One of the valuable things I learned from Rushdoony was the idea of the inescapable concept. It is not whether we will impose morality through our laws, but rather which morality we will impose. It is not whether there will be an ultimate god for every political system, but rather which god it will be. …
The Loyal Opposition
Okay, so the Republicans had a really bad, losing season. They have fired the head coach, but kept the rest of the coaching staff on and gave them all big raises, in the hopes of perpetuating the mischief somehow. It will probably work. There is no elected Republican on the national stage with any kind …
The Glory of the Obvious/Romans 4
INTRODUCTION: God the Father is prominent in the first three chapters of Romans. God the Son figures largely from the middle of three to the end of five. And then the Holy Spirit is central from chapters five through eight. We have the wrath of the Father, the propitiation of the Son, and the liberating …
Topsy Turvy Judgments
In his book on the psalms, C.S. Lewis commented on the difference between the Jewish view of judgment and the Christian view. The Christian, he said, thinks of judgment as a criminal trial with himself in the dock. The Jewish mentality thought of it as a civil proceeding, with himself as the plaintiff. This explains …
Don’t Force It . . .
Lane and I continue on. First, Lane says, “The instrumentality of obtaining the glorified state was works in the first covenant, and faith in the second covenant. This is non-negotiable.” Suppose I were to say something like this — would Lane find it acceptable or not? I am honestly asking. “The instrumentality of obtaining the …
Not the Only One
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 155 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool Cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage (Pr 26:6). Other proverbs have addressed the difficulty of getting good help. This addresses the same principle, but with a twist. …
Arguing High Theology with the Hot Dog Vendor
One of the testing points of wisdom is the matter of identifying what the real issue is. In ancient rhetoric, this is what stasis theory was about — what is really at issue? What is the hinge upon which all turns? Luther complimented Erasmus at the conclusion of The Bondage of the Will because he …
The Just Shall Live By Faith
The center of the chiasm that is Habakkuk contains the phrase, “The just shall live by faith.” It is the central point of that book, and Paul cites it in a way that shows it to be the central point of Romans. A sermon on all that is found here.
The Importance of Fathers
Most boys growing up need to be taught their strength, as when they are horsing around with their younger siblings. They are bigger, stronger, and much more influential let us say, than they think they are. But this need for teaching this lesson doesn’t disappear when boys get past the horsing around stage. In their …
Mercy and the Divine Warrior
If we talk about “balancing” the attributes of God, we can easily fall victim to our own metaphor. These are not discrete elements that can be placed on a balancing scale, with justice making the left side go down, and mercy making the right side go down. Rather, God intervenes in our story, and He …