Gomer gets some vitamin sea. Continue reading →
The Canons Of Dork #27 For April 6, 2024
Spending, The Crisis, And Idols
In recent years there was a move to focus Reformed and evangelical piety on “the idols of the heart.” Of course, as one of those who agrees entirely with Calvin’s dictum that after the fall the “perpetual disposition” of human beings is . . . Continue reading →
Imaginary Differences: Part 2
Against the “fanatics”—early Anabaptists such as Thomas Müntzer, as well as spiritualists and Libertines, who claimed to receive additional revelations directly from the Spirit, apart from the Scriptures—Calvin wrote. . . Continue reading →
Imaginary Differences: Part 1
Let us begin with God’s Word as the Reformed in the classical period typically read and even heard it—in Latin: ergo fides ex auditu auditus autem per verbum Christi (“Therefore faith is from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ,” Rom 10:17). Continue reading →
The Devil’s Mousetrap: A Good Friday Meditation
I do not know your opinion of Peter Lombard’s Sentences, but it is one of the texts that we read each year in our medieval seminar. He compiled and wrote them (c. 1155–58) for his theological students in Paris. They became the . . . Continue reading →
Sub-Christian Nationalism? (Part 20)
Perhaps the most fundamental problem with the Statement appears most clearly in its final article, “On ‘Neutrality’ and the Separation of Church and State.” WE AFFIRM that the Church and the state each possess their own sphere of influence. For example, church . . . Continue reading →
Why Pastors Need A Seminary Education
Over the years many things have changed at Westminster Seminary California (WSC). In the most important ways, however, the seminary has not changed. We still believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. We still believe the historic . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 25
With this installment we come to the end of the series reviewing and critiquing John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus. Remarkably, like the Old Testament prophets searching and enquiring “carefully what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was . . . Continue reading →
Sub-Christian Nationalism? (Part 19)
While Christian Nationalists busily try to put theocratic band back together (i.e., to restore Christianity to its privileged place in American society), the culture continues to disintegrate at an alarming rate and to an alarming degree. Christians do well to spend more . . . Continue reading →
You’ve Been Invited To A [Fill In The Blank]: Should You Go?
As the culture descends further into post-Christianity and even the memory of Christianity fades in the minds of most Westerners, Christians will find themselves facing many of the same questions faced by the Christians of the first and second centuries. Many of . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 24
Chapters 22 and 23, “The Cost of Discipleship” and “The Lordship of Christ” do not add anything that MacArthur has not already said. Essentially, chapter 22 is a rejection of the Christian life of discipleship as a second blessing.273 It is interesting . . . Continue reading →
Sub-Christian Nationalism? (Part 18)
It is useful to review Augustine’s humane account of just war to refresh our memories or to introduce the reader to Augustine’s approach to war, as a background to considering the Statement on just war. In his Reply to Faustus (c. 397; . . . Continue reading →
The Secret of Knowing God’s Will (Part 3)
In 1381, Archbishop William Courtenay (c. 1342–96) held a synod at the Blackfriars in London for the purpose of condemning the Oxford theologian John Wycliffe (c. 1328–84). After the condemnations had been adopted, as Synod was breaking up, there was an earthquake. . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 23
Chapter 21 of MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus is typical of this work. There is much that is true and helpful, there is not a little irony, and there are one or two significant mistakes. Again, as I have said many . . . Continue reading →
Letter and Spirit: Law and Gospel in Reformed Preaching
Preaching begins with Bible reading and interpretation. Before a minister can preach a given text, he must decide what it says. To interpret a passage, the preacher necessarily brings to bear his broader reading of Scripture, a system of doctrine, and the history of interpretation. Continue reading →
The Canons Of Dork #26 For March 2, 2024
Gomer encounters a new Bible translation. Continue reading →
The Secret of Knowing God’s Will (Part 2)
Prior to the modern period the predominant question in the West was, “What has God said?” There were different answers to this question. Rome pointed to the church as the source of revelation and the Protestants pointed to Scripture as read by . . . Continue reading →
Audio: Covenant Curses, Confidence, and Blessings
A sermon by R. Scott Clark entitled, “Covenant Curses, Confidence, and Blessings” Editor’s Note: This audio was originally published in 2013. RESOURCES Subscribe To The Heidelblog! The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions The Heidelberg Catechism Resources . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 22
Throughout this series, despite my documented concerns about this volume, I have worked to be scrupulously fair. When MacArthur gets things right, I have given him credit for that; and he gets some things right in chapter 20, “The Way of Salvation.” . . . Continue reading →
Another Way To Respond To Satanists And Other Pagans (Part 3)
Last time we considered Justin’s First Apology (i.e., defense) of the Christians to Caesar Antoninus Pius (AD 86–161). But there is a postscript to that defense that is worth considering in order to understand the world in which and to which Justin . . . Continue reading →