These were the top five posts for the week beginning May 29–June 4, 2023. Continue reading →
Top Five Posts For the Week of May 29–June 4, 2023
Search results for “young restless reformed”
The Pragmatic Roots Of The Megachurch
Like all evangelical entrepreneurs, Warren didn’t simply leave everything up to God—he had a business plan. When Warren was a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, he studied the writings of church-growth advocates such as Donald A. McGavran . . . Continue reading →
On Cancelling The Christian Sabbath And The Means Of Grace
Or Why Christ Is More Important Than Christmas
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the . . . Continue reading →
The Distinction Between Law And Gospel Emerged From Augustine’s Struggle With Pelagius
When many Christians think about the Reformation, they do not think about the distinction between law and gospel. Indeed, it is a truism for not a few modern Reformed folk that the distinction between law and gospel is solely a Lutheran conviction. . . . Continue reading →
The Narcissism of Evangelical Latitudinarianism
This essay was written before I published Recovering the Reformed Confession (2008), which, remarkably and quite unexpectedly, remains in print. In it, I interacted with a book review published in Christianity Today which serves as a symbol of the way Pietists and modern evangelicals . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast For December 04, 2022: Every Tribe, Tongue, And Nation (28): Fifth Head Of Doctrine (8)
In this episode, Dr. Clark finishes his series on the Canons of Dort, concluding the Fifth Head of Doctrine and looking specifically at the Perseverance of the Saints as it is considered in Article 15. Dr. Clark also answers questions from Phil . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast For November 27, 2022: Every Tribe, Tongue, And Nation (27): Fifth Head Of Doctrine (7)
In this episode, Dr. Clark continues his series on the Canons of Dort, looking at the Fifth Head of Doctrine, specifically the Perseverance of the Saints and how it relates to the movement which Collin Hansen (2008) described as Young, Restless, and . . . Continue reading →
Review: Ben Franklin: Cultural Protestant by D. G. Hart
From the author of The Lost Soul of American Protestantism and From Billy Graham to Sarah Palin: Evangelicals and the Betrayal American Conservatism, comes Benjamin Franklin: Cultural Protestant. Part of Oxford’s “Spiritual Lives” series, the host of the Paleo Protestant Pudcast (podcast) . . . Continue reading →
“Yeah But We Are The Government”
J. H. Alsted was correct. The doctrine of justification is the article of the standing or falling of the church—the doctrine of the church. Calvin was right. The doctrine of justification is the axis around which the faith orbits. So, it must . . . Continue reading →
Christianity Today Is Not A Ministry
One of the episodes of Christianity Today‘s Mars Hill podcast series was actually about the problem of sexual harassment at Christianity Today (to their credit, after exposing the cultic nature of Mark Driscoll’s control over Mars Hill–in the sense that Jim Jones . . . Continue reading →
What A Confessional Presbyterian Learned from Luther
“What is a nice OPC minister like you doing constantly quoting Martin Luther on Twitter?” is the familiar refrain after people take a gander at my feed. Normally, I admit when I am guilty as charged, but there is no great guilt . . . Continue reading →
Reviews And Notices
Welcome to the book review page of the Heidelblog, a publication of the Heidelberg Reformation Association. We aim to publish a new review weekly, usually on Thursday. Thanks for reading! Reviews Shane Lems, Review: Zeal Without Burnout: Seven Keys To A Lifelong . . . Continue reading →
Review: Redmond, God of the Mundane: Reflections On Life For Ordinary People
In the summer of 2021, the evangelical world discussed the “Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.” Embedded in that narrative was a reference to John Piper’s famous “seashells” sermon. Many of us who came to Calvinism during that time remember this sermon. . . . Continue reading →
The Heidelcast
Welcome to the Heidelcast, the official podcast of the Heidelberg Reformation Association. The Heidelcast began in 2009, making it one of the oldest Reformed podcasts. It has released over 1,000 episodes that cover the breadth and depth of Reformed theology, piety, and . . . Continue reading →
An Overlooked Aspect Of The Story: PCA Influence On Acts 29 And Mars Hill
Regular readers of the Heidelblog and listeners of the Heidelcast will know that considerable time has been spent here analyzing and interacting with the podcast series produced by Christianity Today and hosted by Mike Cosper (see the resources below).
Was The Rise And Fall Of Mars Hill Podcast Series A Mistake?
This is the argument of Jason Estopinal. He appeals to Proverbs 10:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:11; Philippians 4:8, Proverbs 3:30, and Matthew 18 and concludes that Christians should not be fascinated by what one critic has called the “failure porn” of the Christianity Today podcast . . . Continue reading →
Mass Anesthesia: Self-Medicating Our Deconstructed Souls
Americans have always been restless. We are, after all, a nation of immigrants and once those immigrants arrived here they kept moving. The impulse to move and to keep moving is driven by dissatisfaction. Sometimes it has been dissatisfaction with the religious . . . Continue reading →
Reformation Day, The Trinity, And The Culture War
Some objected to the critics of the Federal Vision that the social crisis is too great that to be arguing about the Federal Vision. That objection has resurface in recent days in the wake of a social media post in which a prominent member of the Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement and a Baptist theologian has argued, “The Father is the Father because he sends the Son. The Son is the Son because he submits to the Father’s will. The Spirit is the Spirit because the Father and the Son send Him. There is no Trinity without the order of authority and submission” (emphasis original). As one might imagine, this line of reasoning has prompted a considerable response. In response to the critics, some have re-stated the same argument made by the Federal Visionists and their enablers in 2008: “Are we really going to start arguing about ESS again? With all the other stuff going on in the world, this is the battle some of you want to fight? Again? I seriously do not understand some of you. Like, at all.” Continue reading →
You Are Not A Canonical Actor Or How To Avoid Nightmare Alley
Episode 8 of the Christianity Today podcast, “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,” illustrates the degree to which the restless, feather-swallowing (according to Luther) anti-canonical spirit has influenced modern evangelical theology, piety, and practice. The Reformation principle (if not always its practice) . . . Continue reading →
Mark Driscoll And The Danger Of “God Told Me”
I am catching up Christianity Today’s podcast series, “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. The August 30, 2021 episode, “Questioning the Origin Myth: A Rise and Fall Short Story,” centered around what, in Reformed theology, piety, and practice, we call the internal call to ministry. In our understanding of Scripture and its outworking in the life of the church there are two aspects to the call to ministry, the internal and the external. Continue reading →