The final aspect of Augustine’s hermeneutic that we will observe is this: Augustine believed biblical texts could have more than one meaning or interpretation. Scripture, for Augustine, was not a one-dimensional black-and-white text filled with brute facts of history and bare propositions.1 . . . Continue reading →
“Thou has pierced my heart with Thy Word, and I have loved Thee.”1 In the last article, we examined Augustine’s vigorous Christ-centered interpretation of Scripture. Another significant aspect of his biblical interpretation is love. For Augustine, the proper interpretation of Scripture leads . . . Continue reading →
We live in a time where it is thought that strength must be shown for it to be “strength.” Arguing online is the norm. Brash politicians are lauded. The bolder the talking head, the better. For men to be men they must . . . Continue reading →
Most of us know that we should pray more often. We do not need a book to tell us this. We only need to consider our own daily prayers to see our failures. If we already know this, then why bother reading . . . Continue reading →
“Like fingernails on a chalkboard.” Sometimes that phrase captures my response to a bizarre interpretation of Scripture. For example, I recently read a modern commentary on the story in Mark’s Gospel, where Jesus heals a man with leprosy: “Jesus stretched out his . . . Continue reading →
“Of all things that human beings do,” Mortimer Adler once observed, “conversing with one another is the most characteristically human.” Unfortunately, in our day, we no longer have many opportunities for meaningful conversations. Virtual conversations abound—we watch talking heads on television or . . . Continue reading →
It is true, however, that Luther did not normally conceive of the Christian’s social responsibility as transforming the existing structures of society. While persons can be transformed by the gospel in the kingdom of God, institutions can only be reformed by the . . . Continue reading →
William Ames (1576-1633) plays several crucial roles in the transmission and development of Reformed Orthodoxy. As a student of William Perkins, he carried forward Perkins’ strong Reformed theology. At the same time, Ames ministered among leading theologians in the Netherlands, combining both . . . Continue reading →
Yet that is exactly what Cardinal Walter Kasper would make of him (the original article is now only available to Times subscribers). There were a lot of moral Reformers before, during, and after the Reformation. Luther was not one of them. The . . . Continue reading →
During his first few years in England, Edmund Burke compiled essay sketches and fragments in a notebook published only in the mid-twentieth century. One of the entries in that notebook, possibly co-written with his distant cousin William Burke, is entitled “Religion of No Efficacy . . . Continue reading →
I do not write this out of any concern that gambling is necessarily a widespread practice among Christians, though I would not be surprised to find it so, since “Do not be conformed to this age” does not appear to be energetically pursued today. I write, instead, because I am surprised at the virtual silence on the question of the propriety of gambling among professing Christians. Continue reading →
Always reforming, applied to the church, doesn’t mean ever broadening, keeping every innovation, or eventually enshrining every little long-allowed deviation into law—it must also include un-changing and tightening up some things. Pope Precedent the Last is not a presbyterian. Nor is he . . . Continue reading →
It is the Monday after Easter Sunday, the most important day in the church calendar. For many, it is a time of great busyness as the typical practice is set aside in favor of flowers, choirs, and more. Big family brunches, lunches, . . . Continue reading →
Reformed Christians have at their disposal great resources to recover a richer and deeper piety of self-denial. In his exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, the English Reformed writer William Perkins devoted fifteen pages to discussing Matthew 5:16, “when you fast,” . . . Continue reading →
We began discussing the heresy of Kinism and its confusion between nature and grace in Part One of this article. The Kinists claim that people naturally congregate in ethnic/racial people groups, and they seek to use their analysis of nature to leverage . . . Continue reading →
The Covid crisis and lockdowns did a lot of damage physically, spiritually, and emotionally. One effect of the lockdowns is that it has given credibility to some who opposed the lockdowns. Christians who would have never countenanced the errors of theonomy, Christian Reconstructionism, or postmillennialism are . . . Continue reading →
According to numerous polls, many children of believers in Europe and North America are leaving the church once they reach young adulthood. Older Christians do not need polls to tell them this. It is evident in the pews. When we think about . . . Continue reading →
A second complication has to do with the desires of the heart. Our desires are not like computer chips that emerge from a sterilized environment. They arise from a cauldron of mixed motives and longings. Our desires (or the “affections” as the . . . Continue reading →
We tend toward being very pragmatic. We want to walk out of Bible study with a to-do list and may assume that the cosmic struggle represented in Revelation doesn’t lend itself to practical application. But that simply isn’t so. Revelation presents a . . . Continue reading →
An old friend wrote recently to ask whether it is appropriate for a confessional Presbyterian and Reformed (P&R) pastor or congregation to participate in an ecumenical service. In Part One of this series, we discussed our terms. Now we continue the question: should . . . Continue reading →