XIX. The following things must belong to fundamental articles: (1) that they be catholic, for the things necessary for the salvation of everyone are required for a universal faith (according to the Athanasian Creed “whoever wishes to be saved must above all . . . Continue reading →
Author Archives: R. Scott Clark
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Guerrilla, Gorilla, And The Idiot Greek Chorus
In 2006 ago the film Idiocracy was released. I have only seen portions. I am not a great fan of the comedy of errors. It is difficult for me to watch Seinfeld because of the George Costanza character. Jason Alexander did a . . . Continue reading →
The Myth Of The Isolated Scholar
There is a myth about academic life that it is a solitary endeavor. Imagine lonely, stoic figures plodding single-file into a library to sit for hours, hidden behind walled study carrels, isolated and free from social distractions, a hushed silence strictly observed. . . . Continue reading →
Between The Anabaptists And The Romanists: Calvin Defended Infant Baptism Sola Scriptura
I do not, however, concede to [Rome] that Paedobaptism had its origin the Tradition of the Church. It certainly appears to be founded on the institution of God, and to have derived its origin from circumcision. It would have little foundation if . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Death In Adam, Life In Christ
On social media it has become common for evangelical Christians to identify themselves as “imputationalist.” This is interesting because the doctrine of imputation, the teaching that our sins of believers are reckoned to Christ and his righteousness is credited to believers, was . . . Continue reading →
“Intersectionality:” The New Secularist Religious Orthodoxy?
“Intersectionality” is the latest academic craze sweeping the American academy. On the surface, it’s a recent neo-Marxist theory that argues that social oppression does not simply apply to single categories of identity — such as race, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc. — . . . Continue reading →
Boy Scouts 1948 Versus Boy Scouts 2017
One of the books I loved most as a boy was my uncle’s copy of the Boy Scout, Handbook for Boys (1948). I loved it because it connected me with my Dad, to my uncle (a lifeguard and a marine), and to . . . Continue reading →
With The Reformed Pubcast On Lent And Sola Scriptura
According to the western church calendar this is the Lenten season (the 40 days from “Shrove Tuesday” to Easter) and it is being more widely observed within NAPARC. This is worth noting since, historically, most Reformed churches have not observed Lent and have . . . Continue reading →
With The Regular Reformed Guys On QIRC And QIRE
Long ago, in a galaxy far away, Recovering the Reformed Confession was published and there I argued that confessional Reformed theology, piety, and practice has two competitors, unwelcome guests, if you will: the Quest for Illegitimate Religious Certainty (QIRC) and the Quest . . . Continue reading →
The Definition Of Incoherence
Does The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed Require Baptismal Regeneration?
HB reader Mike asks whether this language requires Reformed believers to confess that baptism necessarily regenerates, i.e., is new life necessarily conferred at the moment of administration. It is widely claimed that “the ancient church taught baptismal regeneration.” In this context “regeneration” . . . Continue reading →
Are You With Zwickau Or Wittenberg?
Late in 1521, Karlstadt and Zwilling started to drive the Wittenberg reformation in a radical direction. Stirring up iconoclasm and riots, Karlstadt took to walking around Wittenberg dressed as a peasant and officiating at mass in a plain robe. Then three individuals . . . Continue reading →
A New Reformed Podcast: Jerusalem Chamber
Shawn Anderson, Kyle Borg, Nathan Eshelman, and Joel Wood are Reformed ministers in the RPCNA. They have a new podcast, The Jerusalem Chamber. The name is a reference to the room in which much of the work was done to draft the . . . Continue reading →
Sola Scriptura Protects Christian Liberty
In April 1521, when Martin Luther stood before the powers of this world at the Diet of Worms, he did so on the basis of the sole, unique, and final authority of God’s Word. Luther confessed that his conscience was bound by . . . Continue reading →
The Reformed Defense Of Christian Liberty In 1530
When, therefore, we saw very evidently that the chief men in the Church beyond the authority of Scripture assumed this authority so to enjoin fasts as to bind men’s consciences, we allowed consciences to be freed from these snares, but by the . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: What’s In A Name? Julius Kim On Sola Fide
This is season 8 of Office Hours and we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In confessional Protestant circles we use some short hand Latin phrases that we might not all understand, even though we use them frequently. Sola fide . . . Continue reading →
The Reformed Reject Lent In Basle In 1534
Article XI Concerning Things Commanded and Not Commanded Of self law (Autonomia) or power in the conscience, Relinquished to Christ alone in the church We confess that no one ought to command in any manner that which Christ has not commanded; also, . . . Continue reading →
The Westminster Divines On Holy Days
THERE is no day commanded in scripture to be kept holy under the gospel but the Lord’s day, which is the Christian Sabbath. Festival days, vulgarly called Holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued. Nevertheless, . . . Continue reading →
The Disciples Confessed Christ’s Resurrection Because It Was Objectively True
…The belief of the disciples in the resurrection, according to the New Testament, was due simply to the fact of the resurrection. Those disciples came to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead for the simple reason that Jesus had risen . . . Continue reading →