Wisdom from Escondido URC pastor Chris Gordon: The peril of self-promotion in the Christian ministry is nothing new. Jesus himself had to deal with this problem on numerous occasions in his own disciples. The Son of God became a servant to seek . . . Continue reading →
In the previous post I tried to give some context to the claim that the USA is a “Christian” nation. There are ways in which that adjective is accurate and important ways in which it is not. Sometimes, however, when folk call . . . Continue reading →
Humans seem to be naturally drawn to niceness. Niceness is comfortable. To be nice is to be pleasant in manner, to be agreeable, to adhere to social conventions. We like to be around people who are nice at least in large part . . . Continue reading →
Every four years (and in the interim) the question of whether we should regard the USA as a “Christian” nation re-emerges. There are three ways in which this question might be considered, sociologically, historically, and biblically-theologically. Under each rubric the case for . . . Continue reading →
Chris Castaldo (HT: Justin Taylor) takes issue with R. C. Sproul’s claim: The indisputable fact is that Rome made a number of strong, clear theological affirmations at the Council of Trent. Because Trent was an ecumenical council, it had all the weight . . . Continue reading →
The latest Office Hours is just out. In this episode Office Hours talks with John Fesko, Professor of Systematic Theology and Historical Theology at Westminster Seminary California, about his new commentary on Galatians. We talked about the setting of Galatians (when, where, to . . . Continue reading →
Mike Horton, my colleague at WSC, spoke recently at Covenant College (Lookout Mt, GA) on the connections between a two-kingdoms analysis and the various neo-Kuyperian approaches to the relations between Christ and culture. Matt Tuininga was there and filed this report at . . . Continue reading →
Kathy Keller has reviewed the new book by Rachel Held Evans, A Year of Biblical Womanhood. Held Evans is frustrated with evangelical “complementarianism” so she set out to live as if there were no New Testament and as if Jesus’ hadn’t fulfilled . . . Continue reading →
Veteran readers of the HB may remember that I expressed concern in 2009 over a comment by William Evans, The Younts Professor of Bible and Religion at Erskine College, about what he called the need for a “decisive break with the ordo . . . Continue reading →
Part 3: Original Sin Perkins’ third point against Rome concerned the assurance of salvation. According to Perkins, the Protestants and Rome agree that: A man in this life may be certain of salvation; and the same thing does the Church of Rome . . . Continue reading →
Introduction Many Christians today take it as an article of faith that God must deliver Christians from trials and tribulations. This is an age in which Benny Hinn’s ridiculous books have sold millions and he is but the latest charlatan selling health . . . Continue reading →
That’s remarkable. I didn’t know he was still alive. All my copies of his books are decades old. When I learned this morning that he died yesterday I was ashamed of myself that I had read so little. Barzun is one of . . . Continue reading →
Part 2 Why is [Covenant] Nomism So Attractive? No one but God knows what’s is in the hearts of other people, so I’m not judging or speaking to personal intentions. We can, however, look at the history of Christian theology and draw . . . Continue reading →
Hywel Jones is a dear friend but more importantly he is a dear preacher of the Gospel. In chapel on Tuesdays he’s been preaching through Isaiah 55 focusing on the well-meant, sincere, offer of the gospel. Here’s a recent message. Here are . . . Continue reading →
In the first part we quickly introduced the basic doctrine of covenant nomism, namely that God has established a system whereby sinners are admitted to the covenant by grace and they stay in or they retain that status or they retain the . . . Continue reading →
Last season Office Hours went to the desert. The theme for the season was “Desert Island Books.” I sat down with each member of the faculty to talk about those five books each faculty would want with himself were he stranded on a . . . Continue reading →
We’re coming up on Reformation Day again this seems like a good time to cover the basics again. The medieval church came to teach that we enter a state of grace through baptism. According to the medieval church, we remain in a . . . Continue reading →
That slogan puzzled me the first few times I heard it but I think I understand it more clearly now. I was puzzled because the word “scholar” means “student.” It’s a Latin word derived from the noun Schola or school. A scholar . . . Continue reading →
Cal Thomas has a column in the October 12 issue of WORLD magazine on one of the more important figures in the history modern American Christianity, Sister Aimee Semple McPherson. Thomas writes, Aimee was more famous than any TV evangelist today. She . . . Continue reading →
The AP ran a story yesterday on the naming of seven new Roman “saints.” According to the story, “Two of the new saints were Americans: Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint from the U.S., and Mother Marianne Cope, a 19th century . . . Continue reading →