…the future of the evangelical church as glimpsed from Orange County might be no church at all. Robert Schuller’s brand of worship might just turn out to be nothing more than a spiritual fad. As the generation that embraced it—middle-class, baby-boomer whites . . . Continue reading →
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 is professor emeritus of church history and historical theology at Westminster Seminary California, where he taught for 29 years. He also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007 and the Heidelcast since 2009.
Should I Buy It?
Frequently I receive the question in my inbox: “Should I buy this book?” What I would like to say is, “Yes, buy every book but don’t buy every book you buy.” I think it is a good idea to own and read . . . Continue reading →
Doris Lessing On The Habits Of Mind Inherent In Political Correctness
…Of course, I am not suggesting that the torch of Communism has been handed on to the political correctors. I am suggesting that habits of mind have been absorbed, often without knowing it. There is obviously something very attractive about telling other . . . Continue reading →
Harold Camping Dies At Age 92
According to a statement released by Family Radio, Harold Camping (1921–2013) has died (HT: Sarah Pulliam Bailey—Her RNS story) When the internet became available to the public, after connections became fast enough to allow pages to download in less than 30 minutes, . . . Continue reading →
Geerhardus Vos On The Creation Days
30. To what is appeal made to support the nonliteral interpretation? a) To the fact that sun and moon (or rather the rotation of the earth around its axis in relation to the sun) were not yet present. As we know, the . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Sanctification, Perfectionism, And Romans 7
There are many ways to err in the doctrine and practice of sanctification. One of the most egregious errors the church has faced, which continues to afflict believers, is the teaching that believers can and should reach “entire sanctification” in this life. . . . Continue reading →
Ralph Erskine: The Greatest Sin Is Pardonable By Christ’s Righteousness
It is a great sin to think any sin little; but it is a greater sin to think the righteousness of Christ is not above all sin. Our disobedience is the disobedience of man; but Christ’s obedience is the obedience of God: . . . Continue reading →
Wisdom On Introducing Psalm Singing
1) Many people do not know you can sing the psalms (at least, other than Psalm 23, 62, and 100). “The psalter” is a foreign term, and even after people are introduced to singing psalms, they find it incredibly awkward to actually . . . Continue reading →
What Is True Faith? (9) Its Gospel Agency
In part 8 we saw that the source of true faith is the sovereign, powerful, re-creating work of the Holy Spirit. Ordinarily, however, he works through what the classic Reformed writers, including Calvin, and the Reformed churches call “the means of grace” . . . Continue reading →
Maybe Darryl Had A Point? Driscoll v. Catholic Creeds
I don’t know why people are not debating whether Driscoll should even be writing books. —Darryl Hart, “Tribalists All” Second, the Apostles’ Creed [sic] defines the Son as “begotten, not made.” The point was that something begotten was of the same substance . . . Continue reading →
On Troubling The “Top Men”
. . . criticism of certain leaders of evangelicalism who seek to exert massive influence in the evangelical world but who eschew proper accountability to that world is not identical with criticism of God’s people tout court. It is specifically criticism of . . . Continue reading →
Distance Ed: After The Hype
Tamar Lewin (HT: Kendrick Doolan) writes in Tuesday’s NYT “two years after a Stanford professor drew 160,000 students from around the globe to a free online course on artificial intelligence, starting what was widely viewed as a revolution in higher education, early . . . Continue reading →
Available Now: Gillespie Against English Popish Ceremonies
“Gillespie’s famous book is a vitally important work in the history of the Scottish Reformation, but it is much more than simply that. It has abiding and profound value for all who are committed to knowing, applying, and following the Word of . . . Continue reading →
Check Out Monergism.com
Thanks to Kim Riddlebarger, for the heads up. John Hendryx runs a great website, Monergism.com. He’s a friend of the Heidelblog and has been very helpful about letting readers know what’s happening at the HB. He’s given Monergism.com a makeover. It’s an . . . Continue reading →
On Catechetical Preaching
The reason this is a wonderful practice is that this type of preaching demonstrates the unity of Scripture. In reality, different texts from various authors and generations testify to a unified body of truth. This manner of preaching ensures that we develop . . . Continue reading →
The Ninth Commandment And The New Media (UPDATED)
The ninth commandment is still a part of the moral law of God. It requires that all humans tell the truth. It says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” As my dear friend Don Treick always says, “It’s in . . . Continue reading →
Don’t Wait Until Your Father Gets Home
It’s past time to talk sensibly about spanking. Parents in this country seems living under a double oppression: (1) the unfounded notion that spanking may damage the psyche of their children; (2) fear of being reported to the child welfare authorities for . . . Continue reading →
It’s Here Before They Announce It
It was not until the outbreak of war, on September 1, 1939, that the Nazi regime became openly totalitarian and openly criminal. —Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (New York: Penguin Books, repr. 1992), 68.
Religious Freedom Watch: Prescribing The Good Life
Just changing terminology from “medical care” (curing illness) to “healthcare” (maintaining physical and emotional health) and then making government responsible to ensure the latter puts the state in a position to define the good life, i.e., the correct values people should have. . . . Continue reading →
The Christmas Story As You’ve Never Heard It Before
When we think of Christmas, we probably don’t think of Genesis 19 and Lot’s daughters. It’s one of the more difficult stories in Scripture. It’s an ugly story of doubt and worse. As Pastor Gordon notes, in this sermon, some have said . . . Continue reading →