In John’s Latitudinarian Garage

I don’t know what’s in your garage, but from time to time mine has become pretty cluttered and stuff has to be pitched. What we keep and what we pitch says something about us. People have theological garages too, in which they . . . Continue reading →

Sola Scriptura and the Limits of Special Revelation

Darryl has a great post at Old Life featuring a quote from Ken Myers on the limits of Scripture. A lot of non-confessional evangelicals and too many ostensibly confessional evangelicals misunderstand sola Scriptura.They think it means either that, if the Bible doesn’t . . . Continue reading →

On Defining Conservatives, Liberals, Latitudinarians, and Good Behavior

Pastor (Teaching Elder) Brian Carpenter has an update about the FV controversy in the Siouxlands Presbytery (PCA).  In two PCA presbyteries men are doing the hard work that needs to be done for the sake of the peace and purity of the . . . Continue reading →

On Precisionism and Latitudinarianism (Again)

In 1520 Martin Luther published one of his most influential treatises, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church. in it he attempted to set the church free from bondage to human opinion by unleashing again, as it were, God’s Word as the . . . Continue reading →

For Elders Thinking Of Inviting Arminius Into Their Pulpit

From the time he entered the pastoral ministry, James Arminius (c. 1559–1609) was a controversial figure but he was also a minister in good standing in the Reformed Churches. Despite the intense controversy that his views and teaching generated, views that fractured . . . Continue reading →

The State Of Evangelical Theology 2020: The Crisis Deepens

For a few years now Ligonier, in conjunction with Lifeway, has been conducting surveys of Americans (and others) to track the state of American Christianity. They want to know, as they write, what “Americans believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible.” . . . Continue reading →

Payne: The PCA Already Has A Creed

Creating space for these unbiblical cultural creeds in the PCA will facilitate serious and irreparable damage and division. Therefore, they must be rejected. There is no room for compromise. The Assembly’s voting margins from last week foster hope that the PCA’s future plans do not include tent expansion. We mustn’t make room for Side B and CRT. Continue reading →

Should They Stay Or Should They Go?

It’s a question that more than a few PCA elders and members are asking right now. The recent Standing Judicial Commission’s (SJC) decision to reject the complaint against Missouri Presbytery has left many disheartened. Moreover, the current presbytery voting tallies on Overtures . . . Continue reading →

What Does It Mean To Be “Confessional” (E.g., In The PCA)?

Becoming Self-Consciously Confessional When I was introduced to Reformed theology, piety, and practice I do not think that very many people were talking about being “confessional.” Indeed, the idea of creeds (e.g., the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed etc) confessions (e.g., the . . . Continue reading →

Good News For The Reformed Churches: Small Is In Again

Walnut Creek RCUS Kansas City

“According to the recently released Faith Communities Today study, half of the congregations in the United States have 65 people or fewer, while two-thirds of congregations have fewer than 100.” Continue reading →

Latitudinarianism In The PCA Is A Big Gamble

Many of us were raised in broad evangelicalism. We left that for what we thought was an intentionally confessional denomination. We love confessionalism because it both guards our fidelity to Scripture and offers a firm foundation for unity. By definition, confessions of . . . Continue reading →

A Word To The PCA: Fathers, Do Not Exasperate Your Brothers (1)

There is a kind of therapeutic psychology rampant among the elite in Western culture’s ivory towers and it has made its way into our seminaries and churches, beguiling some and maddening others. Continue reading →

A Word To The PCA: Fathers, Do Not Exasperate Your Brothers (2)

We may not bludgeon sincere men with cries of “Peace! Peace!” where there is no peace. We may not neglect the reasonable concerns of our brethren by naïvely asserting that everyone is trustworthy and in one accord merely by virtue of their ordination. Continue reading →