The distinction between broad and narrow is very helpful here. Broadly considered, all of life may be said to be worship, but not narrowly considered. Continue reading →
Is All Of Life Worship?
Reforming Evangelicalism
When Should I Leave My Congregation?
One of the themes I have pursued here is the churchlessness of the evangelical movement.1 I have challenged those evangelicals who say they believe the Reformed faith to stop being Nicodemites.2 When other folk see for themselves what is happening and they . . . Continue reading →
On Churchless Evangelicals (Part 3)
An HB Classic
So far, the case has not been terribly difficult or painful. However many evangelicals may be wandering in the churchless wilderness without any congregation whatsoever, there are few responsible evangelical theologians who, however much they may not wish to talk about the . . . Continue reading →
Hyper-Calvinism, Rationalism, and Anti-Predestinarians
By definition, hyper-Calvinism is that doctrine which goes beyond (hyper) Calvin. Often, however, it is used incorrectly by critics of predestination to describe anyone who believes in reprobation. If teaching reprobation makes one hyper-Calvinist, then Calvin would be one himself, and that . . . Continue reading →
With Chris Gordon and Chad Vegas On Slowly Reforming A Church (Pt 2)
Scott Clark talks with Chris Gordon and Chad Vegas about the journey of Sovereign Grace Bakersfield toward Reformed theology, piety, and practice. Continue reading →
With Chris Gordon and Chad Vegas On Slowly Reforming A Church (Pt 1)
Scott Clark talks with Chris Gordon and Chad Vegas about the journey of Sovereign Grace Bakersfield toward Reformed theology, piety, and practice. Continue reading →
Of Catholics, Evangelicals, and Rome
Mr. White, Mr. Black, and Mr. Gray Cornelius Van Til used to write about Mr. White (the confessionally Reformed fellow), Mr. Black (the Roman Catholic fellow), and Mr. Gray (or Grey, the Arminian fellow). His point was that, on some issues, the . . . Continue reading →
Parachurch or Pastoring (Part 2)
Previously began a discussion about parachurch ministries in relation to the church. The point was to raise a concern about how, frequently, parachurch ministries implicitly, if (perhaps) unintentionally, try to usurp the visible, institutional church’s primary role in God’s plan to save . . . Continue reading →
Mark Driscoll And The Danger Of “God Told Me”
I am catching up Christianity Today’s podcast series, “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. The August 30, 2021 episode, “Questioning the Origin Myth: A Rise and Fall Short Story,” centered around what, in Reformed theology, piety, and practice, we call the internal call to ministry. In our understanding of Scripture and its outworking in the life of the church there are two aspects to the call to ministry, the internal and the external. Continue reading →
Office Hours: Kim Riddlebarger—Bringing Reformation To Southern California for 25 Years
Kim Riddlebarger is an outstanding figure in the contemporary Reformed world for a few reasons. You might know him as the co-host of the White Horse Inn for 25 years and contributor to Modern Reformation magazine or you might also know him . . . Continue reading →
Christian Liberty: A Product Of Sola Scriptura
October is Reformation month for confessional Protestants, i.e., those Reformed, Lutheran, and Anglican Churches that trace their roots to the Protestant Reformation. One of the basic tenets of the Reformation was sola Scriptura, according to Scripture alone. By “Scripture alone” we do . . . Continue reading →
Cornerstone Christian Church: From Calvary Chapel To Confessionally Reformed
Editor’s Note: Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to worship with the brothers and sisters at Cornerstone and even to speak at one of their conferences. It was a great joy. What a delight it was to find . . . Continue reading →
Young, Restless, And Augustinian?
Scholars tell us that there are at about 60 million evangelicals in North America. It is an ongoing debate among them, however, as to how to define “evangelical.” In the 16th century it meant something like this: “One who agrees with the . . . Continue reading →
With NoCo Radio On Reformation And Christ’s Active Obedience
Back in 2015 Mike Abendroth and I got together to discuss the importance of the Reformation, how it applies to Evangelicals, the imputation of active obedience and more. Lord permitting I am to be speaking at Bethlehem Bible Church this week, Friday and . . . Continue reading →
God Does Not Help Those Who Help Themselves Or Why The Reformation Still Matters
The Reformation Still Matters Sometimes when we talk about the Reformation we give or receive the impression that it was purely a historical event with no continuing relevance or even that Reformation is one thing and mission is another. Here is an . . . Continue reading →
What Kind Of A Reformation Do We Need?
One of the questions submitted to the Reformation conference last fall at the Lynden URC asks “in regards to the current state of the church, what is needed in terms of a Reformation?” That’s a great question. If we are talking about . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: The Reformation Then And Now With Mike Horton
Because the Reformation began 500 years ago, because the Reformers are larger than life, because we often think of them as heroes, we might forget that they were once young men, college students, who were excited by new books, new ideas, and . . . Continue reading →
What David Saw Within Anglicanism
There was sometimes an expressed commitment to certain iconic traditions of Anglicanism that seemed to supersede the commitment to the gospel message and the primacy of Scripture. I began to perceive that many of Episcopalian background regard the traditions of Anglicanism as . . . Continue reading →
Are You With Zwickau Or Wittenberg?
Late in 1521, Karlstadt and Zwilling started to drive the Wittenberg reformation in a radical direction. Stirring up iconoclasm and riots, Karlstadt took to walking around Wittenberg dressed as a peasant and officiating at mass in a plain robe. Then three individuals . . . Continue reading →
Fall Conference Season 2015: Identity, Eschatology, And Authority
It is the fall conference season. Here are three gatherings about which you might want to to know. One confronts the problem of identity: do we define ourselves the way the culture would have us do it or is there a better way? The second gathers a stellar group of Reformed teachers to help us through “end times” and the third focuses on the Biblical and Reformation doctrine of “Scripture alone.” Continue reading →