Dear NAPARC Pastor,
If you think that distinguishing law from gospel is “Lutheran” Continue reading
second commandment
Why Do Confessional Presbyterian Churches Use Images Of Christ?
The Westminster Larger Catechism (a constitutional doctrinal standard of the PCA) in answer to question 109 says sins forbidden by the Second Commandment include “making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three persons, either inwardly in our . . . Continue reading →
Your Picture Of Jesus Is Inherently Idolatrous
Over the years as a pastor, I have been asked why making an image of Jesus is wrong. In fact, I have been frequently criticized for my position that making images of Jesus is forbidden in the second commandment. I have come . . . Continue reading →
The Use Of Images Is An Indicator Of The Functional Authority Of The Standards In The PCA
When the Westminster Assembly (1643–52), which was composed of Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians, deliberated on the moral law of God, they agreed on with the church of all ages and times on the abiding validity of God’s moral law. In their Confession (19.5) . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast For Sep 17, 2023: Q&A On How Prayer Is A Means Of Grace, A “Ginormous” Stained-Glass Jesus, And More
It’s a Q&A episode as Dr Clark takes a call from Lyquan in Utah about prayer as a means of grace; he answers a text about what to do about a “ginormous stained glass Jesus;” he answers a text about so-called New . . . Continue reading →
Arguments Against Images Of Christ: An Artist’s Perspective
I am an artist, so my field does not often overlap with theological issues. In this case, however, it has caused me to evaluate what it means to live in light of the second commandment. You shall not make for yourself a . . . Continue reading →
AI Images, Now and Then
If you are connected to the internet at all in 2023, you have surely seen a “new” thing: a profusion of images generated by so-called artificial intelligence (AI) prompted only by text descriptions and informed by the millions of images on the . . . Continue reading →
The Real Question is Whether There is An Objective Definition of Reformed
Part of Saturday was spent trading tweets with Matthew Milliner, who teaches Art History at Wheaton College. We had a good, genial conversation from two different confessional traditions. I am not sure, but judging by his arguments, I inferred that Matthew may . . . Continue reading →
Jesus And Trump
Garrison Keillor used to open his monologues about the fictional town of Lake Woebegon by saying, “It’s been a quiet week in Lake Woebegon” and then go on to explain how it had not actually been quiet. The way the news is . . . Continue reading →