A Plan, A Plague, and A Passover.
I was driving through town and I noticed the logo on a Ford truck and I was impressed by how well the artwork has held up since the 1920s. That made me think of companies that have tried to change their “brand” . . . Continue reading →
The Standing Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church in America ruled that the Missouri Presbytery erred when it failed to find a strong presumption of guilt that [Teaching Elder] Jeffrey Meyers holds views contrary to the Westminster Standards (BCO 34-5) when it . . . Continue reading →
It is not because we have renounced any article of the catholic faith. We are not heretics. We cordially receive all the doctrines contained in that Symbol which is known as the Apostles’ Creed. We regard all doctrinal decisions of the first six ecumenical councils to be consistent with the Word of God, and because of that consistency, we receive them as expressing our faith. We therefore believe the doctrine of the Trinity and of the person of Christ as those doctrines are expressed in the symbols adopted by the Council of Nicea AD321, that of the Council of Constantinople AD381 and more fully that of the Council of Chalcedon AD451. Continue reading →
some of the most acute and chronic relational hurts Christians experience is within the believing community. Continue reading →
Part 2 The next point of contention is over the doctrine of original sin, i.e., the teaching that “in Adam’s fall sinned we all.” The issue is not whether we sinned in Adam but whether, as Perkins put it, “after baptism…how far . . . Continue reading →
Cheesy yes, but you won’t forget it will you? The HB is self-hosted but you can help the HB defray the cost of renting space on the computer and of bandwidth (the cost of accessing a web page). There are no ads on . . . Continue reading →
Each fall I teach a lecture course on the Ancient Church and a seminar on Patristics. For the first half of the seminar we use Michael Holmes (3rd edition) of the Apostolic Fathers. The Apostolic Fathers is a collection of texts mainly . . . Continue reading →
Dennis Johnson picks up where Steve Baugh left off in our discussion of the book of Hebrews. This episode features Dr. Dennis Johnson, Professor of Practical Theology, who begins where Steve Baugh and I left off. Dennis is Professor of Practical Theology . . . Continue reading →
Join Bob Godfrey and me for the Central Valley Conference on Reformed Theology, November 2-3, at Zion URC in Ripon, California. Things kick off Friday evening at 7:30PM. Bob Godfrey will answer the question: Is the Reformation Over? He says “Yes!” On . . . Continue reading →
“‘Come to me a you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest’ or ‘I will be your rest.’ How good are we at pleading with people? Do people get the impression from us not only that there is a feast but that God wants them there and that you want them there?” Continue reading →
Part of Saturday was spent trading tweets with Matthew Milliner, who teaches Art History at Wheaton College. We had a good, genial conversation from two different confessional traditions. I’m not sure but judging by his arguments I inferred that Matthew may identify . . . Continue reading →
In 2013 the Heidelberg Catechism will be 450 years old. To mark this event Karla Apperloo-Boersma and Herman Selderhuis have edited a new volume (hardcover, 440 pages) on the catechism. According to Amazon it’s $56.00 (HT: Michael A. G. Haykin). Thus begins the . . . Continue reading →
In the ongoing dialogue regarding the relations between “Christ” and “Culture” one of the slogans that gets tossed about concerns a “nature/grace dualism.” I see people using this expression as if everyone knows what it means or as if it means the . . . Continue reading →
The main concern is that TGC comprises folk who do not confess the same understanding of the church and sacraments. Continue reading →
Part 1 In his treatise defending the Reformation understanding of Scripture against resurgent Romanism Perkins counted 22 issues between Protestants (his term) and Rome: 1 Of Free-will. 2 Of Original sin. 3 Assurance of salvation. 4 Justification of a sinner. 5 Of . . . Continue reading →
There are truly important works that have simply been forgotten or unjustly ignored. One of those is William Ames’ Fresh Suit Against Human Ceremonies in defense of the Reformed theology and practice of worship. Another is William Perkins’ 1597 treatise, A Reformed . . . Continue reading →
Just finished recording another session with Steve Baugh on Hebrews. This episode covered Hebrews 7:18–28. This is the fourth season and we’re approaching our 100th episode. In that time we’ve discussed many things, including a lot of Scripture, but this is the . . . Continue reading →
USA Today has a story on recent Pew Forum survey that shows that 48% of Americans are “Protestant,” 22% Roman, and 20% are slotted under “none,” and 6% under “other” (the greater share of which one guesses is Islam, which is gaining . . . Continue reading →
John Preston (1587–1628) was a Reformed English theologian and preacher. He was dean of Queens College, Cambridge, master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, regular preacher at Lincoln’s Inn, and chaplain to the King. His Wikipedia entry seems accurate enough. James T. O’Brien has . . . Continue reading →