Even though we have taught in part how faith possesses Christ, and how through it we enjoy his benefits, this would still remain obscure if we did not add an explanation of the effects we feel. With good reason, the sum of . . . Continue reading →
HeidelQuotes
The Pride Flag And A Divided Movement
For a flag to be a powerful, sacred symbol of unity and purpose, it has to symbolize a real common sense of unity—a unified moral vision around which individuals can rally as part of a larger imagined community. That the Pride flag . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel And “This Insidious Revolution”
The moral revolution has overwhelmed western civilization, and is especially manifested in the LGBTQ+ and critical social justice movements.10 Intersectionality is the new reigning religion in the West, and her prophets, priests, and rulers are seated on the highest thrones of earthly . . . Continue reading →
“Who Are You Calling Dull?”: The Aesthetic Prowess of Protestant Reformers
The earlier Protestant tradition that produced a Milton, Bach, or Rembrandt, and later a C. S. Lewis or Makoto Fujimura was neither anti-intellectual nor aesthetically dull. Luther, a Renaissance-trained polymath, was the first individual since Jerome to translate the entire Bible into . . . Continue reading →
PCA SJC Takes Jurisdiction In Herron Case
The Presbyterian Church in America’s (PCA) highest ecclesiastical court is taking over a case allegedly mishandled by an Indiana presbytery, a letter from the presbytery shows. The case surrounds a former Indiana pastor accused of sexually harassing multiple women. The move comes . . . Continue reading →
The Fatal Mistake Of A Reasonless Christianity
It is worse than useless for Christians to talk about the importance of Christian morality, unless they are prepared to take their stand upon the fundamentals of Christian theology. It is a lie to say that dogma does not matter; it matters . . . Continue reading →
Pushing Back Against The Fashionable Narrative
I see no warrant for the claims that our “society” is experiencing an unprecedented level of disharmony and disjunction. To say that, of course, is not at all to suggest that all is well, that we have no reason for concern about . . . Continue reading →
Understanding The Times: Did Christianity Become Marginal In America In 2014?
To refresh, my framework posits that during the period of secularization post-1965, America has passed through three distinct phases or worlds in terms of how secular culture views Christianity. Positive World (Pre-1994). Christianity was viewed positively by society and Christian morality was still . . . Continue reading →
Why We Need A New Reformation Catechism On Human Sexuality
The historic creeds and confessions of Protestant churches have served to preserve Christians in the truth of the gospel for centuries. We are deeply indebted to those who took the time to formulate, with great accuracy and clarity, the precious truths of . . . Continue reading →
Godfrey: Edwards Rejected The Reformed Definition Of Faith In The Act Of Justification
In one area, however, the treatise is problematic, namely his understanding of the nature of justifying faith. Gerstner acknowledged that Edwards did express the doctrine of justifying faith somewhat differently from his Calvinistic forbears, “…there can be little doubt that Calvinistic theologians . . . Continue reading →
Hoodwinked By Pride And Erotic Obsessions
If anybody wants to understand what is happening to the public square in America—indeed, if anyone wants to know how America, or at least her ruling class, wishes to understand itself, they need look no further than Pride Month… For anyone not . . . Continue reading →
The Lutherans Condemn The “Jewish Dream” Of A Future Earthly Golden Age Before Christ’s Return
The Gospel forbids private revenge, and Christ stresses this so often lest the apostles think that they should usurp the government from those who hold it, as in the Jewish dream of the messianic kingdom; instead, he would have them know their . . . Continue reading →
Christendom Was A Renewal Of The Old Testament Theocracy
In terms of the relationship between Church and State the policies so far mentioned and the reactions to them may be classified between two extremes. There was the ‘totalitarian’ view set forth by Eusebius, caricatured by Athanasius picture of Constantius shouting ‘Let . . . Continue reading →
Witherow’s Responses To “Anabaptist Objections”
That infant baptism is the practice of all branches of the Christian church, with one solitary exception, is a well-known fact. That it has been the practice of the church of God for eighteen centuries is also beyond dispute. When one sect, . . . Continue reading →
BOLO (Be On The Lookout)
A former pastor of the nation’s largest Independent Fundamental Baptist congregation has been released from federal prison, records show. He had pleaded guilty to taking a 16-year-old across state lines for sex. Jack Schaap, 64, was released Wednesday from the federal prison . . . Continue reading →
What Tradition Is And Does
(1) Central to the task of transmitting the faith from one generation to the next is the requirement of transmitting it as a whole, without addition or subtraction. In my judgment, the modern project of “mediating theology” often failed precisely in this . . . Continue reading →
It Comes Down To Authority
Jesus climbed out of the boat to find himself in an immediate battle. The demons were contesting the Lord’s authority. In Mark 5 and verse 7 we read that the Legion of demons were seeking to bind Jesus with an oath. The . . . Continue reading →
If James 2:24 Is Teaching Justification Through Good Works, Get Cracking
Good works proceed from saving faith; faith that does not bear fruit is not saving faith (see James 2:19). James 2:24 is talking about works as fruit and evidence of saving faith, not meritorious works that save us. In fact, James reminds . . . Continue reading →
Calvin Against The Chiliasts
But Satan has not only befuddled men’s senses to make them bury with the corpses the memory of resurrection; he has also attempted to corrupt this part of the doctrine with various falsifications that he might at length destroy it. I pass . . . Continue reading →
Trueman: Abortion Is Desecration
Abortion is desecration. That is why it raises such passionate emotions on both sides of the debate. Sex and conception create new life and that means they possess—or should possess—a mysterious aura of the sacred. Attitudes about them therefore go to the . . . Continue reading →