Thanks to Brandon for highlighting this passage in Berkhof (under the Doctrine of God). There’s an entire chapter on this topic in RRC.
Author Archives: R. Scott Clark
Office Hours: The Class of 2010
UPDATE 3 June 2010 A few listeners have reported problems listening to Office Hours in Google Chrome (the browser). If you’re using Chrome and having difficulty hearing the program (or hearing all of it) try using Safari or Firefox. The best thing . . . Continue reading →
Godfrey: Real Calvinism is A Head and Heart Religion
“Strong on doctrine and scholarship, but weak on life, evangelism and passion.” Too frequently this is the popular image of Calvinism. Contemporary Calvinists may sometimes be responsible for perpetuating this image. In their eagerness for theological precision some Calvinists seem to want . . . Continue reading →
(Updated) Which Church History Survey Should I Read? (UPDATED)
I get this question frequently but the question usually rests on a premise I don’t share and so I don’t give the answer that most of my correspondents are expecting. The question usually assumes that there are a few good surveys of . . . Continue reading →
Horton Reviews N. T. Wright's After You Believe
In Christianity Today. Is Wright correct when he asserts “Basically, the whole idea of virtue has been radically out of fashion in much of Western Christianity ever since the sixteenth-century Reformation”? Could anyone read any of the Reformed literature from the 1530s . . . Continue reading →
The Priority of Justification in Calvin's Doctrine of Union with Christ
“Integral to John Calvin’s soteriology was his concept of the “double grace” gifted to all believers through their “partaking” in Christ. This double grace consisted both of justification and sanctification.[4] What is abundantly clear in Calvin’s scheme is that these gifts are . . . Continue reading →
A Reformed Appropriation and Adaptation of Aristotle in Mid-16th Century
Paul Helm surveys Peter Martyr Vermigli’s commentary on Aristotle.
The False "Gospel" of Technology
Mike Pohlman gets it right.
A Westminster Divine on the Threefold Distinction in the Law
“First, concerning the law of God, you know there are some of them: 1. Ceremonial, which consisted in Rights, and Ordinances, and Shadows, typifying Jesus Christ in his sufferings, unto which there was a full period put by the death of Christ. . . . Continue reading →
It's Not Misunderstanding, It's Disagreement
It is a common refrain of Federal Visionists that the orthodox, confessional Reformed ministers and churches who’ve read the FV books, articles, web pages, and blogs, just don’t understand the FV. Once more Wes White shows that just isn’t the case.
Witsius is Back!
Herman Witsius (1636–1708) was a faithful and godly Dutch Reformed pastor who also taught at Franeker, Utrecht, and Leiden. The traditional story about Witsius is that te sought to mediate between G. Voetius’ (1589–1676) concerns about piety and orthodoxy with the more . . . Continue reading →
What is the Power of the Christian Life?
For Christians who believe God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures and who confess the Reformed faith there can be no question whether we ought to live the Christian life. The question is, however, how do we live the Christian life? From where do . . . Continue reading →
It’s Commencement Week 2010 at Westminster Seminary California
The last week of the Spring semester is always chock full of activity at WSC. It’s the last week of final exams. It’s also the week we hold the annual MA (Historical Theology) Thesis Defense, board meetings, and, of course, commencement exercises.
The Origins of the Dialogical Principle
Brandon has a nice passage from J.—D. Benoit.
The Problem with Churches and "Social Justice"
Darryl explains.
Exegeting the Culture or Teaching the Faith?
Someone will object, “But why can’t we do both?” Fair question but my growing impression is that those who talk most about “exegeting the culture” seem to spend more time doing that than teaching the faith. This has been an issue with . . . Continue reading →
John Knox is at 7500 RPM
As he spins in his grave. Why? The Church of Scotland has adopted a “joint liturgy for the re-affirmation of baptismal vows” with the Roman Catholic Church. Craig Brown, writing in The Scotsman reports, “As a result, Scotland has the first Protestant . . . Continue reading →
Eamon Duffy on the Origins of the Papacy
Eamon Duffy is Professor of the History of Christianity, and Fellow and Director of Studies, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge. He is author of several significant works of church history including The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England 1400–1570 (New . . . Continue reading →
Idols of the Heartland? The Megachurch Background of American Idol
The LA Times has a story chronicling an interesting connection between some evangelical megachurches and contestants on American Idol (HT: Bill J.).
Calvin Makes the Huffington Post
Because of their size and the economy of scale there are two states that largely determine what will be in public school textbooks: Texas and California. For some time now the adoption of standards for textbooks has been highly political and thus . . . Continue reading →