To repeat my point, Owen could have had any number of authors in mind when he offered this extended critique, but it has to be said that Richard Baxter fitted the bill pretty well. In his first publication, the Aphorismes of Justification, published . . . Continue reading →
Christian Life
Why Carl Trueman Is Not A Roman Catholic
Speaking at the Leonine Forum in D.C. recently, I was asked a friendly but pointed question: “Why are you not a Catholic?” The questioner noted that in my talk I had expressed a love for the early Church Fathers, admiration for Thomas . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Ordinary Means Ordinary (7): Strategic, Authentic, and Confessional
Dr Clark continues the series “Ordinary Means Ordinary” Continue reading →
The HR Department, “Sclerotic Bureaucracies,” And Self-Censorship
Thanks in large part to the way judges have interpreted employment-discrimination statutes, a pervasive “human resources” industry long ago attached itself to nearly every aspect of American life outside the home. It enlists us all in its elaborate game of litigation-avoidance, demanding . . . Continue reading →
The Big Porn Lie
Easy Peasy helpfully describes how pornography deceives us. Pornography gives the illusion of help and benefit through the release of dopamine as someone searches for pornography. Notice I said “searches,” not “looks at.” The author distinguishes the experience of the hunt as more intoxicating than . . . Continue reading →
Trueman On Welby And Old Boy Networks
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, resigned on Tuesday after an investigation found he’d mishandled the John Smyth abuse scandal. The resignation is a shock but, for those aware of the story, not a surprise. One of the vices I developed as a . . . Continue reading →
On Calvin And Biblicism
Nearly half a century after R. T. Kendall published “Calvin and English Calvinism to 1649,” the debate of “Calvin versus the Calvinists” rages on. Kendall’s was not the first attempt at pointing out supposed discontinuity between Calvin and his successors, of course. . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Ordinary Means Ordinary (6): The Five Points of a Calvinist
Dr Clark continues the series “Ordinary Means Ordinary” Continue reading →
The Limits Of Patriotism
In my first church out of seminary, I preached a sermon in which I mentioned specific atrocities of the 20th century as illustrations of human sinfulness. After the service a man came up to me livid that I had singled out Nazi . . . Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Seventh Fruit—Faithfulness (Part 1)
We live in a culture of non-commitment. People get new jobs and then quit them a few months later. They start classes at a university, then drop out after a few weeks. If someone has an issue with their friend, they bail . . . Continue reading →
Ferguson On Celebrating Christmas
It’s often said that Christmas is actually a pagan holiday based on the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. But that is a bit like saying that Reformation Sunday is a pagan celebration because it coincides with Halloween. Some churches started holding a Reformation . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Ordinary Means Ordinary (5): The Killer “B”s
Dr Clark continues the series “Ordinary Means Ordinary” Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Ordinary Means Ordinary (4): The American Evangelical Fall From the Means of Grace (Part 3)
Dr Clark continues the series “Ordinary Means Ordinary” Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Ordinary Means Ordinary (3): The American Evangelical Fall From the Means of Grace (Part 2)
Dr Clark continues the series “Ordinary Means Ordinary” Continue reading →
Trueman On Where Reformation Christians Go From Here
One thing remains true about twenty-first-century America, regardless of recent election results: the USA is a post-Christian culture and that is not going to change in the near future. Indeed, all the signs are that it will only become less sympathetic to . . . Continue reading →
Love Bombing Is Not Love
Abusers are master manipulators. They know how to manipulate people and situations in such a way that they appear innocent. In fact, they can even turn the tables on their victims and make it appear as if they’re the ones who’ve been . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Ordinary Means Ordinary (2): The American Evangelical Fall From the Means of Grace
Dr Clark continues the series “Ordinary Means Ordinary” Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Ordinary Means Ordinary (1): What is Ordinary Means Ministry?
Dr Clark begins the series “Ordinary Means Ordinary” Continue reading →
Packer On Group Bible Studies
In group Bible studies generally, participants are led to look directly for personal devotional applications without first contemplating the writers’ points about the greatness, goals, methods, and mystery of God. In putting together Christian books and magazines for popular reading and in . . . Continue reading →
The Fruit Of The Spirit: The Sixth Fruit—Goodness
I’m good! It’s all good. You good? He makes good money at his job. Mike Trout and Aaron Judge are good baseball players. Your friend is a good person. As we all know, the word good has different meanings depending on the . . . Continue reading →