In our ancient church course we have been working through the basic ideas and foundational figures in the Gnostic movement of the second century AD.
Valentinus, Marcion, And Contemporary Christianity
Discovering The Reformed Confession
There Is No Such Thing As A “Five Point” Calvinist
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 →
From Commune To Christ
The breaking point, for me, came during a weeklong music festival known as Vortex I. Funded jointly by the Portland counterculture and the Oregon government, it was meant to divert attention from an appearance by President Nixon and put a peaceful face . . . Continue reading →
Discovering The Reformed Confession Across The Globe
The HB receives email and comments from across the globe on a regular basis. Two comments came in yesterday that were particularly poignant. Continue reading
Sometimes, Upon First Becoming Reformed, Some Become Jerks
Let’s admit, however, that sometimes, upon first becoming Reformed, some folk become jerks. Sometimes this phase is temporary. Mike Horton calls this the “cage phase,” when a new convert to Reformed Christianity needs to be put in a cage until he matures. . . . Continue reading →
June 2021 Issue Of Table Talk Magazine: “The Confessing Church”
The June 2021 issue of Table Talk magazine (from Ligonier Ministries) is devoted to the importance and use of confessions. Here is the table of contents: “Why We’re Confessional” | Burk Parsons “The Confessing Church In History” | John Muether “Confessions and . . . Continue reading →
Updated Resource Page On The Reformed Confessions
I have added a revised resource page with good translations of some of the major Reformed confessions Continue reading
How Should A Lay Christian Learn Theology?
Introduction Christians regularly ask for book recommendations and of those, “which systematic theology should I read?” is among the more frequent. The assumption of the question, however, should be doubted: that the best place to begin to learn Christian theology is with . . . Continue reading →
For Evangelical And Reformed Folk Contemplating The Canterbury Trail
A number of Baptists some Presbyterian and Reformed folk have announced in the last year or so that they have become Anglican. Continue reading
Are Confessions Themselves QIRC-Y?
A correspondent to the Heidelblog writes: …I have been living in the Heidelblog lately, and have been challenged to rethink so many previous convictions. Thank you for this resource! I especially have been edified by the QIRC/QIRE idea, but thinking through it . . . Continue reading →
Understanding The New Calvinists: Neither New Nor Calvinists
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 →
In Defense Of Labels
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 →
Brandon Burks On Discovering The Reformed Confession: Another Baptist Pastor Becomes Reformed
This interview is part of an occasional series of interviews on the HB with those who have recently discovered the Reformed confession. Here are all the posts in this series. In this installment we meet Brandon Burks, who has served in the . . . Continue reading →
Advice From A Former Baptist Pastor For Those Discovering The Reformed Confession
I had recently had a conversation where the discussion turned to my experience transitioning from a Baptist minister to a Teaching Elder in the PCA. Part of it was reflection on what I learned, good decisions, regrets, etc. It would likely require a book to go through all the ins and outs of the process, but for now I would like to offer 13 takeaways and/or thoughts that would be good steps and measures as you consider entering into the Reformed tradition. Continue reading →
Chris Discovers And Embraces The Reformed Confession
The following essay is written by Chris Smith, (B.A. History, Thomas Edison University; MDiv, Westminster Seminary California). He is a candidate for the Master of Arts in Historical Theology at WSC. He’s a native of Nebraska (Go Big Red!) and hopes to . . . Continue reading →
How Alastair Discovered And Embraced The Reformed Confession
Introduction Alastair Herd is a 2019 graduate of the University of Warwick (BSc, Chemistry), who has worked as a research technician. He is currently between positions as he recovers from an, as yet, undiagnosed illness with a range of symptoms. He is thankful . . . Continue reading →
Just Discovering Reformed Theology? TheoRecon Is A Toll-Booth You Should Skip
Introduction Arguably Reformed theology has never been more popular among evangelicals than it is right now. There are multiple large parachurch movements that extol the virtues of Reformed theology in a way that was unknown thirty years ago. It has never been . . . Continue reading →
Another Baptist Pastor Becomes Confessionally Reformed
Benjamin Lee, Director of Youth Ministry at Oakwood Presbyterian Church (PCA), announced (via Twitter) that he had accepted this new position. He also indicated that he had left his Baptist convictions to adopt the Reformed confession (including the Reformed view of the . . . Continue reading →
An Interview With A Former Baptist Pastor Turned Confessional Presbyterian Minister
Job Dalomba has just been called to pastor Christ Covenant PCA in Woodstock, GA. Not only is this his first call to a PCA congregation, it is also the culmination of his journey from Baptist to Reformed convictions. Until recently he was . . . Continue reading →
Audio: With The B.A.R. Podcast On The Reformed Resurgence And More
Given the recent news stories about some of the founders of the so-called Young, Restless, and Reformed movement it seems as if we may be at the tail end of the “Reformed Resurgence” or at least a period of transition. Still, through . . . Continue reading →