The classic Reformed theologians distinguished between three uses of the moral law (e.g., the Ten Commandments): 1) the pedagogical use, whereby sinners come to know the greatness of their sin and misery; 2) the civil use, whereby the moral law—traditionally both tables . . . Continue reading →
The expression “mainline church” is drawn from an old-money neighborhood in Philadelphia known as “the main line.” The mainline churches were what are sometimes called the “tall steeple” church along the mainline. Scholars of American Christianity sometimes speak of the “Seven Sisters . . . Continue reading →
It has been said,”the gospel says that you are more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe and you are more accepted and loved that you ever dared hope.” Continue reading
If you are struggling with an unplanned pregnancy or if you know someone who is, here are links to agencies that can help. They will not judge you but they will help you. You aren’t alone. Option Line Care Net Find a . . . Continue reading →
The SCOTUS unanimously ruled today, in Shurtleff v. City of Boston, that the City of Boston’s decision to exclude the “Camp Constitution” organization from a public flagpole, available to other groups, violated the Constitution of the United States. As Justice Kavanaugh explained, “This . . . Continue reading →
s noted here previously, the mainline (liberal) PCUSA has adopted more than 120 positions on a bewildering variety of issues. The temptation to use the visible church to achieve one’s desired social goals is almost irresistible. Continue reading →
Carl Trueman made a big splash by speaking uncomfortable truths to seemingly intractable power in The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020). In Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution (Wheaton: Crossway, 2022), . . . Continue reading →
One of the more strange aspects of the debate over Greg Johnson’s advocacy of “Side-B” homosexuality, the so-called “Gay Christian” approach, is that it has mostly ignored Rosaria Butterfield’s analysis of the issue and her experience. As one HB commenter wrote this . . . Continue reading →
Jeffrey Walton reports that the membership Presbyterian Church (USA), the mainline liberal denomination, declined by 51, 584 in 2021. That is a loss of about 4%.
From its inception, the goal of the Classic Reformed Theology Series from Reformation Heritage Books (sponsor of the Heidelcast) has been to present, in English, primary source texts in Reformed theology. This new volume is the sixth in the series, which began . . . Continue reading →
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, consequently, on the one hand, I myself serve the law of God with my mind but, on the other, with the flesh I serve the law of sin.”—The Christian Testimony of the Apostle Paul. Continue reading →
Jesus did welcome and eat with sinners of various kinds. Some of them were gross sinners but he did not endorse their sin nor make them a “protected class.” He loved them and called them to faith and for all those whom the Father gave him he laid down his life. Continue reading →
Those who study these things (e.g., historians, sociologists) write of three “waves” of feminism. First-wave feminism accounts for the women’s suffrage movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Second-wave feminism is associated with the legalization of birth control (Griswold v . . . Continue reading →
Integralism and Protestant theocracy are twin movements of which our readers should be aware. The first is a Romanist movement. The second is a movement among a small but visible band Protestants who seek a similar outcome. Roman Integralism Romanist “integralists” like . . . Continue reading →
The following is preserved for historical purposes. The original post has been removed. This version is preserved at archive.org. MY EMAIL EXCHANGE WITH THE PASTOR WHO DEFENDS MY RAPIST Last September, I wrote this blog post in response to a resurgence of . . . Continue reading →
For many evangelicals and for some ostensibly Reformed folk it has been fashionable for the last several years to teach that we are justified now by grace alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide), on the basis of Christ’s righteousness imputed . . . Continue reading →
A few days ago I made an appeal to those who left their congregations over disagreements with church leadership about how the visible church responded to Covid. I asked for understanding and forgiveness. I also argued that, in most cases, those who . . . Continue reading →
For Christians who came of age during the heyday of Barthianism, the very words “natural theology” can send shudders down the spine. Barth himself went to war against natural law, natural revelation, and natural theology of all kinds. Modern Evangelicals have resonated . . . Continue reading →
The obvious effects of Covid are easy to spot. Not only have millions died, but also many have long-term illness from the virus, and an unknown number of people are suffering from the various treatments. There are small children who do not . . . Continue reading →
In 2009, at the PCA General Assembly, Ligon Duncan and Tim Keller each gave talks about the biblical, historical, and practical questions Continue reading