J. Gresham Machen was certainly prescient about the havoc theological liberalism would wreak on the mainline churches in the 20th century. He also saw the rise of fascism and ethnonationalism in the 1920s and 1930s. We would do well to consider those . . . Continue reading →
Christian Life
The Geography Of Sin
Researchers at Kansas State University created a map of the prevalence of the seven deadly sins (envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth, and wrath) across the USA through statistical analysis.1 I initially examined “wrath” simply because of the apparent (assuming the validity of . . . Continue reading →
Video: The Truth About Sexual Sin
Chris Gordon, Rev. Bill Boekestein, and Rev. Joel Dykstra discuss the Sexual Revolution’s explosive effect on society and the church, and pinpoint the one thing that didn’t happen that led to the end of Christendom. RESOURCES Resources On The Rule Of Worship . . . Continue reading →
Perkins On What Union With Christ Does And Does Not Mean
Believers are not one with Christ by transfusion of the properties and qualities of the Godhead or manhood unto us. It may be said, how then are they one with Him? I answer, by one and the same Spirit dwelling in Christ . . . Continue reading →
Five Christian Ideas That Promote Political Moderation: Part 2
We live in a time of political tensions and increasing polarization. In these days, when some around us through impatience or fear flirt with radical politics, Christians must keep their wits. In part 1 of this two-part series, I introduced the case . . . Continue reading →
Bavinck: Pope Gregory I Marked A Turning Point (And Not In A Good Way)
It was he who sanctioned the external legal religion of the Roman Catholic Church and conferred on medieval Catholicism its actual character. He is the capstone of the ancient world, the foundation stone of the new. Through his liturgical writings and his . . . Continue reading →
Perkins Explains What Baptism Does And Does Not Do
The third point is, how baptism confers grace? Answer. It confers grace because it is a means to give and exhibit to the believing mind Christ with His benefits, and this it does by His signification. For it serves as a particular . . . Continue reading →
Five Christian Ideas That Promote Political Moderation: Part 1
Many American Christians show an increasing affinity for radical politics. Many of these, dissatisfied with lawless excess and social decay, are more inclined to a politics of the far right, though not exclusively.1 Continue reading →
How We Got Here: The Roots Of The Current Controversy Over Justification
Presently there is open disagreement within Reformed and Presbyterian churches over the most basic elements of the doctrine of justification. Some are arguing (implicitly and explicitly) that the doctrine of justification contained in the Reformed confessions and catechisms (i.e., symbols) is either inadequate or incorrect. Continue reading →
We Are Free To Obey
One of the most important aspects of the Christian life I learned about in seminary has to do with our freedom in Christ to love and obey God. I’m always thankful to my professor R. Scott Clark for emphasizing the following point, and it’s . . . Continue reading →
Presbycast: Talking To Your Neighbors About Worship
Drs. R. Scott Clark and Harrison Perkins, and small-church ministers Aaron De Boer and Zach Byrd made up a geographically and denominationally diverse panel of earnest, pastoral, and learned men. Here is the episode audio in its native habitat. For future reference, . . . Continue reading →
URCNA Church Plant Meeting In Ft. Wayne, IN
We are excited to share that there is a new effort to start a confessionally Reformed congregation in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Reading through a directory of churches in this self-described “city of churches,” you will quickly see only one confessionally Reformed church. . . . Continue reading →
The Real Conspiracy: Behind The Scenes
Elijah was gone, taken directly to heaven (2 Kgs 2:1). The kingdom of Israel was a corrupt mess. Ahaziah had instructed his people to inquire of Baal-zebub, god of Ekron, to see if he would recover. This was a fatal decision (2 Kgs 1:2–4, 16). Continue reading →
William Perkins On Infant Baptism
Infants of believing parents are likewise to be baptized. The grounds of their baptism are these. First, the commandment of God, “Baptize all nations” (Matt. 28:19), in which words the baptism of infants is prescribed. For the apostles by virtue of this . . . Continue reading →
Why We Preach Christ Crucified
On the subject of preaching, the apostle Paul says the proof true preaching is that it centers on Christ crucified (1 Cor 1:23; 2:2). Interestingly, Paul is not merely content to say we must preach Christ, but that we must preach a . . . Continue reading →
Fifty Years Ago . . . The 1974 PCA GA
The Charismatic movement was a controversial issue for the day, even among reformed and Presbyterian churches. Much of the past century, with its cooperation with broad evangelicalism, left some churches unprepared to speak to this issue. The PCA, in its first major . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: We Receive Christ Through Word And Sacrament
Of our receiving of Christ given by God, two things must be observed. One is that we must there receive Christ where God offers and gives Him, that is, in the word and sacraments. The second is that faith is our hand . . . Continue reading →
Video: Confronting Sin
Chris Gordon and Daniel Borvan continue their conversation on Alistair Begg’s recent statements on attending a gay wedding. RESOURCES Resources On The Rule Of Worship Subscribe To The Heidelblog! The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions The . . . Continue reading →
Nunc Super Tunc
The title is Latin for “Now is superior to then.” It is a shorthand way of getting at an attitude that is widespread among American Christians—that whatever we think and do, now is necessarily superior to anything that was thought and done in the past. Continue reading →
Of Choirs And Praise Bands
Choirs (and their casual, modern descendants worship teams and praise bands) have been near-ubiquitous in Reformed churches for less than two centuries, but just like government programs, once instituted these groups are difficult to disband even though their historical pedigree is weak. Arrangements may be . . . Continue reading →