For some years I have complained about Baptist squatters in the Reformed house. These are those Baptists who insist on re-defining the adjective Reformed. As it turns out, however, this habit of squatting is not new at all. Indeed, one of the . . . Continue reading →
Synod intended the Canons as a response to a specific challenge not as a summary of Reformed theology. Continue reading →
Kathryn Post, writing for the Religion News Service (HT: Christianity Today), writes, “On New Year’s Day, 43 congregations of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) split from the national denomination, one of the oldest Protestant bodies in the United States, in part over theological differences regarding same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBT clergy.” This move, she says, “follows the RCA General Synod’s October decision to adopt measures for ‘grace-filled separation’ with departing churches and to appoint a team to develop a restructuring plan for those that remain.” These 43 congregations (so far) have formed The Alliance of Reformed Churches. Continue reading →
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 →
Caneday’s main argument is to undermine the law-gospel distinction. In his words, “This chapter disavows the notion that all of Scripture consists of two isolatable messages: law, consisting of God’s demands, and gospel, composed of God’s gracious giving. Instead, it argues that the formulation of covenant stipulations remain the same while the content of stipulations changes.” (pg. 103; italics original). Continue reading →
Last week I noted the new Christianity Today podcast on the rise and fall of Mars Hill church in Seattle. In episode 3 host Mike Cosper tells the story of the early days of Mars Hill. It is a familiar story of a . . . Continue reading →
Several Baptist writers are discussing the propriety of baptizing younger children. Justin Taylor provides of roundup of the debate.
Christianity Today has released a new NPR-style podcast series hosted by Mike Cosper, “Who Killed Mars Hill?.” It is well done and deserves your attention. So far they have released a couple of trailers and two complete episodes. Cosper is sympathetically critical . . . Continue reading →
There are, therefore, more than five points and — as far as the confessions and the Reformed dogmaticians from Calvin to Kuyper are concerned — there cannot be such a thing as a “five-point Calvinist” or “five-point Reformed Christian” who owns just . . . Continue reading →
The Southern Baptist Convention met and fought this week. Some who lost are talking about “leaving.” Continue reading
The name Clark Pinnock (1937–2010) does not appear in Collin Hansen’s Young, Restless, and Reformed (2008) but perhaps it should have? Continue reading
I have been thinking a bit about the etymological fallacy, which seeks to define words and other things by their origin.
There are three great questions to be faced by the PCA in 2021: Continue reading
The Swiss Brethren, who signed the Schleitheim, confessed (in article 6) that a Christian may not serve as a magistrate and the magistrate may not enforce religious orthodoxy and (in article 7) that Christians may not swear oaths for any purpose.60 The . . . Continue reading →
The New Calvinist movement is probably about 20 years old or so. Collin Hanson’s Young, Restless, and Reformed appeared in 2008, just before Recovering the Reformed Confession. Whether it is Reformed is a matter to be debated. In recent years, however, the movement has certainly shown itself to be restless. One prominent figure in the movement has publicly abandoned the Christian faith. Three prominent figures, James MacDonald, C. J. Mahaney, and Mark Driscoll, have been either been removed from their churches or resigned amidst scandals. One might think of them as elephants in the YRR/New Calvinist room. Continue reading →
Imagine going to a supermarket where none of the groceries was labeled and where none of the aisles was marked. For that matter, imagine trying to figure out which of the buildings in the strip mall is the grocery or telling one . . . Continue reading →
Dear NAPARC Pastor,
If you think that distinguishing law from gospel is “Lutheran” Continue reading
On Being Reformed: Debates Over A Theological Identity is now $19.99 until December 31, 2020. Use the code: BEST20PAL to get the discount. For more information about this volume the introductory post. This volume is usually grossly over-priced but this is a . . . Continue reading →
The publisher has the E-book edition of On Being Reformed marked down to $11.99 (USA; UK 11.99 stlg). Use the code CYBER20PAL. The promotion ends December 1, 2020. Resources How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia Office Hours: On Being Reformed . . . Continue reading →
In 2016, Advocate a leading LGBTQ news and commentary magazine published an article in which an author used the phrase “sexual preference” non-ironically and with not hint of shame. As recently as 19 days ago, this same magazine used the expression in a . . . Continue reading →