…one of the justifications for Protestants today revising and rejecting the classical theism of Nicaea and subsequent Nicene developments is the assertion that the Reformers did not subject the doctrine of God to the same rigorous examination in light of scripture as . . . Continue reading →
Divine Sovereignty, Evil, Mystery, and “Calvinism”
Recently, a well-meaning “New Calvinist” (more on this nomenclature in part 2) posted some very blunt language on Twitter about the relationship between divine sovereignty and various ways in which people suffer in this world. He wrote that if you experienced X . . . Continue reading →
AGR On Romans: The Power Of God For Salvation (14)
Romans is one of the greatest resources available to the Christian faith and life. Written in the mid-to late AD 50s to the congregation in Rome, Paul sent this pastoral letter to make clear the gospel, that salvation is from the Lord, . . . Continue reading →
Was Agabus Wrong? Or Why Sola Scriptura Is Still Right
In Acts 21 we read a somewhat startling episode involving a New Testament prophet named Agabus: This is the same Agabus of whom we read earlier in Acts: Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of . . . Continue reading →
Canons Of Dort (22): The Application Of Redemption Is A Mystery Wrought Through Means
Christians have long struggled to affirm the truth that God saves freely, sovereignly, unconditionally and the truth that he uses means to bring his elect to new life and true faith. During the Middle Ages particularly, the church came to think that . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: From Ryrie To Reformed
There are about 60 million evangelicals in North America. A good percentage of them are part of a nineteenth-century movement known as Dispensationalism, which was founded by the English clergyman John Nelson Darby (1800–82), who was ordained in the Church of Ireland . . . Continue reading →
It Is A Super Lord’s Day Not A Super Bowl Day
In 2018 an estimated 111 million people watched the Super Bowl. That is about 1/3 of all Americans. In our media-fragmented age, in our cord-cutting age, in our on-demand age, rarely do that many people watch the same thing at the same . . . Continue reading →
Pro-Abortion Guttmacher Institute Reveals The Motivations For Late-Term Abortions
So, why do these babies die? The Guttmacher Institute has looked at the reasons for late-term abortion, and the reasons are chilling. First, the top-line finding is clear: “[D]ata suggest that most women seeking later terminations are not doing so for reasons . . . Continue reading →
Pro-Abortion Guttmacher Institute Tells The Truth About Late-Term Abortions
…[M]ost women seeking later terminations are not doing so for reasons of fetal anomaly or life endangerment. Guttmacher Institute, 2103 quoted in Jonah Goldberg, “Abortion Maximalists Claim the Moral Low Ground,” National Review February 1, 2019.
AGR On Romans: The Power Of God For Salvation (13)
Romans is one of the greatest resources available to the Christian faith and life. Written in the mid-to late AD 50s to the congregation in Rome, Paul sent this pastoral letter to make clear the gospel, that salvation is from the Lord, . . . Continue reading →
The Gospel Of The Synagogue Vs. The Gospel Of The Son Of God
Years ago I remember hearing a wise elder say to me that if my sermon could be accepted in a Jewish synagogue then it is not a distinctively Christian sermon. I’ve thought a lot about that over the years. What makes Christian . . . Continue reading →
Southern Presbyterians Did Not Invent The Spirituality Of The Church
For at least 200 years, the doctrine of the spirituality of the church developed without any reference to slavery. To suggest that Southern Presbyterians invented the spirituality of the church to sidestep the issue of slavery is to ignore the presence of . . . Continue reading →
Canons Of Dort (21): The Atonement Is Not Universal But The Offer Of The Gospel Is
At the heart of the debates with the Remonstrants, as Gomarus said, between the Reformed and the Remonstrants was the gospel and its efficacy. Does the gospel announce that Christ has made salvation possible for those who do their part or does . . . Continue reading →
What Legalism Is And Is Not
What is legalism? The charge of legalism is so carelessly flung around today that people have no idea what the term means. It’s become a catch phrase to write off any teaching of God’s moral law. There are three ways this term . . . Continue reading →
Living In An Ephesians 4:17 Moment
The flood of bad news easily overwhelms us these days. Some of us are old enough to remember when we did not know who was doing what to whom in Iceland right at the moment but we live in a world when . . . Continue reading →
Audio And Video: Unconditional Election And The Free Offer Of The Gospel In The Canons Of Dort
Watch the video here. RESOURCES Subscribe To The Heidelblog! Download the HeidelApp on Apple App Store or Google Play The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions The Heidelberg Catechism Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, . . . Continue reading →
AGR On Romans: The Power Of God For Salvation (12)
Romans is one of the greatest resources available to the Christian faith and life. Written in the mid-to late AD 50s to the congregation in Rome, Paul sent this pastoral letter to make clear the gospel, that salvation is from the Lord, . . . Continue reading →
On Being Reformed On Sale For 9.99 25 January 2019 Only
This volume appeared last fall but the price point (as the sales people say) was rather high. On 25 January 2019 the e-book will be priced affordably at 9.99 in dollars, pound sterling, and euros. Order here. Here is an interview about the . . . Continue reading →
Of Razors, Corporate Responsibility, Virtue Signaling, And “Toxic Masculinity” (2)
In the first part of this essay I critiqued the new Gillette ad mainly from nature (creation). There are certainalienable, natural truths built into the nature of things. One of those is that males are biologically, sexually, psychologically, and socially different from . . . Continue reading →
Canons Of Dort (20): God Unconditionally Saves Those Who Are Totally Unable To Save Themselves
One of the features of Synod’s reply to the Remonstrants is Synod repeated essential parts of their reply under the different heads of doctrine. So, in the Third and Fourth Heads of Doctrine they re-stated the Augustinian and Reformed doctrine of original . . . Continue reading →