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 →
Images of Christ
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 →
Jesus And Trump
Garrison Keillor used to open his monologues about the fictional town of Lake Woebegon by saying, “It’s been a quiet week in Lake Woebegon” and then go on to explain how it had not actually been quiet. The way the news is . . . Continue reading →
Canonization, Saints, And Christ Our Only Mediator
The AP ran a story in October 2022 on the naming of seven new Roman “saints.” According to the story, “Two of the new saints were Americans: Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint from the U.S., and Mother Marianne Cope, a 19th-century . . . Continue reading →
Images Of Christ Diminish His Humanity
Mrs. Smith: “But Jesus truly came in the flesh. Doesn’t forbidding images make Him seem less human?” Dr. Perkins: Not at all. For the disciples, seeing Jesus wasn’t sinful—it was God’s gift in history. But for us to recreate Him is presumption. . . . Continue reading →
The Real Question is Whether There is An Objective Definition of Reformed
Part of Saturday was spent trading tweets with Matthew Milliner, who teaches Art History at Wheaton College. We had a good, genial conversation from two different confessional traditions. I am not sure, but judging by his arguments, I inferred that Matthew may . . . Continue reading →
The Second Commandment Is God’s Word
In recent decades, there has been a renewed appreciation for and embrace of a “Calvinistic” (i.e. Biblical) soteriology in which God is recognized as sovereign in all the affairs of men and even in salvation. Dr. T. David Gordon suggests this phenomenon . . . Continue reading →
Are You More Offended By Statehouse Satanism Or Second Commandment Violations In Church?
Unless you view a state capitol building as a Christian house of worship, your level of concern for allegedly religious displays allowed therein (good, banal, benign, or evil) should be different than your level of concern for what happens in Christian churches.
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Eusebius To The Emperor’s Sister: No Images Of Christ
You also wrote me concerning some supposed image of Christ, which image you wished me to send you. Now what kind of thing is this that you call the image of Christ? I do not know what impelled you to request that . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast Q&A: On Mental Images Of Christ And Whether The Family Is Sacred Or Secular
Dr Clark answers questions about mental images of Christ and the sacred/secular distinction. Continue reading →
Heidelminicast Q&A On The Second Commandment And The Fourth
In this episode Dr Clark answers questions about the 2nd and 4th commandments. Continue reading →
AI Images, Now and Then
If you are connected to the internet at all in 2023, you have surely seen a “new” thing: a profusion of images generated by so-called artificial intelligence (AI) prompted only by text descriptions and informed by the millions of images on the . . . Continue reading →
Arguments Against Images Of Christ: An Artist’s Perspective
I am an artist, so my field does not often overlap with theological issues. In this case, however, it has caused me to evaluate what it means to live in light of the second commandment. You shall not make for yourself a . . . Continue reading →
Pictures Of Jesus Do Not Help Our Piety, They Hinder It
Even pictures of Jesus can only hinder our understanding of God’s truth. For instance, no true picture of Jesus exists, so the ones artists do make merely reflect the artist’s own image of our Savior rather than what God has sovereignly revealed . . . Continue reading →
If The Very Physical Presence Of Christ Did Not Produce Faith Why Do We Turn To Images?
The apostles could hardly have forgotten the face of their Lord, yet their writings contain no description. They who worked hard to preserve Christ’s words were content to allow his appearance to be forgotten. It cannot have been mere practicality; if they . . . Continue reading →
What Is A “Carved Idol” In The 21st Century?
As an artist, my field does not often overlap with theological issues but has caused me to evaluate what it means to live in light of the second commandment. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of . . . Continue reading →
“Hear, O Israel”
Contemporary Judaism, like love, is a many-splendored thing. For our own convenience, we often refer to three types of Judaism: Reformed, Conservative, and Orthodox, but there are many variations even within these three. Nonetheless, practicing Jews of any brand have a common . . . Continue reading →
Psalms, Sabbath, And Iconoclasm Are Not Quirks But Acts Of Confession
Within wider Christianity, Presbyterians are often labeled—and sometimes dismissed—as traditionalists. This label may seem to explain some aspects of Presbyterian piety, but not all. When Christians outside of Reformed circles learn about the Presbyterian passion for singing Psalms, keeping Sabbath, and rejecting . . . Continue reading →
The Use Of Images Is An Indicator Of The Functional Authority Of The Standards In The PCA
When the Westminster Assembly (1643–52), which was composed of Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians, deliberated on the moral law of God, they agreed on with the church of all ages and times on the abiding validity of God’s moral law. In their Confession (19.5) . . . Continue reading →
Are Mental Images Of God Unavoidable?
Q. 109. What sins are forbidden in the second commandment? A. The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and any wise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; the making any representation of God, . . . Continue reading →