Sometimes a doughnut is just a doughnut. Continue reading →
The Canons Of Dork #16 For May 6, 2023
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.
On Comity And Mission
Comity between churches is a topic that few in NAPARC dare raise. Darryl Hart, however, wrote this piece doing just that. Many are reluctant to talk about the comity agreement because it is not always observed—likely few church planters or pastors even . . . Continue reading →
Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT): A Post Mortem
Since the 1994 publication of Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT), the evangelical body has been convulsed periodically over the doctrine of justification. The patient, to strain a metaphor, sustained a second attack in 1998 with the publication of ECT II or The . . . Continue reading →
Was Machen Gay?—Or, How Not To Do History
When I read Steelman’s essay, I tried to do so with an open mind. After all, until I saw Machen’s letter to his mother, I did not know concretely about his segregationist convictions. Honesty requires that we incorporate that fact (without exaggerating it or any single fact) into the story about Machen and into my understanding of who he was and what he did. Continue reading →
Luther Was Not Just Another Moral Reformer
Yet that is exactly what Cardinal Walter Kasper would make of him (the original article is now only available to Times subscribers). There were a lot of moral Reformers before, during, and after the Reformation. Luther was not one of them. The . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 4
In his introduction, MacArthur asks what is perhaps the central question in this debate: “What is the gospel?”36 He says that it is not merely an academic question (and all God’s people say, Amen!). He is exactly right when he writes, “And . . . Continue reading →
Natural is Not Neutral
In 2008, another blogger (Russ Reeves) made some thoughtful comments on my essay, “Christ is Lord of All But…” This post was made in response to his comments. I agree with him that it may be that we agree more than it . . . Continue reading →
Why You Should Change Your Mind About Reformed Scholasticism
Why you should change your mind about Reformed Scholasticism: Scott Clark explains what’s at stake with Pilgrim theology Dr. R. Scott Clark (DPhil Oxford University) is a historical theologian who has taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Concordia University, Irvine, . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 3
In his preface to the anniversary edition of GAJ (2008), MacArthur tells the story of how this volume came to be—emerging from a series of 226 sermons in the Gospel of Matthew, over the span of seven and one-half years.31 For what . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 2
Before we dive into the preface of GAJ, we should shore up two points from the first installment: 1) The Modernity of Dispensationalism; and 2) The fundamental nature of the distinction between law and gospel. Dispensationalism: A Modern Paradigm Dispensationalism is a Modern . . . Continue reading →
Is the Offering an Element, a Circumstance, or Neither?
The Reformed churches order their worship services according to the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW) This principle says that we must do only that which God has commanded in his Word. When planning the elements (see below) of a service, the only . . . Continue reading →
Muether on Van Til: A Review
It is hard to overstate the influence of Cornelius Van Til on confessional and conservative Reformed theology since the early twentieth century. I will use myself as an example because I think that what I experienced is fairly representative of what others . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel According To John (MacArthur)—Part 1
The controversy over the so-called Lordship Salvation doctrine has its proximate roots in a series of sermons through the gospel of Matthew preached by John MacArthur from about 1978 to 1985.1 He published the first edition of The Gospel According to Jesus . . . Continue reading →
Saturday Psalm Series: Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and Instruments in the Vulgate (Part 2)
The Latin Bible was a major formative influence on the way the Reformed theologians interpreted Scripture. The King James Version/Authorized Version (1611) particularly reflects the influence of the Latin Bible, but its influence reverberates in many English translations. It influenced their word . . . Continue reading →
Why It Is Reasonable To Believe In Jesus’ Resurrection
The resurrection is central to the Christian faith, as the apostle Paul tells us, For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised: and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is meaningless; you are still in your . . . Continue reading →
Is Baptism A Secondary Doctrine?
More than one person has said to me, through the years, that baptism is a “secondary doctrine” and not a doctrine over which the church should be divided. Obviously, confessional Baptists do not agree with such a claim, or else they would . . . Continue reading →
On The Monday After Easter: What Now?
It is the Monday after Easter Sunday, the most important day in the church calendar. For many, it is a time of great busyness as the typical practice is set aside in favor of flowers, choirs, and more. Big family brunches, lunches, . . . Continue reading →
Saturday Psalm Series: Holy Saturday In Light Of Psalm 62
King Jesus would know silence in a way that David never could because he was not merely wounded and abandoned. He was murdered in the most brutal way the Romans knew. He was publicly humiliated and shamed, and then, they hoped, silenced by being placed in a tomb.
Continue reading →
The Three Marys: A Good Friday Meditation
They are present in John’s gospel as objects of his love. Yes, Mary was standing (stabat) but she was standing there with the other two Marys not as Mediatrix and not as co-Redemptrix, but as a sinner saved by the favor of God alone (sola gratia), through faith alone (sola fide). Continue reading →
Reformed Christians and Lent
Reformed Christians have at their disposal great resources to recover a richer and deeper piety of self-denial. In his exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, the English Reformed writer William Perkins devoted fifteen pages to discussing Matthew 5:16, “when you fast,” . . . Continue reading →