We treat the physical results of capitalism as though they were an inevitability. In 1955, no captain of industry, prince, or potentate could buy a car as good as a Toyota Camry, to say nothing of a 2014 Mustang, the quintessential American . . . Continue reading →
You Are Not Special
“Homosexual” And “Homosexuality” In The New Testament
Below are some notes I compiled as part of a broader discussion about how Christians ought to think about homosexuality. The argument was made that the Bible does not really speak clearly to the question of homosexual behavior. In response I offered . . . Continue reading →
Murray To Azusa Pacific Students: Think For Yourself
The task of the scholar is to present a case for his or her position based on evidence and logic. Another task of the scholar is to do so in a way that invites everybody into the discussion rather than demonize those . . . Continue reading →
Providence: God’s Active, Almighty, Present, Power (1)
From the moment Adam sought to grasp equality with God (Phil 2), from the moment he mysteriously rebelled against God’s sovereignty and hiddenness (“You shall be as God”), from the moment he ceased to love and adore the triune God, since that . . . Continue reading →
An Elitist Mob Tells The Unwashed Masses
As with all such discussions, an elitist few take it upon themselves to tell the unwashed masses what they may and may not say — or by logical extension, what they may or may not think. These self-appointed arbiters of speech and . . . Continue reading →
Christian Witness In Beirut To Jesus’ Resurrection
(HT: Stella Morabito)
The Canons Of Dordt
Every one knows the acronym TULIP, but not everyone knows where this acronym comes from. The Canons of Dordt are among the most famous but unread deliverances of any Reformed Synod. The canons are more than five letters. The canons teach a pastoral doctrine . . . Continue reading →
Earth Day Irony
(HT: Roy Spencer, PhD)
Calvin Didn’t Say Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda
These participles, reformata and reformanda, were not constantly on Calvin’s tongue. However, it is clear enough that his pattern was to use reformata as an adjective to describe a church that is more or less free of liturgical and theological abuses, and . . . Continue reading →
Of Coarse Jesting, Wisdom, And Christian Liberty
A faithful reader of the HB wrote to ask about to think about seeking God’s glory while hanging out with and having a good time with the guys. Here’s my expanded reply: How do we think about hanging out with the guys . . . Continue reading →
Saturday And The Silence Of The Lamb
During this season, which many Christians call “Holy Week,” I am perversely drawn to Saturday. Perhaps it is because the Saturday between “Good” Friday and Resurrection Day is, for others a sort of relief. For them it is a day off from . . . Continue reading →
Mollie Is Ok With Being A Woman
I love being female, and I’m actually quite confident about being a woman, but the only time I even come close to feeling bad about myself is when major media outlets and elite feminists use their power to tell me there’s some . . . Continue reading →
Is Humanism Evil?
David asks, The term “humanism” seem to incite disgust in most conservative Christians today but I have heard Calvin and other reformers referenced as “humanists.” What is the difference between the word’s use in that context and the present one? Renaissance humanism . . . Continue reading →
Creator, Sustainer, Father (2)
In the first part we looked at the doctrine of God embedded in Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 26. The catholic (universal) Christian doctrine of God summarized in the catechism is in antithesis to modernist doctrine(s) of God in process or contingent upon us creatures. . . . Continue reading →
Dislocation, Fear, and Dependency
In her 1995 book Cults in our Midst, Margaret Thaler Singer (d. 2003) explores in detail the methods and processes of coercive persuasion. These methods are used not just by cult leaders, but by anyone who manipulates the behavior of others in . . . Continue reading →
Of Blood Moons, Lunatics, and Snark
John Hagee, the controversial leader of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio (anointed by none other than W. A. Criswell) has announced that the series of lunar eclipses (tetrads) that began about 2:00 AM today, which will be repeated in October 2014, April . . . Continue reading →
S. M. Baugh On The Pilgrim’s Prayer (pt 1)
Prayer is not as easy as it looks, especially when we are completely confused about those things for which we ought to ask. That was the situation in which the disciples found themselves. When they said to our Lord, “teach us how . . . Continue reading →
Not Your Opa’s GR
Most think of Grand Rapids as a bastion of Dutch Reformed identity. Again, the reality is somewhat different than the image. Right now, about 20% of the population is of Dutch ancestry, 80% is not. Sadly, while the Dutch (my own heritage, . . . Continue reading →
Uncreated, Immense, Eternal
But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the . . . Continue reading →