Perhaps one of the most common Bible verses found on bookmarks, in memory lists, and on social media posts is Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to . . . Continue reading →
Author: Heidelblog
The Heidelblog has been in publication since 2007. It is devoted to recovering the Reformed confession and to helping others discover Reformed theology, piety, and practice.
Trueman: Expressive Individualism Is The Third “Great Awakening”
Years ago, Anthony Esolen pointed out that pedophilia and the free and easy attitudes toward sex in contemporary society share a common moral structure: both prioritize the sexual desires of adults over the welfare of children. The difference, of course, is that . . . Continue reading →
GRN Conference May 4–5, 2022 in Birmingham, AL: The Sufficiency Of The Gospel In A Secular Age
What Is The “Judgment Of Charity” And Is It Relevant To The PCA Controversy Over Side B/”Gay Christianity”?
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 →
Just As The Lord Delivered Us From Egypt
The author of Hebrews is concerned about an unacceptable attitude toward the Word of God in the Christian community in Rome. Due to the threat of persecution and hardship in the church, these first century Christians were giving up on their commitments . . . Continue reading →
Baugh: Hebrews 9:15–18 Is Talking About A Covenant
I corresponded with John Hughes recently and complimented him on a detailed scholarly article he wrote some years ago where he gave a most helpful treatment of Heb. 9:15-22. He mentioned in return that it was disappointing that his work seems to . . . Continue reading →
Godfrey: Sola Scriptura Is Superior To Sola Ecclesia
First, they will try to say that the phrase “Word of God” can mean more than just the Bible. I have already granted that. The question before us is whether today anything other than the Scriptures is necessary to know the truth . . . Continue reading →
Baugh: Word Studies Can Be Misleading
Word studies dominate the resources available for Christians. Some are good and some, well, not so good. With all the word pictures, Strong’s numbers, footnotes in translations, study Bibles and more, you would think that there’s nothing more that can be said . . . Continue reading →
Bob Godfrey: What’s Going On Right Now? Sex, Race, Politics, And Power (12)—Freud
In this session, Bob Godfrey turns his attention to the effect that Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) had upon the West. Until the early 1970s the psychiatric and psychological establishment recognized homosexuality as a mental illness or a disorder. In the late 1950s, Dr . . . Continue reading →
Godfrey’s “Reformed Dream”
In North America today we have many confessionally Reformed denominations: or example, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Free Reformed Churches, Korean-American Presbyterian Church, Netherlands Reformed Churches, Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches, Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church in America, Protestant Reformed Churches, Reformed Church of . . . Continue reading →
Jerome Bolsec (2): Calvin’s Appeal For Help
To encourage that united front and confound Bolsec’s claim for support, the magistrates of Geneva sent a letter to the ministers of Switzerland, late in October, 1551, telling them of Bolsec’s actions and teaching: “He made an attempt, eight months ago, in . . . Continue reading →
Jerome Bolsec (1): The Primary Source Of Most Of Calvin’s Bad Press
The facts of the controversy are rather simple. Jerome Bolsec who was a Carmelite monk and doctor of theology in Paris, was drawn to the Reformation and so forced to leave France. By early 1551 he had settled in the canton of . . . Continue reading →
We Subscribe
The Reformation was above all a doctrinal reform in the life of the church. Throughout the Middle Ages, calls for reform had primarily been concerned with the moral life of the church. The Reformation certainly resulted in profound moral and spiritual renewal . . . Continue reading →
Latitudinarianism In The PCA Is A Big Gamble
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 →
Godfrey On Being Disestablished
We Reformed conservatives need to become missionaries in our mentality. Missionaries recognize that they are not established. They do not have power. They must understand a new culture and learn to communicate with it. They depend on the Spirit to persuade their . . . Continue reading →
Inerrancy: A Historic Christian Doctrine
Now we come to the second concern of this article. Is the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture a fundamentalist doctrine? Clearly the doctrine of inerrancy was a doctrine held and taught in the church long before the rise of fundamentalism. Luther . . . Continue reading →
Of Dominoes And Pulpits
In 1996 the first woman pastor was ordained in the Christian Reformed Church. The issue of women in ecclesiastical office had already been an issue in the CRC for over twenty years. A minority report at the 1984 Synod called into question . . . Continue reading →
Self-Censorship In The Post-Modern Academy
Each week, I seek out the office hours of a philosophy department professor willing to discuss with me complex ethical questions raised by her course on gender and sexuality. We keep our voices low, as if someone might overhear us. Hushed voices . . . Continue reading →
Brothers, We Are Not Baptists
It is possible for someone to have been brought up in a Christian home, who has never known a day when they didn’t know about the Lord Jesus, who have been taught to pray Our Father in Heaven, and have loved being . . . Continue reading →
PCA Standing Judicial Commission Rules 22–2 Against Revoice
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 →