With Presbycast On Christmas, Pictures, And Ricky Bobby

R. Scott Clark

on November 28, 2017 | 1 Comment

When it comes to Christmas it gets, as they say, complicated for confessional Presbyterian and Reformed Christians. On the one hand, we heartily affirm the Scriptures and the ecumenical creeds on the incarnation of our Lord. We confess that Mary was the . . . Continue reading →

The Presbyterian Churches Reject Images Of Jesus

Heidelblog

on September 8, 2017 | 7 Comments

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 →

The Reformed Churches Reject Images Of Jesus

Heidelblog

on September 8, 2017 | 5 Comments

96. What does God require in the second Commandment? That we in no wise make any image of God, nor worship Him in any other way than He has commanded us in His Word. 97. May we not make any image at . . . Continue reading →

Lactantius (c. 250–c. 325): Where There Are Images There Is No Religion

Heidelblog

on March 1, 2017 | 3 Comments

Whoever, therefore, is anxious to observe the obligations to which man is liable, and to maintain a regard for his nature, let him raise himself from the ground, and, with mind lifted up, let him direct his eyes to heaven: let him . . . Continue reading →

Epiphanius Of Salamis (c. 315–403): It Was Gnostics Not Christians Who Made Images Of Christ

R. Scott Clark

on February 28, 2017

They [the Gnostics] possess paintings—some, moreover, have images made of gold, silver and other materials—and say that such things are portraits in relief of Jesus, and made by Pontius Pilate! That is, the reliefs are portraits of the actual Jesus during his . . . Continue reading →

The Reformed Followed The Ancient Fathers In Rejecting Images Of Christ

Heidelblog

on February 27, 2017

Therefore we approved the judgment of Lactantius [c.250–325], and ancient writer, who says: “Undoubtedly no religion exists where there is an image.” We also assert that the blessed bishop Epiphanius [c.315–403] did right when, finding on the doors of a church a . . . Continue reading →

Hippolytus: The Heretics Make Images Of Christ

R. Scott Clark

on February 26, 2017

(Now these heretics) have themselves been sent forth by Satan, for the purpose of slandering before the Gentiles the divine name of the Church. (And the devil’s object is,) that men hearing, now after one fashion and now after another, the doctrines . . . Continue reading →

Not For Carvers Or Artists

Heidelblog

on March 11, 2015 | 5 Comments

Although Christ assumed human nature, yet he did not on that account assume it in order to provide a model for carvers and painters. He denied that he had come “to abolish the law and the prophets” (Matt. 5:17). But images are . . . Continue reading →

Calvin Against Images Of Christ

Heidelblog

on April 7, 2014 | 2 Comments

God has forbidden two things [ cf. Exodus 20:4-5]. First, the making of any picture of Him…. The other is, that no image may be worshipped…. The setting up of images in churches, is a defiling . . . By and by, . . . Continue reading →

Calvin: God’s Accommodation No License For Images

Heidelblog

on April 6, 2014 | 2 Comments

God, indeed, from time to time showed the presence of his divine majesty by definite signs, so that he might be said to be looked upon face to face. But all the signs that he ever gave forth aptly conformed to his . . . Continue reading →

Calvin: Who Is Faithful To The Church Fathers?

Heidelblog

on April 3, 2014

Moreover, they unjustly set the ancient fathers against us (I mean the ancient writers of a better age of the church) as if in them they had supporters of their own impiety. If the contest were to be determined by patristic authority, . . . Continue reading →

Luther’s Judgment On Images

R. Scott Clark

on April 2, 2014 | 6 Comments

With regard to Luther’s judgment on images, we are not in the dark. In his report to his confidant Nikolaus Hausmann on the situation he found in Wittenberg, he was unambiguous: “Damno imagines.” The elimination of images, however, should be brought about . . . Continue reading →

The Robe Then And Now: An Indicator Of Where We Are

R. Scott Clark

on February 9, 2014 | 7 Comments

I happened across The Robe, the other day. I had never seen it. It was interesting to see how the Christian faith was portrayed to the world in 1953 in CinemaScope and how the film with its new technology was received. It . . . Continue reading →

Heidelcast 52: Images Of Christ Don’t Affirm His Humanity, They Deny It

Heidelcast

on November 30, 2013 | 29 Comments

In some Reformed quarters to it is considered clever to argue that to reject images is to deny the humanity of Christ. That Reformed writers should make such an argument would shock our Reformed forefathers, who were convinced that images of Christ . . . Continue reading →

On The Wisdom Of Screens

R. Scott Clark

on October 23, 2013 | 7 Comments

Until very recently, if I mentioned screen and church in the same sentence one would have thought of a rood (Saxon for “cross”) screen, which separates the nave from the chancel. There, in the chancel, is the altar and the choir in . . . Continue reading →

Monuments Of Idolatry

Heidelblog

on October 22, 2013

There was also presented to the Assembly, a new Paraphrase of the Psalms in English meter, which was well liked of and commended by some of the members of the Assembly; But because we conceived that the Psalm Book in all the . . . Continue reading →

Ursinus On The Instruction Of Covenant Children

Heidelblog

on August 2, 2013 | 2 Comments

Touching the catechesis of children in the Jewish church, the Old Testament abounds in many explicit commands. In the 12th and 13th chapters of Exodus, God commands the Jews to give particular instruction to their children and families in relation to the . . . Continue reading →

Imagination

R. Scott Clark

on June 11, 2013 | 46 Comments

One of the recurring themes of the dialogue between Reformed confessionalists and the more broadly evangelical adherents to aspects of the Reformed soteriology (namely predestination) represented by some members of the Gospel Coalition is the question of how to define the adjective . . . Continue reading →

Canonization, Saints, and Christ Our Only Mediator

R. Scott Clark

on October 22, 2012 | 1 Comment

The AP ran a story yesterday 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 →

The Real Question is Whether There is An Objective Definition of Reformed

R. Scott Clark

on October 13, 2012 | 38 Comments

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’m not sure but judging by his arguments I inferred that Matthew may identify . . . Continue reading →

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Images of Christ