Dear PCA, There Is Another Approach To Same-Sex Attraction: Rosaria Butterfield’s

R. Scott Clark

on April 29, 2022 | 3 Comments

One of the more strange aspects of the debate over Greg Johnson’s advocacy of “Side-B” homosexuality, the so-called “Gay Christian” approach, is that it has mostly ignored Rosaria Butterfield’s analysis of the issue and her experience. As one HB commenter wrote this . . . Continue reading →

Madueme And Wingard Review Johnson’s Still Time To Care

Heidelblog

on April 26, 2022 | 17 Comments

Throughout the book, Johnson denies that Christians should expect change and prefers to emphasize the stability of our sexual desires and propensities. For example, he writes, “There is no cure for corrupted nature in this life. We remain inescapably children of Adam. There . . . Continue reading →

With Presbycast And D. G. Hart: Re-Framing Machen’s Warrior Children

Heidelblog

on April 15, 2022 | 5 Comments

Last night was 2/3 of a full-Rogan (who hosts really long podcasts) with Darryl Hart, Wresbyterian, Brad (“Chortles Weakly”) Isbell, and Dr Clark as they discussed and dissected the recent re-publication, on the website of the National Partnership (the formerly secret organization . . . Continue reading →

Psalms, Sabbath, And Iconoclasm Are Not Quirks But Acts Of Confession

Heidelblog

on April 2, 2022

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 →

Female Preachers In The PCA?

Heidelblog

on March 30, 2022 | 9 Comments

Presbyterianism is pretty simple. As the name suggests, presbyters (elders) are essential to the church. Congregations elect qualified men to ensure that the means of grace (word, prayer, and sacraments) and discipline are maintained. These men—one or more of whom is an . . . Continue reading →

Whither The PCA?

R. Scott Clark

on March 28, 2022 | 14 Comments

Jake Meador has published an essay arguing the “conversations”—a euphemism for debates that should be retired immediately—in the PCA surrounding same-sex attracted, celibate ministers (the so-called “Side B” approach to homosexuality) “should begin to move on to newer, better frames…”. He calls . . . Continue reading →

GRN Conference May 4–5, 2022 in Birmingham, AL: The Sufficiency Of The Gospel In A Secular Age

Heidelblog

on March 24, 2022

More info»

What Is The “Judgment Of Charity” And Is It Relevant To The PCA Controversy Over Side B/”Gay Christianity”?

Heidelblog

on March 24, 2022 | 1 Comment

Historically the term judgment of charity has been used in discussions of the infant offspring of believers, especially regarding their reception of baptism or of eternal life (in cases of premature death). The former sense is the only way in which Herman . . . Continue reading →

Latitudinarianism In The PCA Is A Big Gamble

Heidelblog

on March 15, 2022 | 8 Comments

Many of us were raised in broad evangelicalism. We left that for what we thought was an intentionally confessional denomination. We love confessionalism because it both guards our fidelity to Scripture and offers a firm foundation for unity. By definition, confessions of . . . Continue reading →

PCA Standing Judicial Commission Rules 22–2 Against Revoice

Heidelblog

on March 8, 2022 | 4 Comments

With respect to the teachings addressed by Theological Judgment 3, CIM noted, “The use of terms such as ‘same-sex-attracted’ or ‘gay’ in the way Revoice 18 and many Side B people use them … indulges in needless and potentially dangerous speculation”; “If . . . Continue reading →

Question A Major Revoice Premise: Is SSA An Immutable Characteristic?

Heidelblog

on March 4, 2022 | 4 Comments

Johnson’s personal experience of unrelenting homosexual desire leads him to a total rejection of the “ex-gay script,” but this judgment does not meet with the approval of all in the field of gay therapy. For example, he dismisses the work of Joseph Nicolosi, a . . . Continue reading →

Shall The Radical Contextualizers Win?

Brad Isbell

on February 24, 2022 | 32 Comments

Some elders in the PCA believe Johnsonism is essential to the future of the church. Others are willing to give it the benefit of the doubt for now, watching to see where it goes. These men were those who applauded Johnson’s revival-style testimony at the 2019 General Assembly in Dallas. Votes from those in this group likely defeated the proposed PCA constitutional amendments that might have clamped down on same-sex attracted officers. Continue reading →

Payne’s Post Mortem: What The Defeat Of The Overtures Signals For The Future Of The PCA

The PCA Has Moved From Being Broad To Being Progressive

Heidelblog

on February 24, 2022

The Book of Church Order (BCO) amendments that many hoped would guard the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) from further infiltration of Revoice/Side B Gay doctrine were officially defeated. Yes, in case you haven’t heard, the amendments are now dead in the . . . Continue reading →

A Notable Omission: What Lovelace Actually Said About Sexual Reorientation

Heidelcast

on February 23, 2022 | 1 Comment

The discerning reader may have noticed that between Lovelace’s first point and second point, there is an ellipsis (…). Some form of this ellipsis has been present every time Johnson has publicly referenced Lovelace—in the report from Missouri Presbytery’s examination in 2020, . . . Continue reading →

Who Is Packing The Church Courts?

Heidelblog

on February 16, 2022 | 6 Comments

The terms, tropes, and tactics of secular politics certainly influence ecclesial politics, so it’s no surprise to hear one of the Presbyterian Church in America’s most prominent and influential pastors sounding very much like a pundit on a cable news show: Conspiracy! . . . Continue reading →

Brothers, The Time Is Now

Heidelblog

on February 16, 2022 | 2 Comments

In 1643, George Gillespie traveled to London as one of the eleven Scots chosen to participate in the Westminster Assembly. Initially tasked by Parliament to revise the 39 Articles of the Church of England, one of the most contentious topics of the . . . Continue reading →

Actually, We Do Care: A Response To Greg Johnson’s Still Time To Care

Stephen Spinnenweber

on February 15, 2022 | 5 Comments

It seems like a slam dunk in Johnson’s favor—yet another sad example of heterosexual Christians excusing their unbridled, “polyamorous” lusts for members of the opposite sex and choosing instead to fixate upon the homosexual sins of another. But, something key is missing. Continue reading →

Reasons For Confessionalists In The PCA To Remain Optimistic

Despite The Defeat Of Overtures 23 And 37

Heidelblog

on February 15, 2022 | 8 Comments

Despite voices warning the PCA was slipping down a progressive slope, for the most part confessional churches (now referred to by the chic as “Neo-Fundamentalists”) and progressive congregations (are they the “Neo-Liberals” according to the new chic nomenclature?) got along well enough . . . Continue reading →

Of Wickedness And Narratives

Heidelblog

on February 5, 2022

Narratives are funny things, but there’s a certain consistency to them from decade to decade, even from century to century. In the organizational world (including the visible church), those persons, departments, coalitions, or factions perceived as narrow, precise, and conservative are usually . . . Continue reading →

Is It “Fundamentalist” To Forbid The Teaching Of Exceptions To The Standards?

by R. Scott Clark on February 4, 2022 12 Comments

David Cassidy says it is:
Continue reading →