Time was that church historians also taught church polity and what is sometimes called pastoral theology. This was, I suppose, because we used to recognize that the study of the history of the practice of the church gives a certain insight into . . . Continue reading →
Riddlebarger: In Honor Of Warfield’s Centenary
B. B. Warfield died of an apparent heart attack on February 16, 1921. I thought it might a fitting tribute to talk about Warfield bibliography. One hundred years after his death, Warfield’s collected works are still readily available: The ten-volume “Oxford” set . . . Continue reading →
In A Shocking About Face Some Americans Want To Go Back To The Pre-Civil Rights Era
I ask that Smith College stop reducing my personhood to a racial category. Stop telling me what I must think and feel about myself. Stop presuming to know who I am or what my culture is based upon my skin color. Stop . . . Continue reading →
Why Your Congregation Should Have An Evening Service
For a long time, it was assumed that Reformed churches would hold a service both on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. Although still practiced in many congregations, this pattern is no longer necessarily the expectation or assumption concerning how the Lord’s Day . . . Continue reading →
You Are Not God. You Do Not Speak Things Into Existence
Holy Scripture teaches us that God spoke “in the beginning” out of nothing (ex nihilo) to create all things that are by the power of his Word. Continue reading
Of Luther, Limbaugh, And Losers (Relax, It’s A Joke)
On this date in 1546 Martin Luther went to be with our Savior, Jesus. Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh died and we hope that he too was received into the loving arms of the Savior. Both men were in desperate need of the unconditional . . . Continue reading →
With Presbycast In The Cantina On Common Grace, Nature And Grace, Eschatology, And Christian Liberty
The Presbycast guys are at it again, this time they have set up an online Star Wars Cantina. It is a rough neighborhood but they took good care of me and I escaped unhurt. I cannot speak for all the other guests . . . Continue reading →
Trueman: Why You Do Not Need Lent
The imposition of ashes is intended as a means of reminding us that we are dust and forms part of a liturgical moment when sins are ‘shriven’ or forgiven. In fact, a well-constructed worship service should do that anyway. Precisely the same . . . Continue reading →
Ministry Is Not Business
If you must apologize to retain market share, Continue reading
How The Free Offer Of The Gospel Helps Us Understand The Warning Passages
So, we are to indiscriminately proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all without distinction. It is a genuine offer of the Gospel. We know that none hearing the Gospel have the ability in themselves to believe unless God regenerates them, but that . . . Continue reading →
Why I Am A Christian
The State Of Christianity In America The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about . . . Continue reading →
Boston: Believers Are Not Under The Moral Law As A Covenant Of Works But As A Rule Of Life
Objection: But does not the apostle say, Rom. 6:14. ‘Ye are not under the law but under grace?’ and Gal. 5:22, 23. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, &c.—against such there is no law?’
Perkins: The Bishop Of Rome Is Peter’s Successor In One Respect Only
[T]he bishop of Rome is Peter’s successor, not in teaching but in denying Christ.
William Perkins: Both Justification And Salvation Are Through Faith Alone
“Faith therefore justifies because it is an instrument to apprehend and apply that which justifies, namely, Christ and His obedience. As the Israelites stung of fiery serpents were cured, so are we saved (John 3:14). The Israelites did nothing at all, but . . . Continue reading →
Warning Signs About The State Of Evangelical Pop Culture: The Visible, Institutional Church Matters
The evangelical world is gravely ill. The disease is not Covid-19. It is not even what you might suppose it to be. After all, we should not be surprised to find out about sin within the highest precincts of Big Eva. The . . . Continue reading →
Is Your Church Preparing You For Trials?
There was once a time that we lived “normal” lives. We Americans could have been excused for thinking that life was all about creature comforts. Many of our churches even reflected and encouraged this in their teaching and worship. Living your “best . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 173: As It Was In The Days Of Noah (17): Defending And Giving Witness To The Faith
According to Peter, we are living in days like Noah, as our Lord said. People are marrying and giving in marriage, Noah was announcing the gospel of free salvation and the coming judgment, and then the flood came. So it is for . . . Continue reading →
If Everything Is A “Construct” To Be Deconstructed Then Why Not Pedophilia? Leading Deconstructionists Approved Of It
“French law recognises in 12- and 13-year-olds a capacity for discernment that it can judge and punish,” said a second petition signed by Sartre and De Beauvoir, along with fellow intellectuals Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, Jacques Derrida; a leading child psychologist, Françoise . . . Continue reading →
Living Through A Time Of Great Loss
Americans born after World War II, for most of that time, have experienced prosperity and medical progress hitherto unknown in human history. We have been led to expect that, given enough resources, medical science can conquer virtually anything. In an undated story . . . Continue reading →
Spiritual Abuse Is Real
When you talk to people who have been under abusive leadership, certain words often come up: authoritarian, manipulative, controlling, mean, cruel, vindictive, defensive, and unable to take criticism. Things don’t always start out this way. Often this sort of abusive behavior will . . . Continue reading →