Walking in a winter wonderland. Continue reading →
The Canons Of Dork #35 For December 7, 2024
Author: R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.
Breaking the Law of Niceness
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (Matt 18:15) We have been discussing Christian rhetoric and theological discourse on the Heidelblog. This . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 6)
I have been laboring over the middle rubric of the POPLL agenda, namely persuasion, because it is much neglected and yet central to Christian social engagement in a democratic republic like the USA. I am also laboring over it because it is . . . Continue reading →
Uma Defesa da Membresia Confessional
Quem pode se juntar à igreja de Cristo e sob quais condições? Esta é uma pergunta que, às vezes, agitou a igreja. No período moderno, a maioria das igrejas, incluindo as igrejas confessionais presbiterianas e reformadas (P&R), tende a adotar uma posição . . . Continue reading →
Strangers, Exiles, And Civil Religion
Since most of us have grown up with the Thanksgiving Holiday, it is easy for us to assume that this is the way things are and should be, but it has not always been so nor is it necessarily so. The American . . . Continue reading →
Rome, Pentecostals, And Credulity
One of the creepier aspects of both Romanist and Pentecostalist piety is their virtually indistinguishable credulity about alleged “miracles.” I use the pejorative adjective intentionally because, at bottom, despite the formal differences between them, both are peddling magic and superstition—and that is . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 5)
In this part of the series, we are considering the art of persuasion—that is, convincing our neighbors of views and policies that are for the improvement of the body politic. In order to persuade our neighbors, Christians need to make three distinctions: . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 74: Somos Hijos de Abraham
74. ¿Deben los niños también ser bautizados? “Sí, ya que pertenecen al Pacto y al pueblo de Dios, al igual que sus padres, y dado que la redención del pecado a través de la sangre de Cristo y el Espíritu Santo que . . . Continue reading →
Is All Of Life Worship?
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 →
Un Muy Breve Argumento a Favor del Bautismo Infantil
Hay alrededor de 60 millones de evangélicos en Norteamérica. La mayoría de ellos asumen o mantienen una interpretación Bautista de la historia redentora, una hermenéutica Bautista (manera de leer las Escrituras), y por consiguiente, una posición Bautista de los sacramentos o signos . . . Continue reading →
The Crystal Cathedral Isn’t What It Used To Be
Editor’s note: Since this essay was first published, the Crystal Cathedral really isn’t what it used to be. In 2019 it became Christ Cathedral, the seat of the bishop of Orange. § Christianity Today reports that the Crystal Cathedral is experiencing a . . . Continue reading →
Augustine: Small Town Boy Makes Good
On this date, on the old calendar, Augustine of Hippo was born. Hippo is not his last name. It is the city where he served as bishop. The name of the town is funny in English, but it makes sense in Greek. . . . Continue reading →
What Puritan Meant According to William Perkins (1)
Who counts as a Puritan and what does that adjective mean? These are important questions that need to be investigated. Like the adjective evangelical it is widely used both in academic and popular literature but there is no consensus as to what it means or who belongs to that category. Continue reading →
To Bury Or Cremate?
The question not infrequently comes to me: “What about cremation?” This is an inherently difficult question because it touches a very personal and private decision: what to do with the remains of a loved one, or what should be done with one’s . . . Continue reading →
The Mystery Of Children’s Church
I can understand why evangelicals and others who do not have a covenantal theology would exile their children during public worship, but I do not understand why so many ostensibly Reformed congregations have adopted the practice of dismissing their covenant children from . . . Continue reading →
A Case For Confessional Membership
Who can join Christ’s church and under what conditions? This is a question that has sometimes roiled the church. In the modern period most churches, including confessional Presbyterian and Reformed (P&R) churches, have tended to take a rather different position than churches . . . Continue reading →
The Canons Of Dork #34 For November 2, 2024
Trick or treat! Continue reading →
Study While You Pray And Pray While You Study
As an ex-pietist, one of the most vicious laws under which I was placed early on in my Christian life was the “quiet time.” I was taught to carry a “verse pack” and to keep a “quiet time” journal. The younger Christians . . . Continue reading →
POPLL: An Alternative To Christian Nationalism (And Theonomy, Christian Reconstruction, Theocracy, And Christendom) (Pt 4)
There are five points to the citizenship program for which I have been arguing. The third point is persuasion. Last time we looked at some of the challenges we face in persuading our neighbors to support policies and politics that, “under the . . . Continue reading →
El Bautismo y La Circuncisión Según Colosenses 2:11-12
Lo que sigue es tomado de un ensayo más grande, “Una Defensa Contemporánea Reformada del Bautismo Infantil”: ¿Cuál es la conexión entre la Circuncisión y el Bautismo? La conexión entre el bautismo y la circuncisión es muy clara en Colosenses 2:11-12. La . . . Continue reading →