All truth is God’s truth. —Augustine A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence. —David Hume Bertrand Russell said, “Perhaps you may say that it would be rather a pity if Christian education were to cease, because you would then get no more Rationalists.” I concur (though I admit I can’t tell if he […]
How Reformed Theology taught me to be a Freethinker Read More »
Lee Irons posted some wonderful excerpts from 19th-century Scottish minister John Colquhoun’s "A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel." His first quote from pp. 55-56 presents an excellent summary of covenant theology: The violated covenant of works [in Adam]… was not, and could not be, made or renewed with the Israelites at Sinai; for
Sunday Night Theology: Law and Gospel in Colquhoun and Wright Read More »
Over the weekend we went to a friend’s wedding. During the wedding, people kept mentioning divorce statistics. Basically, the saying went like this: The divorce rate is approximately 50%. The divorce rate among Christians is no better, also 50%. The conclusion is then made that the people being surveyed were not true Christians, because the
Marriage stats and prayer Read More »
Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! (Psalm 150:3, ESV) αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν ἤχῳ σάλπιγγος αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ καὶ κιθάρᾳ (Psalm 150:3, LXX) gui·tar… Etymology: French guitare, from Spanish guitarra, from Arabic qītār, from Greek kithara cithara (m-w.com) I’ve already had to deal with the issue of a capella worship
Praise him with the κιθάρα… Read More »
Here is another great Michael Horton quote from the CRI article on authoritarianism: Scripture admonishes us, [with Christ’s words ‘my kingdom is from another place’] to avoid either the tendency to confuse the kingdom of God with an earthly nation (Israel, America, etc.) or, on the other hand, to view citizenship in one kingdom as
Dual citizenship is not antithetical Read More »
Does your church have one statement of faith for elders and a different one for members? Are you so sure this is a good idea? Dr. R. Scott Clark writes, It is not obvious that establishing two levels of subscription, one for laity and another for ordained officers, is either biblical or consistent with the
Clark on Two-Level Subscription Read More »
I’ve come across an article from CRI about the authoritarianism and isolationism of the Pearls and the entire movement of which they are just one arm. Author Rachel D. Ramer traces it back to the theonomy of R.J. Rushdoony: Considered the father of Christian Reconstructionism, Rushdoony has stated, “All the basic governmental powers in society,
Authoritarianism, isolationism, and their theonomic roots Read More »
For any of you who may be lurking on my blog, wondering what happened to the series on Mike Horton’s book Introducing Covenant Theology, I have not forgotten it. I took time out to read Kim Riddlebarger’s A Case for Amillennialism, and now I’m reading R. Scott Clark’s Recovering the Reformed Confession. The young church
Observe: “Jesus can help me get a promotion and he can relieve my stress.” –John Frame “God is concerned about human happiness, even in the details of our lives.” –John Frame “Preaching cannot possibly have the precise emphasis that Scripture has, for its work is not to replicate Scripture but to apply Scripture to its
Some interesting quotes, and a response Read More »
You may remember my recent post about the “Evening of Eschatology” at Bethlehem Baptist. Justin Taylor posted recently on What You Must Believe if You Are a Premillennialist, and included a lengthy chapter (really too long for a blog post) reprinted from a Sam Storms work-in-progress. Then Jim Hamilton posted a rebuttal, reiterating his argument
"My kingdom is not of this world…" Read More »