Since the early 19th century American Christianity has been largely dominated by a revival of the original Anabaptist theology, piety, and practice. One can transpose much of what took place in the 19th century over the fist generation Anabaptists (1520s) and it . . . Continue reading →
In view of the controversy over the recent Strange Fire conference up the road, it seemed like a good time to re-post this HB classic from 2008. § James K. A. Smith has an interesting post at CT: Teaching a Calvinist to Dance. . . . Continue reading →
Luther wrote a little booklet entitled “A Simple Way to Pray” and Keller makes extensive use of it. Near the end of chapter 6, he mentions that Luther taught that one should always be alert and ready to hear the preaching of . . . Continue reading →
What happens is that contemporary evangelical and charismatic folk describe ordinary phenomena in extraordinary, apostolic terms. They identify non-apostolic phenomena as apostolic. That is cheating but it is rhetorically powerful and persuasive. Many evangelicals do not want to live in the post-canonical, in between time. It is a drag. People want a power religion. Judged against the neo-Pentecostal and charismatic claims, Reformed Christianity seems decidedly weak and powerless (see all of 2 Corinthians). Continue reading →
Since the Second Great Awakening, in the 19th century, modern evangelical theology, piety, and practice has come to be dominated by various species of what are really expressions of the original Anabaptist theology, piety, and practice in the sixteenth century. They were . . . Continue reading →
One of the first things I learned when I became an evangelical Christian in 1976, the year America elected a self-proclaimed “Born Again” Christian (Jimmy Carter), was that every Christian should expect to hear a “still small voice” from God. I learned . . . Continue reading →
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 →
In my Baptist seminary I had a class that required me to do devotions in John Calvin’s, Institutes of the Christian Religion. What shocked me was how much Calvin’s theological arguments were inundated with Bible references from the totality of the scriptures (not just parts). When Calvin spoke of baptism, he spoke from the totality of the Bible, not merely a few references in Acts. It was in that moment that I saw the stark contrast from my reformed-ish circle. We talked a lot about the Bible and had a lot of assumptions that we brought to the Bible; but Calvin taught much from the Bible and drew his assumptions about the Bible from the Bible itself. Continue reading →
This is episode 17 in the series, What Must A Christian Believe? In our survey of the rule of faith, i.e., the Apostles’ Creed, we have reached the eighth article, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Before the outbreak of neo-Pentecostalism in . . . Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark begins a new series exploring the history of, the biblical teaching about, theology, piety, and practice of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark begins discusses the question of the source of the modern Pentecostal movement. Did it begin in the second century? Were all the ancient Christians “charismatic”? Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark discusses the major Pentecostal movement in the second century, the Montanists. Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark discusses some more patristic texts regarding continuing charismata in the second century, medieval examples of continuing revelation and the Pentecostal wing of the early Anabaptist movements and some early Reformed responses, which complicate Pentecostal and charismatic claims. Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark discusses Calvin’s response to the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements of his day. Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark looks at what the Reformed churches confess about continuing revelation. Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark looks at what the Reformed churches confess about the doctrine of illumination. Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark interacts with a prominent Baptist Christian Nationalist and reviews a significant volume on the theology and practice of some of the Westminster Divines concerning continuing revelation. Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark begins the second section of the series as the turns to Scripture and begins to make the case for the uniqueness of special revelation and what Scripture means by “signs and wonders.” The opening audio comes from Chad Vegas’ Den Dulk lecture on leading a congregation to Reformed theology, piety, and practice. Continue reading →
In this episode Dr Clark looks at what the Bible says about prophets, beginning with the pattern established by God in Deuteronomy 18. Continue reading →