The child was nine years old. She was to be the oldest survivor of her murdered family: the terrorists planned to hold her prisoner, after an explosion had killed her father, mother, and 11-year-old brother. Her survival would depend on submitting to . . . Continue reading →
Roman Catholicism
Heidelcast for August 23, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 10): The Sacramental System (4)
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
Rutherford: When It Comes To Justification The Law And The Gospel Are In Mortal Combat
In the manner of justifying, the two covenants (law and gospel) are locked in frontal combat. This is because the gospel justifies through grace through faith, not works. Samuel Rutherford, The Works of Samuel Rutherford: Arminianism: A Systematic and Theological Response, ed. . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast for August 16, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 9): The Sacramental System (3)
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
Rutherford: Contra The Remonstrants, Rome Does Deny The Doctrine Of Salvation
They hold that the Roman Church does not teach fundamental errors but only errors conditionally and improperly so, which do not undermine the foundation. But our theologians, like Perkins and Whitaker, have demonstrated that the papal church as such does not teach . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast for August 9, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 8): The Sacramental System (2)
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
The Roman Catholic Church Is A Tridentine Church, Not The Ancient Christian Church
That council [Trent, 1551] was convened and met intermittently for two decades in order to respond to the Protestant Reformation. It defined the Roman Catholic Church. Until that council concluded, there was still some hope that Rome might repent, that she might . . . Continue reading →
Does the Westminster Confession Teach Baptismal Regeneration? (Part 1)
The efficacy of baptism is not tied to that moment of time wherein it is administered; yet, notwithstanding, by the right use of this ordinance, the grace promised is not only offered, but really exhibited, and conferred, by the Holy Ghost, to . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast for August 2, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 7 ): The Sacramental System (1)
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
An Interesting Conversation at My Door
Recently, a Roman Catholic laywoman and a male companion (who stood behind her with his rosary, saying prayers) came to my door on behalf of St. Mary Catholic Church in Escondido. She asked if there were any Catholics in the house. I . . . Continue reading →
Who Are The True Catholics? (Part 3)
Law and Gospel By definition, the command to pray presupposes faith. One cannot ask anything of God unless he believes that God has made a promise. Part of the Roman problem is that they do not distinguish the law and the gospel: . . . Continue reading →
Who Are The True Catholics? (Part 2)
The Problem of Sin and Free Will In A Reformed Catholic, Perkins’s first charge against Rome, which he notes is not the principal issue, is that the Roman communion has corrupted the doctrine of sin. It comes under the heading of free . . . Continue reading →
Who Are The True Catholics? (Part 1)
There are truly important works that simply have been forgotten or unjustly ignored. One of these is William Ames’s Fresh Suit Against Human Ceremonies in defense of the Reformed theology and practice of worship. Another is William Perkins’s 1597 treatise A Reformed Catholic, subtitled Or . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast for July 5, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 6): The Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church (Cont’d)
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
Heidelcast for June 28, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 5): The Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
Heidelcast for June 14, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 4): American Evangelical Christianity Is in Crisis: Fundamentalism
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
Heidelcast For June 7, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 3): American Evangelical Christianity is in Crisis: Subjectivism
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
Heidelcast For May 31, 2026: Heidelcast: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 2): American Evangelical Christianity is in Crisis
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
Heidelcast For May 24, 2026: Rome, Constantinople, or Geneva (Part 1): Introduction
American Evangelical Christianity is in crisis. The story of how it got here is an important part of this series but there are several reasons so many evangelical Christians are discontent and looking for something else, something with historical roots, with a sense of tradition, with a sense of of transcendence, with reverent worship, and with a deeper view of the sacraments. Continue reading →
Heidelvideo #16—Why I’m Not a Roman Catholic (Part 8)
Dr. R. Scott Clark explains why the Reformed tradition opposes visual depictions of the Trinity, arguing that such images are products of human imagination rather than divine truth. He explores the biblical prohibitions against idols and provides a historical overview of how the early church universally rejected images until the 8th century. Continue reading →