Eugene Osterhaven called this “the most difficult and disputed” article in the confession.1 As will appear below, the desire to revise this article has existed in the Reformed churches in both the Netherlands and in the USA since the late 19th century . . . Continue reading →
Search results for “two kingdoms”
Theses on Covenant Theology
1. Prolegomena Covenant theology structures all of Biblical revelation. The form of the covenants revealed in Scripture was borrowed from and is accommodated to the ancient near eastern world and must be understood in that context. Covenant is the most coherent explanation . . . Continue reading →
Natural Law and Light in the Reformed Confessions (Updated)
Originally posted Oct 29, 2008. Revised April 4, 2011. In the modern period, particularly in the 20th century, many Reformed folk became uneasy with the traditional Reformed language concerning “natural law.” As one who began to enter the Reformed world circa 1980 . . . Continue reading →
More on Theocracy (Updated)
A brief response to Micah Burke. He’s unhappy that I want to exclude theocrats and Baptists from the definition of the adjective “Reformed” and he argues, in effect, that I’m being selective. I’ve explained at great length here why those who deny . . . Continue reading →
Colson Calls for Doctrinal Boot Camp: But Which Doctrine?
In 1994 Chuck Colson attempted to convince evangelicals that the decline of the culture was so precipitous that they needed to set aside the historic Protestant doctrine of justification in favor of an intentionally equivocal statement about how we are accepted by . . . Continue reading →
"Tough Grace" Is Not Grace (and It’s Not Law Either)
In an unsigned editorial yesterday CT came out in favor of what it calls “tough grace.” The presenting issue or symptom is CT’s concern that Christian institutions are failing to be both “tough” and “gracious” simultaneously. The argument is that the fall . . . Continue reading →
We Expect the AAUP to Speak Up
An adjunct prof at the University of Illinois has been fired for offending a student (engaging in “hate speech”). What was that “hate speech”? He dared to contrast a natural-law approach to homosexuality with other approaches (HT: AR). RELATED POSTS Natural Law, . . . Continue reading →
Using the Common to Advance the Sacred or Using the Sacred to Advance the Common?
One need not be a Christian to observe truths about the way organizations work. Those true observations are what I mean by “common” (not neutral). They are true because they are observations about the nature of God’s general process, even if they . . . Continue reading →
Christ and Culture Reading List (Updated)
Richard Wolfe wrote to the HB to ask for about reading that he and his pastor might do in preparation for the upcoming WSC faculty conference, Christ, Kingdom, and Culture. In response I thought of the “Christ and culture” volumes that were . . . Continue reading →
More Audio: Myers and Willimon
Two excellent and stimulating interviews. First, of the last three episodes of the White Horse Inn, their analysis of the survey of the responses by 90+ attendees to a Christian rally in St Louis was most enlightening. 67% of the respondents disagreed . . . Continue reading →
A Cultural Warrior’s Meditation for Reformation Day
A recent correspondent pointed me to a bulletin insert offered by the PCA Christian Education and Publications Committee. The theme of the insert is the “Reformation, Calvin, and Government.” There are two questions here. The first is historical, the second is pastoral . . . Continue reading →
Calvin, Natural Law, and the Imperial Presidency
David Neff at CT has been reading John Witte, Jr on natural law and the two kingdoms. Darryl Hart replies to Neff.
A Remarkable Story
Michael is a visitor to our congregation. He has a gift and zeal for boldness in witness. You may remember that, a while back, he was robbed. Well, he had another encounter with one of his robbers.
Was the Reformation a Big Misunderstanding?
This topic has arisen before on the HB. Not long ago we discovered that, contrary to some suggestions, the Pope is, in fact, not a Protestant. Before that we saw that, contrary to the assertion of Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom, the . . . Continue reading →
World and Life View: License to Baptize?
James Bond, Agent 007, had a “license to kill.” There are Reformed folk who also seem to have “license” of some sort or other based on what they call “the Christian world and life view” (hereafter, CWLV). This concept is interesting because . . . Continue reading →
Another Problem with the Inaugural Prayer
I’ve already listed Five Issues with the Inaugural Prayer. Now there’s a sixth. I didn’t hear or see the inaugural prayer but I have read it. One thing that Newsweek’s Lisa Miller didn’t mention is that, as part of the prayer, Warren . . . Continue reading →
Re-Thinking Christ and Culture
There are a couple of recent competitors to Niebuhr’s classic, Christ and Culture. The WHI guys interviewed the Craig Carter, author of a recent book on this topic. It’s stimulating. Carter is right that Constantinianism (ancient and modern) is borne of an . . . Continue reading →
Molly Worthen on Mark Driscoll (and Calvin)
You should probably read Molly Worthen’s essay on Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill (HT: Justin Taylor). I don’t know if she gets Driscoll right. If (that’s a big condition. It means if the condition isn’t met then what follows is irrelevant) what she . . . Continue reading →
What Richard John Neuhaus Means to Me
A number of evangelical and socially conservative blogs and publications are marking the death (not “passing” but that’s another post) yesterday of Richard John Neuhaus at age 72. It is not remarkable that social conservatives are weeping today. After a career as . . . Continue reading →
Five Issues with the Inaugural Invocation
1. That is exists. I realize that it is tradition, but so what? Oddly, many of the same people who inveigh against a “state church” will be thrilled that “one of our guys” gets to pray the invocation. Well, Rick isn’t exactly one . . . Continue reading →