Despite claims to the contrary, the Christian world is not divided between those who have creeds and confessions and those who just have the Bible. It is actually divided between those who have creeds and confessions and write them down in a . . . Continue reading →
HeidelQuotes
Waters On Ordination
Many in the church know that ordination is important, but they may struggle to articulate why that is the case. Ordination is one of the hidden gems of the Bible’s teaching on the church and church office. To appreciate its significance, we . . . Continue reading →
Inside ‘The War for Normal’: How a Christian conference ended up selling Nazi propaganda
To a nerdy homeschooled teenager in the deeply churched South, conferences were a normal part of life. I remember singing martial psalms in the Blue Ridge Mountains during an all-day family seminar, being introduced by my pastor-grandfather to Tim Keller at a . . . Continue reading →
Hart On The Proximate Roots Of Christian Nationalism
Among evangelical and Presbyterian-leaning Protestants, the first iteration of Christian nationalism came with Francis Schaeffer’s transformation from the philosophical guru at a small Christian study center in Switzerland into the public intellectual behind the New Christian Right. His documentary series and book, . . . Continue reading →
One Mark Of Decline: Assuming The Gospel
You may have heard the story of the Mennonite Brethren movement. One particular analysis goes like this: the first generation believed and proclaimed the gospel and thought that there were certain social entailments. The next generation assumed the gospel and advocated the . . . Continue reading →
Enthusiasm Is Not A Means Of Grace
Last Sunday, the church celebrated Pentecost—the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church. And yet one of the great errors of contemporary Evangelicalism is the return of Enthusiasm. Not “enthusiasm” in the modern sense of excitement, but Enthusiasm in the historic . . . Continue reading →
Learning How To Do Theology From Amandus Polanus
If I wanted to learn more about how the cultural values of 1950s and ’60s America have shaped contemporary literary fiction, I might ask Google or ChatGPT for an overview. The search results might present accurate and balanced information on America’s democratic . . . Continue reading →
Using An App Is Not The Same As Learning
A meaningful education is more than just facts and skills; it is the transformative formation of the whole person. This transformation can only happen through strong relationships, the cultivation of virtuous habits, and engagement with physical reality and human society. Education worthy . . . Continue reading →
Hindus Persecuting Christians in Central India
Hundreds of Christians in central India have been denied clean water, fresh produce and employment for nearly a month in unsuccessful attempts to force them to denounce Christianity, International Christian Concern (ICC) reported May 29. More than 180 Christian tribal families in . . . Continue reading →
Strachan’s Theory Strikes At The Vitals Of The Faith
There has been no shortage of ink spilled over [the eternal relations of authority and submission within the Trinity], and I have already responded to some of Strachan’s comments before. Additionally, many theologians of much greater abilities and knowledge than I possess . . . Continue reading →
More Controversy Involving Driscoll
Pastor Mark Driscoll warned his followers Wednesday of “fierce wolves … among you,” following the sudden departure of an associate minister and former security guard known as Driscoll’s chief henchman. A mass email Driscoll sent at 7:44 a.m. accused Caleb Glennie of . . . Continue reading →
We Have A Mediator
Because Adam sinned, we are all born dead in sins and trespasses (Ps 51:5; Eph 2:1–4). By nature we are “children of wrath” (Eph 2:3), idolaters (Gal 4:8), at war with God, given to all manner of wickedness (Gal 5:19–21). God is . . . Continue reading →
Resurgent Racism?
It cannot be denied that there has been a small, yet growing trend in the church in recent years for some young men to embrace racist views. They go by various names: Kinists, Racialists, Race Realists, Familyism and use terms like “Natural . . . Continue reading →
Montanism And Neo-Montanism
In 1906, at 312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, California, a series of Pentecostal revivals took place. Characterized by their boisterous and nearly riotous nature, these revivals consisted of altar calls, mystic healings, and above all, the speaking of “heavenly tongues” as a . . . Continue reading →
Trueman: An Unwritten Creed Is Still A Creed
A colleague of mine loves to tell the following story about a church he used to visit. The pastor there had a habit of standing in the pulpit, seizing his Bible in his right hand, raising it above his head, and pointing . . . Continue reading →
The PCA Study Committee Rebuffs Establishmentarians And Ethnonationalists
This section of the report has sought to provide a thorough, fair, and constitutionally grounded analysis of the relationship between the PCA’s Constitution and the various positions held under the heading of “Christian Nationalism.” Based on this analysis, the Committee offers the . . . Continue reading →
Unanimous SCOTUS Reverses Fifth Circuit In Defense Of Religious Liberty
Last year, we informed you about Gabriel Olivier, a street preacher who was told that if he wanted to preach the Gospel in the city of Brandon, Mississippi, he needed to keep within the confines of a “protest zone” near its public . . . Continue reading →
Bad Company Corrupts Good Morals
To begin, we need to cover two key topics: the words, behavior, and associations of Zachary Garris and the teaching record of the Presbyterian Church in America on issues of racial sin. After that, I want to move toward a broader point . . . Continue reading →
Eusebius To Constantia: No Images Of Christ
The church historian Eusebius declared himself in the strongest manner against images of Christ in a letter to the empress Constantia (the widow of Licinius and sister of Constantine), who had asked him for such an image. Christ, says he, has laid . . . Continue reading →
Prior To Constantine Only The Gnostics Used Images Of Christ
Previous to the time of Constantine, we find no trace of an image of Christ, properly speaking, except among the Gnostic Carpocratians, and in the case of the heathen emperor Alexander Severus, who adorned his domestic chapel, as a sort of syncretistic . . . Continue reading →