Romans is one of the greatest resources available to the Christian faith and life. Written in the mid-to late AD 50s to the congregation in Rome, Paul sent this pastoral letter to make clear the gospel, that salvation is from the Lord, . . . Continue reading →
One of the more persistent charges leveled against Jesus is that he associated with the wrong sort of people. One of the best examples of the tension between the way Jesus understands the Kingdom of God and the way that his critics . . . Continue reading →
Defamation is the destruction or attempted destruction of the reputation, status, character or standing in the community of a person or group of persons by unfair, wrongful, or malicious speech or publication. For the purposes of this essay, the central element is . . . Continue reading →
By the early 17th century, at the Synod of Dort in 1618–19, when the Reformed churches sent delegates from the British Isles, the German Palatinate, and the Dutch provinces to consider and respond to the challenges to Reformed theology, piety, and practice . . . Continue reading →
The first job of the HB is to call attention to the Heidelberg Catechism, an outstanding Reformed catechism published in 1563 in the Palatinate, the capital of which was Heidelberg. Composed of 129 questions and answers about the Christian faith beginning with . . . Continue reading →
If you are a Millennial, relax. This is not another critique. I do spend a fair bit of time with Millennials, however, and I have observed some interesting trends. One of these observations was reinforced recently in an article by Thomas Curran . . . Continue reading →
I am over fifty. I no longer care what anyone except my wife thinks about me. That particularly applies to anyone under the age of thirty-five. You should therefore feel free to disagree with me on anything I say because it is . . . Continue reading →
One important way to connect children to the past is through family pictures. Our house is a little old-fashioned and we have family photos in our hall way and living room that go back to the late 19th century. Church history is . . . Continue reading →
What call you the Judicial Law? That wherein God appointed a Form of Politic and Civil Government of the Common-wealth of the Jews: Which therefore is ceased with the Dissolution of that State, for which it was ordained; saving only in the . . . Continue reading →
This is part 2 of our series on Romans. for Abounding Grace Radio. Romans is one of the greatest resources available to the Christian faith and life. Written in the mid-to late AD 50s to the congregation in Rome, Paul sent this . . . Continue reading →
In its narrow, strict sense theonomy is the belief in the “abiding validity” of the judicial laws of the old (Mosaic) covenant “in exhaustive detail.” It is, as W. Robert Godfrey writes, an appealing movement, which is strongly supported by their Postmillennial . . . Continue reading →
We live now in a “victim culture.” The best example of this is so-called “intersectionality.” This is a reference to the different ways in which one has been victimized. They intersect in the victim. It is like a game, the one with the great number of claims to victim status wins. Heather MacDonald explains: “‘Intersectionality’ refers to the increased oppression allegedly experienced by individuals who can check off several categories of victimhood—being female, black, and trans, say.” Continue reading →
XVI. That God is to be worshipped according to His own will, and that only in and through Jesus Christ. A New Confession of Faith (1654) in James T. Dennison Jr., ed., Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English . . . Continue reading →
Thanks to the generosity of Crawford Gribben (who organized the project and did the thankless work of herding cats), we have a copy of On Being Reformed: Debates Over A Theological Identity to give away. Be the first person to call the . . . Continue reading →
Henry Ford (1863–1947), founder of the Ford Motor Company, famously said, “History is bunk.” That may be sometimes true. Historians do make mistakes. This is why all histories must be read with a critical eye. Not all theories of history are equally . . . Continue reading →
And in the first place, as relates to the administration or performance of the sacraments, these are observed with Christian and fitting reverence in the churches of this land as they were instituted and ordained by Christ and were used by the . . . Continue reading →
Because the followers of Arminius have been (mostly) ecclesiastically separated from the Reformed churches for centuries it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the Arminian crisis occurred originally within the doors of the Reformed church. Despite the grave reservations about his theology and teaching expressed by Plancius and other ministers in his Classis (Presbytery), and by his colleagues Gomarus and Trelcatius Jr, Arminius was and remained a minister in good standing in the Reformed church (Hervormde Kerk) in the Netherlands. In a way, that he conducted his minister and died within the church intensified the problem because, in the absence of any unequivocal ecclesiastical pronouncement, that fact made it possible for his apologists to say (as apologists for the Federal Vision to say today about some of their theologians, e.g., Norman Shepherd) that “he is a minister in good standing.” Continue reading →
With this episode/broadcast Chris Gordon and I begin a series in the book of Romans for Abounding Grace Radio. Romans is one of the greatest resources available to the Christian faith and life. Written in the mid-to late AD 50s to the . . . Continue reading →
An academic doctorate, a PhD or its equivalent is an earned degree granted in recognition of the completion of coursework capped off with an original piece of research which meets academic standards and is judged to make a contribution to a field of learning. Typically, in the USA (and elsewhere) it takes about 5 years of full-time study and research to earn a PhD. Along the way a PhD candidate earns at least one MA and (usually) passes some sort of comprehensive examination before beginning the dissertation (or thesis) phase of their program. Continue reading →
In the English Standard Version Acts 16:25 says “[a]bout midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them…”. Several other translations (e.g., NASB, NIV, TEV, ASV, RSV, NLT, NKJV, HCSB) follow this or . . . Continue reading →