In article XIII: On the Great Commission, the Statement says, Article XIII: The Great Commission WE AFFIRM that Christ’s commissioning of His Church to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded includes . . . Continue reading →
In Article X, under the heading, “On Nationalism and Policy Priorities,” the Statement says: WE AFFIRM that nations possess an inviolable right to establish justice and safeguard the peace and prosperity of their own citizens. We affirm that implementing Christian Nationalism in . . . Continue reading →
The 14th GA met in the elegant Academy of Music (a performing arts center) in the city center of Philadelphia, June 23–27, 1986. In addition to sweltering summer temperatures, a sanitation strike threatened conveniences. Nevertheless, the Assembly met in city center Philadelphia, . . . Continue reading →
Recently it has been argued (on a podcast co-hosted by Mary Katherine Ham and in an op-ed by David French) that parents have the right, if they will, to subject their children to sex re-assignment surgery. French objects to the alleged interference . . . Continue reading →
Finally, we come to the recently published Statement On Christian Nationalism and the Gospel (hereafter, the Statement).1 The authors of this document are as follows, according to the website: James Silberman (Communications Director at Free the States and columnist for The Federalist) . . . Continue reading →
In a recent essay, I tried to make the case from Westminster Confession 31.4 (in the American version; 31.5 in the 1648 edition) that the current transgender crisis does not fall under “cases extraordinary,” and thus, ecclesiastical assemblies should not be petitioning the . . . Continue reading →
The term nationalism is inherently slippery. Indeed, the idea of a nation, as we think of it, is fairly new. We should not assume that there have always been sovereign nations the way that we think of them in the Modern period. . . . Continue reading →
Indeed, given Calvin’s distinction between two spheres of God’s kingdom, we need not agree with Mormons on theological questions in order to cooperate with them socially. We may even cooperate with Muslims, Hindus, and agnostics (e.g., the late Nat Hentoff 1925–2017, who became an outspoken critic of abortion on demand) who share certain basic convictions about civil life. To cooperate, we need only agree that there exists certain fixed, embedded laws in creation. Continue reading →
In 2008, another blogger (Russ Reeves) made some thoughtful comments on my essay, “Christ is Lord of All But…” This post was made in response to his comments. The original essay was recently republished on the Heidelblog, and you can find that . . . Continue reading →
For many members of the so-called New Right, one thing is clear: Classical liberal principles are not getting the job done. The left, after all, has no compunction about using the state to go after conservatives. As far as those illiberal progressives . . . Continue reading →
On Feb. 6, Lila Rose, founder of Live Action and one of the most articulate pro-life advocates in the public square, spoke in chapel at Westmont College, an evangelical liberal arts university in Santa Barbara, Calif. Surprisingly, out of the roughly 1200 . . . Continue reading →
The question of thinking like a Christian is an important topic and one close to my heart. We discuss this very question each fall in the Historical Theology orientation course. We read and discuss a roundtable discussion published some years ago in . . . Continue reading →
For the entire history of the church until, quite recently, the Psalter was the songbook of the Christian church. It was something shared across denominational boundaries. The Apostolic church sang the psalms and the post-apostolic church continued, in different ways, in the . . . Continue reading →
What do you cherish most about the doctrine of adoption?
There are three things that should be mentioned. First, it is the God by whom we have been adopted that makes adoption significant. Continue reading →
There are a number of ways to look at the current divisions that are emerging in traditional Protestant and evangelical circles in the United States. The old fault line between those who affirm and those who deny the reality of the supernatural—the . . . Continue reading →
A federal court has ordered Southwest Airlines and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) to give former flight attendant Charlene Carter her job back after she was allegedly fired over her stance on abortion. As CBN News reported in July, after a five-year legal battle, . . . Continue reading →
U2 emerged, of course, at the perfect time. It was the moment of the rise of postmodernism as a cultural mood, with its emphasis on pop culture and its prioritizing of surface over depth. Bono’s ability to draw on biblical themes in . . . Continue reading →
A federal court has ordered Southwest Airlines and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) to give former flight attendant Charlene Carter her job back after she was allegedly fired over her stance on abortion. As CBN News reported in July, after a five-year . . . Continue reading →
Happy New Year from the Heidelblog! This is the 15th year of the Heidelblog (including its progenitor) and the top posts of the year reflect the happenings in the P&R world and beyond. The virus has subsided, but the spiritual effects continue to . . . Continue reading →
A fetus in a woman’s body is not like a kidney or other organ that has always been part of her. Her well-being does not depend on the fetus. She can live with the fetus or without it. The fetus is something . . . Continue reading →