It is universally known that every time we gaze upon a rainbow in the sky, placarded before our eyes is the great original set by our creator, generally received in seven colors. To be sure, scientists today use spectrometers to discern many . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Heidelberg Catechism 105—What Does It Mean To Forbid Murder?
The Heidelberg Catechism is one of the most beloved and well used catechisms to emerge from the sixteenth and seventeenth century Reformation. Published in its final form in 1563, the catechism has been used by millions of Christians to teach the faith . . . Continue reading →
The Counterfeit Rainbow
The rainbow was popularized as an official symbol of the gay community in the early 1970s. Consider the two authoritative constructions of the rainbow from the LGBTQ community: …2. The accepted designation for each color of the rainbow is believed to have . . . Continue reading →
The Canons Of Dort On Law And Gospel
In the Canons of Dort the Reformed churches distinguish law and gospel. Continue reading →
Christianity Today Is Not A Ministry
One of the episodes of Christianity Today‘s Mars Hill podcast series was actually about the problem of sexual harassment at Christianity Today (to their credit, after exposing the cultic nature of Mark Driscoll’s control over Mars Hill–in the sense that Jim Jones . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Heidelberg Catechism 104—What Does It Mean To Honor Authorities?
The Heidelberg Catechism is one of the most beloved and well used catechisms to emerge from the sixteenth and seventeenth century Reformation. Published in its final form in 1563, the catechism has been used by millions of Christians to teach the faith . . . Continue reading →
“Hear, O Israel”
Contemporary Judaism, like love, is a many-splendored thing. For our own convenience, we often refer to three types of Judaism: Reformed, Conservative, and Orthodox, but there are many variations even within these three. Nonetheless, practicing Jews of any brand have a common . . . Continue reading →
Sobre la justificación en Romanos y Hebreos
Uno no suele pensar en Hebreos cuando se trata de la doctrina de la justificación, sino que normalmente vamos directamente a los escritos de Pablo. Pero Hebreos en realidad contiene mucha enseñanza que contribuye significativamente a la doctrina más amplia de la justificación . . . Continue reading →
The Dynamics Of Conformity Lead To Death
Everybody needs to learn about the dynamics of conformity. Blatant censorship, hostility to free speech, and campaigns to demonize mainstream American views were all unthinkable scenarios for most Americans just a few years ago. But here we are. When we start self-censoring . . . Continue reading →
SCOTUS: 1st Amendment Protects Americans From Gov’t Reprisal For Engaging In Personal Religious Observance
Did The Court Just Replace The "Lemon Test"?
Held: The Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect an individual engaging in a personal religious observance from government reprisal; the Constitution neither mandates nor permits the government to suppress such religious expression…. …Here, no one questions that . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Heidelberg Catechism 103—How Should Christians Keep The Sabbath?
The Heidelberg Catechism is one of the most beloved and well used catechisms to emerge from the sixteenth and seventeenth century Reformation. Published in its final form in 1563, the catechism has been used by millions of Christians to teach the faith . . . Continue reading →
The Five Points Of A Calvinist (On Having A Care For Visitors)
I do not remember exactly when I read Jack Miller’s 1986 critique of the NAPARC world, Outgrowing the Ingrown Church, but I suspect it was about 1990. I was pastoring a small NAPARC congregation and I had been charged with helping the . . . Continue reading →
Christian Reformed Church “Codifies Homosexual Sex As A Sin”
The Christian Reformed Church, a small evangelical denomination of U.S. and Canadian churches, voted Wednesday (June 15) at its annual synod to codify its opposition to homosexual sex by elevating it to the status of confession, or declaration of faith. The 123-53 . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast For June 26, 2022: Every Tribe, Tongue, And Nation (6): First Head Of Doctrine (3)
Perhaps the most fundamental complaint of the Remonstrants against Reformed theology, the concern that most animated Arminius’ desire to revise Reformed theology, was the charge that the Reformed view makes God the author of evil. In his desire to fix this problem . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Heidelberg Catechism 102—May We Swear Reverently By Saints?
The Heidelberg Catechism is one of the most beloved and well used catechisms to emerge from the sixteenth and seventeenth century Reformation. Published in its final form in 1563, the catechism has been used by millions of Christians to teach the faith . . . Continue reading →
Blessed Through Israel: God’s Promise Of Free Grace
Acts 15, and Luke’s account of the Jerusalem Council reminds us that the apostolic church placed its confidence for all of its life and missionary endeavors clearly in the gospel of free grace and justification sola fide. Paul’s gospel was revealed to . . . Continue reading →
Nature, Grace, And Film
I love a good film. I took three courses in film criticism as an undergraduate. They were more difficult than one might think. First, taking notes in the dark is challenging and reading them afterward is even more difficult. Second, I had . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Heidelberg Catechism 101—May We Swear Reverently By God’s Name
The Heidelberg Catechism is one of the most beloved and well used catechisms to emerge from the sixteenth and seventeenth century Reformation. Published in its final form in 1563, the catechism has been used by millions of Christians to teach the faith . . . Continue reading →
The End Of Roe, Doe, And Casey
The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. Pp. 8–79. …(a) The critical question is whether the Constitution, properly understood, confers . . . Continue reading →
Secular When It Should Be Sacred
A significant part of the process of recovering and applying classical Reformed theology to our contemporary situation (sometimes called ressourcement, a French word which refers to getting back to original sources) is recovering the distinctions that we lost in the 19th and . . . Continue reading →