the brilliant Coen Brothers’ film, The Big Lebowski. For all that he is not (e.g., careful about his use of certain a Anglo-Saxon profanity), Walter is faithful to his commitment to Shabbos (the Yiddish term . . . Continue reading →
This claim is actually a come-down from the 1988 claim on the cover of Newsweek that all scientists agree. In either case, the claim is meant to satisfy the non-expert that he or she has no need to understand the science. Mere . . . Continue reading →
To the fourth we answer, that your conclusion of that which Jerome and Vincentius say, that the Devil and heretics use of the Scriptures is childish. And unless you will conclude that all those that use the Scriptures are heretics, it is . . . Continue reading →
This is season 8 of Office Hours and we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In confessional Protestant circles we use some shorthand Latin phrases that all might not understand, even though we use them frequently. Sola scriptura, according to . . . Continue reading →
For the better part of the last decade I have been hearing and reading the expression, “I do not like that conversation” or “I do not like that discussion.” If, in this context, the nouns discussion and conversation mean “the exchange of . . . Continue reading →
It was good to sit down this week with Adam and Jeremy on The Daily Brew discuss the importance of church history and confessions. We talked about ways to get started studying church history, some of my favorite biographies, the value of . . . Continue reading →
Using the authority of “scientific consensus” to stifle heterodox hypotheses and alternative fields of research: Science is never truly settled. Indeed, challenging seemingly incontrovertible facts and continually retesting long-accepted theories are crucial components of the scientific method. Examples of perceived truths overturned . . . Continue reading →
One frequently sees the sentiment “I am not religious, I am a Christian” or something like this. This notion manifests itself in a variety of ways. For example, over the last several years we have seen the gradual abandonment of traditional Christian . . . Continue reading →
In his second disputation with Balthasar Hubmair, in 1523, Huldrych Zwingli well articulated the formal principle of the Reformation: “For in all controversies concerning faith and religion, the divine Scripture alone ought to be our measure and rule rather than oral tradition.” . . . Continue reading →
From a scientific perspective, let me clarify what ‘transgendered’ actually means. I am speaking now about the scientific perspective and not any political lobbying position that may be proposed by any group, medical or non-medical. ‘Transgendered’ are people who claim that they . . . Continue reading →