One of the several challenges faced by those who are moving from outside the Reformed churches to inside the Reformed churches is the transition from, e.g., worship in the broader evangelical world to worship as the Reformed churches understand it. Underneath the . . . Continue reading →
Regulative Principle
The English Congregationalists And Presbyterians Confessed The Rule Of Worship
XVI. That God is to be worshipped according to His own will, and that only in and through Jesus Christ. A New Confession of Faith (1654) in James T. Dennison Jr., ed., Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English . . . Continue reading →
The Reformed Rejection Of Alleged “Adiaphora” In Worship In 1578
And in the first place, as relates to the administration or performance of the sacraments, these are observed with Christian and fitting reverence in the churches of this land as they were instituted and ordained by Christ and were used by the . . . Continue reading →
Singing In Acts 16:25 And Plausibility Structures
In the English Standard Version Acts 16:25 says “[a]bout midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them…”. Several other translations (e.g., NASB, NIV, TEV, ASV, RSV, NLT, NKJV, HCSB) follow this or . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Cartwright Contra Lent
RHEMI. [ 1. Desert.] As John the Baptist, so our Saviour by going into the desert and there living in contemplation even among brute beasts, and subject to the assaults of the Devil for our sins, gives a warrant and example to . . . Continue reading →
William Whittaker Contra Lent
“But you tell us, why we do so much avoid the Fathers.” I had rather you would tell us why you do so carefully avoid the Scriptures. “For” (say you) “they that cannot away with set times of Fasting, must needs be . . . Continue reading →
Ursinus On The Rule Of Worship
It must be commanded by God. No creature has the right, or power to institute the worship of God. But good works (we speak of moral good) and the worship of God are the same. Moral good differs widely from natural good, . . . Continue reading →
William Perkins On The Rule Of Worship And 1 Corinthians 14 Contra Good Intentions
V. Will worship, when God is worshiped with a naked and bare good intention, not warranted by the word of God. (Colossians 2:23) “Which things have indeed a shew o wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not . . . Continue reading →
Synod Of Dort (1578): Psalms Only To Be Sung In Worship
76. The Psalms of David translated by Pieter Datheen shall be sung in the Christian gatherings of the Netherlands churches as has been done until now, excluding the hymns which are not found in the Bible. National Synod of the Netherlands, German, . . . Continue reading →
Resources On Instruments In Worship
Below are gathered the quotations, posts, and essays from the Heidelblog on the history, theology, and practice of instruments in public worship. Continue reading →
Worship: A Dialogue Not A Checklist
Most of the debate over the so-called “worship wars” for the last 30 years has focused on the disagreement between those who favor a progressive/contemporary style of worship and those who favor a more “traditional” style of worship. One of the reasons . . . Continue reading →
With Presbycast On The Regulative Principle of Worship
It is always a joy to talk about what Scripture says and what the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches confess about worship and never more so than when it is with the redoubtable Chortles Weakly and Presbycast. His partner in crime, Wresbyterian, was . . . Continue reading →
If Believers Are Playing Instruments In Heaven, Why May We Not? (2)
The question before us concerns what the church ought to do in public worship. Christians often ask, “If they did x in Scripture, why may we not do them now?” In part 1 we considered the problems associated with this approach to . . . Continue reading →
If We May Pray Uninspired Words, Why May We Not Sing Them?
What the Fathers called the “rule of faith” (which included both doctrine and practice) and what Calvin called the “rule of worship” Christians in the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition have called the “regulative principle of worship” since the mid-20th century. That rule, . . . Continue reading →
Owen On Sola Scriptura As Applied To Public Worship
Q. 3. How, then, are these ways and means of the worship of God made known unto us? A. In and by the written word only, which contains a full and perfect revelation of the will of God as to his whole . . . Continue reading →
The Rule Of Worship, Christ And Culture, And Asparagus Fest
As near as I am able to determine, the first fellow in the procession is a minister in the Church of England. I infer this from his (Roman) clerical garb, from which I infer that he might also be sympathetic to the . . . Continue reading →
The Church Of The Holy Elaboration
One of the highlights of the Spring semester is the opportunity to read through and discuss the Belgic Confession. Yesterday, as we worked through articles 24–27, a theme emerged. One of the great differences between the Roman communion and the Reformed communions is . . . Continue reading →
Belgic Confession: Sola Scriptura Applied To Public Worship
We believe that those Holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and whatsoever man ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein. For since the whole manner of worship which God requires of us is written in them at large, . . . Continue reading →
Between The Anabaptists And The Romanists: Calvin Defended Infant Baptism Sola Scriptura
I do not, however, concede to [Rome] that Paedobaptism had its origin the Tradition of the Church. It certainly appears to be founded on the institution of God, and to have derived its origin from circumcision. It would have little foundation if . . . Continue reading →
With The Reformed Pubcast On Lent And Sola Scriptura
According to the western church calendar this is the Lenten season (the 40 days from “Shrove Tuesday” to Easter) and it is being more widely observed within NAPARC. This is worth noting since, historically, most Reformed churches have not observed Lent and have . . . Continue reading →