Heidelcast listener Wes, who describes himself as a “newcomer to the Reformed faith,” writes to ask for recommendations to build a “firm foundation in Reformed theology.” Here are some preliminary recommendations. You are welcome to add your recommendations in the comments. To . . . Continue reading →
Throughout these notes on 1 Peter I have considered how the suffering of the Christians in Rome might have affects the way the Christians in Asia Minor looked at their Christian faith and life. Martyrdom was not a mere theory. It happened under Nero about the time that Peter wrote his epistles. If the ancient tradition of the church is correct (Luther accepted and Calvin did not), that Peter wrote from Rome, then “Babylon” in v. 13 is figurative. This seems most likely. Placing him in Rome hardly makes him a pope. The evidence for any papal office or authority—or even a monepiscopacy!—in Rome is completely lacking in the 1st century and there is no notion of a papacy in the 2nd century. In the 2nd century the word επσκοπος (episcopos; bishop) means something rather more like “senior pastor” than “regional manager.” Peter is no more permanently “the rock” (Matt 16:18) than he is “anti-Christ” (Matt 16:23). When he confessed Christ, he was the rock. When he denied Christ, he was anti-Christ. Most likely, according to the tradition of the church, Mark was with Peter in Rome and it was to that context that he wrote his gospel, as a summary of the Apostle’s teaching and ministry there. Continue reading →
The law is the Word in which God teaches and tells us what we are to do and not to do, as in the Ten commandments. …The other word of God is not Law or commandment, nor does it require anything of . . . Continue reading →
This difference between the Law and the Gospel is the height of knowledge in Christendom. Every person and all persons who assume or glory in the name of Christian should know and be able to state this difference. If this ability is . . . Continue reading →
In 1995, when I began as college teacher, I inherited a course in basic theology from Dennis Okholm. He very graciously helped a nervous, not-ready-for-primetime college prof (still finishing my DPhil thesis) by giving me his syllabus. One of the assignments on . . . Continue reading →
Chick Tracts ironically turn grace into the same kind of superstitious incantation that they passionately decry. —Samuel D. James
The Heidelphone is back. Call the Heidelcast any time at (760) 618–1563. Leave a message and we may use it in a future broadcast. We’re working on episode 14 of the series, I Will Be A God To And To Your Children . . . Continue reading →
It was a pleasure to spend this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Reformation weekend) with the brothers and sisters of Grace Presbyterian (PCA), Sierra Vista, AZ. Nestled amidst the hills, the town is about an hour southeast of Tucson. The weather was . . . Continue reading →
If you were a Roman Christian, whom would you prefer for your emperor? Caligula was murdered on January 24, 41 AD. Claudius died in 54 AD, probably from poisonous mushrooms. Nero “ruled” from 54 to 68 AD, when in the midst of . . . Continue reading →
The prayers had been offered, the promises read, and the psalm sung. Two princes stepped forward to receive Communion, but the deacon refused to give them the cup. The superintendent of the city’s pastors ordered a second minister present to take the . . . Continue reading →
Today, I hear Jen’s words—words meant to encourage, not discourage, to build up, not tear down, to defend the marginalized, not broker unearned power—and a thin trickle of sweat creeps down my back. If I were still in the thick of the . . . Continue reading →
This is season 8 of Office Hours and we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. This is part 2 of a three-part introduction to the Reformation. In part 1 we looked briefly at the background to the Reformation in the . . . Continue reading →
Let us now see what is meant by the due worship of God. Its chief foundation is to acknowledge Him to be, as He is, the only source of all virtue, justice, holiness, wisdom, truth, power, goodness, mercy, life, and salvation; in . . . Continue reading →
Lex Lutheran and Calvinist Coulson (it’s a Twitter thing) were gracious to invite me to talk about the Reformation. Continue reading →
By the time I was hired at the local Contemporary Christian radio station (KBHL “New Life 95”) in 1980, the format had become what was then called “MOR” (middle of the road). Sometime after I got there, however, we started running a . . . Continue reading →
A correspondent writes to the HB to ask, in effect, if confessions are not infallible, what good are they? He asks, Westminster Confession 31:4 seems to be problematic, since it says all synods…have erred or may err, and thus are not to . . . Continue reading →
William Miller (1782–1849), a lay Bible student (later a Baptist preacher), predicted that Christ would return to earth some time between 21 March 1843 and 21 March 1844. One of Miller’s followers postponed the date to 22 October 1844. When Christ did . . . Continue reading →
The hit TV show Seinfeld has been called a show about nothing. One of the most pernicious falsehoods about the Bible is that it, too, is a book about nothing, that it is a random collection of ancient myths and moral aphorisms. . . . Continue reading →
What I find in my mailbox at work is rarely delightful but I was delighted to get the mail today. The good folks at Crown and Covenant sent me a copy of their Mini Psalter 2.0. It’s personalized. It’s well bound. Best . . . Continue reading →