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Top Ten Posts Of 2021: Happy New Year From the Heidelblog
Author Archives: R. Scott Clark
An Illuminating Analysis Of The PCA GA Vote On Overtures 23 And 37
PCA Ruling Elder Brad Isbell, co-host of the Presbycast podcast has published a brief but illuminating analysis of the vote, at the 2021 PCA General Assembly, on overtures 23 and 37. Continue reading
How Corrupt Is The Mainline?
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is one of the so-called seven sisters of the mainline. These denominations think of themselves as being the Ivy Leagues of the Protestant churches Continue reading
The Next Church-Growth Fad: Big Data
One of the several quiet revolutions introduced into American life by the two Obama Administrations was the use of “Big Data” to target voters. To that point no campaign had harnessed the power of the internet the way the Obama campaign had. . . . Continue reading →
Podcast, Video
After The Presents: Some Excellent Podcasts
First, there is a new podcast in the Presbycast network of podcasts: Presbygirls. It features Sarah Morris, member of Westminster PCA, Roanoke, VA and the author of an excellent essay at Ref21, “Brothers, We Are Presbyterian Are We Not?” and Zoe Schimke, . . . Continue reading →
The St Nicholas Of History (Sort Of)
After the recent Heidelcast episode on Christmas and Santa Claus, Brad Isbell reported that his better half asked something to the effect of, “but what about the real St Nicholas?” This is a great question and one that I have intended to . . . Continue reading →
W. Robert Godrey: “What’s Going on Right Now: Sex, Race, Politics, & Power” (8)
This is the eighth session of Bob Godfrey’s Adult Sunday School series at the Escondido URC. In this session he discusses the dramatic changes in American culture in the last few years wherein America has abandoned Christendom, a way of looking at . . . Continue reading →
Johnson To The PCA: “Merry Christmas. Here Is A Lump Of Coal For Your Stocking”
For several years now, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has been roiled by controversy over whether to admit to her ministry men who are same-sex attracted but celibate (i.e., the so-called “Side B” approach). The debate has centered around a the . . . Continue reading →
Good News For The Reformed Churches: Small Is In Again
“According to the recently released Faith Communities Today study, half of the congregations in the United States have 65 people or fewer, while two-thirds of congregations have fewer than 100.” Continue reading →
Five Reasons We Do Not Need Ken’s Doxology
In a recent essay I mentioned in passing that we do not need Bishop Ken’s seventeenth-century substitute (i.e., “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…”) for the Psalms since there are five doxologies inspired by the Holy Spirit and included in the Psalter . . . Continue reading →
Big Bird And Despair In The Big Apple
In October, 1982, Will Lee, who played the beloved “Mr Hooper” character on Sesame Street, died. In November, 1983 the show had to address his absence and explain it to their young views. The show was aimed at 3–4 year olds. Here is how they did it: Continue reading →
What’s Going on Right Now: Sex, Race, Politics, & Power with W Robert Godfrey (7)
This is the seventh session of Bob Godfrey’s Adult Sunday School series at the Escondido URC. In this session he explores the challenges faced by Christendom due to the Enlightenment and how it took shape in America. He argues that Christianity as . . . Continue reading →
Article
Was The Rise And Fall Of Mars Hill Podcast Series A Mistake?
This is the argument of Jason Estopinal. He appeals to Proverbs 10:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:11; Philippians 4:8, Proverbs 3:30, and Matthew 18 and concludes that Christians should not be fascinated by what one critic has called the “failure porn” of the Christianity Today podcast . . . Continue reading →
Keith Getty’s Critique Of Contemporary Worship Music Is A Step In The Right Direction
In 2008, Mike Horton called attention to the phenomenon of a radically subjective turn in American evangelicalism, in Christless Christianity. Unfortunately, a single book diagnosing the deep sickness of American evangelical Christianity was not enough to turn the tide. In that volume . . . Continue reading →
What’s Going on Right Now: Sex, Race, Politics, & Power with Dr. W Robert Godfrey (6)
In the sixth session of Bob Godfrey’s Sunday school class at the Escondido URC, he traces the effects of the Enlightenment upon the West. Drawing upon Carl Becker’s work he highlights four key tenets of the movement: (1) that man is not natively . . . Continue reading →
Straight Talk About Homophobia
In just a few short years the noun Homophobia has become one of the most powerful words in the English language. It has an interesting, if brief, history. It was derived from the combination of two Greek loan words brought into English, . . . Continue reading →
Theological Liberalism And Drag Queens In The Church
How Did Methodists Get From Wesley To Drag Queens?
Indiana United Methodist minister Craig Duke donned a big pink wig, lots of purple eye shadow, bright red lipstick, and high heels while appearing on a recent HBO episode of “We’re Here.” The series features HBO drag queen hosts visiting small towns to recruit local drag queens to perform. Continue reading →
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The Church’s Own Cancel Culture
We live in a day when those things that stand in the way of the prevailing narrative of the culture are canceled, banished out of existence as we once knew them. As much as we are rightly worried about cancel culture in . . . Continue reading →
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Shrier: One Need Not Be A Troll To Find Oneself At The Center Of Controversy. One Need Only Refuse To Submit To The Mob
I began writing a few op-eds for our local Jewish paper, one of which was spotted by a Wall Street Journal editor, who invited me to submit to the Wall Street Journal. I did, and in the course of that year, published . . . Continue reading →
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What Should PCA Confessionalists Do?
It is no secret that the Presbyterian Church in America is in turmoil. No one denies the existence of conflict and consternation. Though some consider the strife to be unjustified, even they do not believe the strife will soon cease or be . . . Continue reading →