practical theology
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Abandoning The Faith In College. “That’s Me In The Corner…Losing My Religion.”
R.E.M. released their hit single Losing My Religion in 1991. Although a great song in its own right, we probably don’t want to base too much theology on the provocative, even sometimes debated, lyric: “That’s me in the cornerThat’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion” But putting 90’s alternative rock aside, how many times Continue reading
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Confessional Defection With Good Intention Is Still Confessional Defection (Ongoing Challenges In The PCA)
I’m afraid for a particular presbytery of the PCA. In the relatively recent past the Philadelphia presbytery of the PCA admitted a Teaching Elder who held to the continuation and practice of the charismatic gifts of prophecy* and tongues, which is strange doctrine that is either hostile to the Westminster standards or strikes at the Continue reading
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A Calvinist’s Hope And Behavior – Participating In God’s Purposes By Faith
The aim of this piece is to identify some key theological differences between Calvinism and Arminianism in order to draw out a few practical benefits of adopting a distinctly Reformed mindset that applies to hope and behavior in the midst of trials. Some initial theological spadework must occur before trying to unearth the practical usefulness Continue reading
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Evangelicalism and RINOs (Reformed In Name Only), A Different Religion?
Reformed theology and practice entails many different attitudes, beliefs and practices relative to Evangelicalism. In that respect the two faith communities can seem like different religions with respect to feel, creed and application. Highlighted below are some basic principles that distinguish Evangelicalism from the Reformed faith. Those differences are rooted primarily in how the two Continue reading
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Abusing The Abused Within The Church (Soul-Murdering In The Name Of Refuge)
There is danger in not defining sin in biblical terms. This secular practice has unfortunately infiltrated the church and led to much confusion. A related problem is reasoning by false disjunction. For instance, if one is a superior, which is to say of riper age, of greater grace, or more eminent in stature, his greater Continue reading
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Faith And Justification In The Life Of Infants
In Chapter 14 of the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), saving faith is distinguished from believing. This distinction, which has implications with respect to infants and those who might suffer from cognitive impairment, is made plain when the standards teach it is by the grace of faith that the elect are enabled to believe to the Continue reading
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A Response To A Popular, (Yet Inadequate), “Reformed” Antidote to Federal Vision’s Use Of The Warning Passages
Like a robust Christian worldview, a Reformed system of doctrine should be consistent, coherent and explanatory. What this means is: (a) the components of a sound theology may have mystery but not contradiction; (b) although theological constituent parts should be assessed discretely, they must be evaluated in light of the whole so that each ingredient Continue reading
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Christian, No, You May Not Marry That Roman Catholic (or any other Roman Catholic for that matter)
Christians may marry only in the Lord. This means that at the very least Christians may not marry faithful Roman Catholics, Muslims or any other unbelieving idolater, all of whom maintain damnable heresies. (1 Corinthians 7:39; WCF 24.3; See also: Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3,4; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18) A question that in more recent times accompanies Continue reading
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Of God’s Eternal Decree In Light Of Four Commentaries on WCF 3.2. Have we drifted?
It has been my contention for many years that the doctrine of God’s eternal decree is widely misunderstood, even unwittingly denied, within the Reformed tradition. Having served on a pastoral search committee in the OPC and candidates and credentials team in the PCA at the presbyterial level, I’ve seen a fair share of candidates for Continue reading
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Covenant, Election And Realized Eschatology
The four part drama of creation, fall, redemption and consummation is not just soteriological but eschatological and covenantal. This is to say, the whole of redemptive history is according to promise and fulfillment. Yet perhaps less familiar to many of us is that redemption in Christ has made the future now present. With respect to Continue reading
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Parents And The Apostasy Of Covenant Children
There is nothing more amazing than the grace of salvation conferred to those who are afar off. And although conversion of covenant children is no less a matter of grace, pious parents ought not to doubt the election and subsequent conversion of their children. Because covenant children are not among those who are afar off Continue reading
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An Essential Tenet Of Reformed Theology *Is* Determinism. The Reformed Need To Embrace It.
When it comes to the question of whether Reformed theology entails a principle of determinism, either disagreement abounds among Reformed theologians or else many within the tradition are talking by each other. Perhaps some are in theological agreement over this essential aspect of Reformed theology while expressing themselves in conflicting ways. Perhaps. Regardless, there is Continue reading
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Internet Sin vs. Biblical Sanctification
We live in a day in which personal testimony is considered more powerful than the ordinary means of grace. Many young men who are believed by profession to have entered through the narrow gate that leads to life have become indistinguishable from those that remain on the broad road to destruction. Because succumbing to internet Continue reading
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False Teaching Among The Prominent Non-Confessional Reformed: From Lordship Salvation to Today’s Christianity and Culture In The PCA
A pastor can be more or less Reformed, but a doctrine either is or is not Reformed. A debtor to mercy The church will always have to war against false gospels. From the time of the Judaizers to this very day, the church has been bewitched by sacerdotalism, syncretism, decisional regeneration, social gospels, prosperity gospels, Continue reading
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What About Those Who’ve Never Heard of Jesus? Would a chance even after death change anything?
When it comes to the question of the eternal state of those who’ve never heard of Jesus, at least three views have gained attention over the years, all of which entail Christ’s redemptive work. 1. Good works release Christ’s benefits. 2. The Holy Spirit baptizes people into Christ. 3. People will get a chance to Continue reading
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Don’t Look Now But Your “Reformed” Theology Might Not Be Confessional
In recent years the debates of the Reformation period have taken priority over the theology of the debates. Somehow possessing vast acquaintance with multiple sides of doctrinal disputes has in some circles become more academically impressive and pastorally relevant than possessing an intimate working-understanding of which doctrines are theologically Reformed and defensible. Consequently, there has Continue reading
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The Failure of Classical Apologetics in the light of Biblical Contextual Reality (A Case For Presuppositional Apologetics)
At the heart of Christian apologetic methodology is the consideration of ultimate authority. How the authority of Scripture should shape the Christian’s defense of the faith is a matter of bringing every thought captive to obey Christ, (even as the Christian gives an answer for the hope that is in him, with meekness and fear). Continue reading
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Westminster Civil Ethics vs R2K Natural Law on Kidnapping
Christians and non-Christians alike have grieved this past week while also trying to process ethical questions regarding longtime convicted kidnapper Cleotha Abston who is being charged with abducting and murdering Eliza Fletcher. Many ethical questions are at hand and convictions run passionately deep regarding how those questions might best be answered through a Reformed Christian Continue reading
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Dining Out on The Lord’s Day
My father grew up in the borough of Brooklyn, in a neighborhood just north of “Bed-Stuy” called Williamsburg. Those familiar with the district know that in the early 1900s with the completion of the bridge that bears the neighborhood’s name, Hasidic Jews from the “Lower east Side” began populating the community along with other immigrants Continue reading
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Divorce, censure, and session responsibility
We synthesize particular biblical principles in order to compose theology that is biblical, practical and compassionate. Under the gospel of Christ there exist two permissible reasons for divorce: adultery and willful desertion. (Matt.19:8,9; 1 Cor. 7:15) Elders often have to judge whether certain acts of the flesh constitute adultery. Elders also have to decide whether Continue reading
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The Philosophical and Moral Impotency of Natural Law in Refuting Homosexuality
Although all men know by nature that homosexuality is sin, it’s only through Scripture that one can adequately defend the claim. (Natural theology types are free to try sometime.) Since most people are autonomous in their thinking it’s understandable why most cannot justify with any consistency (and without avoiding arbitrariness) the claim that homosexuality is Continue reading
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Seeds of Apostasy and Congregant Responsibility
If you’re not grieved by the infidelity of the church, then with this post you’ll find little relevance. Churches don’t become apostate overnight. Apostasy begins with elders having a faith and practice that is contrary to their confessional standards. Within the confessional pale, elders don’t typically deny their ordination vows overtly. It’s rare that an Continue reading
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The Free Offer Of The Gospel, Not What You’ve Been Told!
Q. What is effectual calling?A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel. WSC Q&A 31 Moreover, it Continue reading
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Proof of Infant Baptism by way of Promise and Precept
Here is a link to a SS class that presents much of the same material. Proof-texting versus Theology It is the hermeneutic of the cults and not that of historic Christianity that seeks merely one or two Bible verses for all true doctrine. This should come as little surprise when we pause to consider that Continue reading
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A Robust Depravity – A Return To Calvinism
Total Depravity, as often depicted: In the Reformed tradition, total depravity does not mean utter depravity. We often use the term total as a synonym for utter or for completely, so the notion of total depravity conjures up the idea that every human being is as bad as that person could possibly be… As wicked Continue reading
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John MacArthur’s Lordship Salvation
In this post I addressed the aberrant view that justifying faith is assent alone apart from trusting in Christ. Therein I made a passing reference to another extreme view of faith – the “Lordship Salvation” gospel whose advocates not only define justifying faith without reference to the Reformed view of trust, but also add forsaking Continue reading
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The Second Commandment And Films Depicting Jesus
Many Christians believe that the second commandment has always only been against making an image of God and using it as a worship aid, like Roman Catholicism promotes in practice. (The Eastern Church’s icons are usually up for grabs.) A growing number of Protestants who avoid crucifixes and such will say that the commandment is addressing Continue reading
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Christianity, a Philosophical Worldview
Christianity isn’t an addendum to life, a past time of sorts or hobby that one may pick up for a while only to drop later should life become too busy. Rather, Christianity is a philosophical view of all of life. It’s the web through which a believer interprets God, men and things. In a word, Continue reading
Philosophical Theology 