Heidelcast 33: Muether On Van Til

by on August 23, 2013

Cornelius Van Til is one of the more important figures in modern Reformed history. He was much influenced by Abraham Kuyper but he also had other influences and he has influenced generations of American (and other) Reformed pastors and teachers. He is . . . Continue reading →

Prepping For Season 5: The Office Hours App

by on August 22, 2013 | 1 Comment

New listeners are joining us daily and the new season of Office Hours: “New Life in the Shadow of Death,” is just around the corner (Sep 9, 2013), so it seems like a good time to mention that Westminster Seminary California has . . . Continue reading →

What Is A Seminary?

by on August 22, 2013 | 3 Comments

The question arose on a discussion board  as to how a theological seminary relates to C. S. Lewis’ distinction between “education” and “vocational training.” The premise of the question was that one had to choose between the two, relative to a university I . . . Continue reading →

Heidelcast 32: D. G. Hart On Union With Christ

by on August 22, 2013 | 8 Comments
Heidelcast

The doctrine of union with Christ has been a controversial issue in Reformed circles for several years. On the surface, judging by the older Reformed writers and by the Reformed confessions, it is difficult to see exactly why the doctrine of union . . . Continue reading →

Riddlebarger On The Buzz Vs Reformation In The OC

by on August 21, 2013 | 2 Comments

Kim Riddlebarger spent his summer sabbatical profitably and one of the things he did was to write a series of fascinating posts on evangelicalism in Orange County, California during the 1970s—2013. It’s not an exhaustive account but it does illustrate well the . . . Continue reading →

Covenant Theology Is Not Replacement Theology

by on August 21, 2013 | 83 Comments

Recently I had a question asking whether “covenant theology” is so-called “replacement theology.” Those dispensational critics of Reformed covenant theology who accuse it of teaching that the New Covenant church has “replaced” Israel do not understand historic Reformed covenant theology. They are imputing . . . Continue reading →

Eating Sausages: Wall Street Journal Reviews Hart

by on August 20, 2013 | 1 Comment

Barton Swaim has a substantial and positive review of the latest from Westminster Seminary California’s own D. G. Hart in Today’s Wall Street Journal. It won’t be available online for a few days but if you can’t wait and you don’t subscribe . . . Continue reading →

Office Hours: World Traveler Takes Students On A Trip

by on August 19, 2013 | 1 Comment

Charles Telfer, Westminster’s soft-spoken language prof, is widely traveled both geographically and theologically. He began his spiritual journey as in the American mainline. From there, like a lot of other people, he moved on to Buddhism and thence to neo-Pentecostalism and finally arriving . . . Continue reading →

Grammar Guerilla: Him, Her, Whom, He She, and Who

by on August 19, 2013 | 11 Comments
Guerilla-Gorilla

Since the wizards of education theory gave up on Latin as a “dead language” English grammar has declined. It doesn’t have to be that way. Learning Latin (or Greek) does improve English grammar but you can improve your English usage without learning . . . Continue reading →

Can’t Plant A Psalm-Singing Congregation In An Urban Metro?

by on August 19, 2013 | 14 Comments

Don’t tell that to the brothers and sisters at Grace URC in Torrance, California. They’ve been in existence for 12 years and are completing a significant expansion of their worship facility as needed by their growing congregation. Mrs Heidelblog and I spent . . . Continue reading →

You Mean That There’s More Than "Shine, Jesus Shine"?

by on August 16, 2013 | 21 Comments

Do you realize that, for people of a certain age, let’s say those born since 1980, “Shine, Jesus Shine” (published in 1987) is now a “traditional hymn”? It’s about as “traditional” for those generations as revival songs from the early 20th century . . . Continue reading →