“If the sacraments are thought of a covenant actions between persons, rather than as static, ontological realities contained within the font or resting on the Table, we do two things. We avoid the swamp-like superstitions of true sacerdotalism, as well as the arid rationalism that detaches all of our actions from what they are meant to seal for us.”
Jumping Off the Barn
“Brash and confident, the inventor stands perched on the roof of the barn. Strapped to his arms, and across his back, is a flying contraption of his own devising. It is made of wood, wire, and canvas; a modern Daedelus stands ready to take flight. He believes, and believes strongly, that he has conquered the …
Reading Both the Word and the World
Introduction: Experiencing blessings without understanding the foundation of those blessing is to dance blindfold along the edge of a precipice. As Cotton Mather once put it, faithfulness begat prosperity, ...
The Vows Bind
“Put another way, there is no such thing as a merely nominal Christian any more than we can find a man who is nominal husband. There are many faithless husbands, but if a man is a husband at all, then is as much a husband as a faithful one.”
Yes, Please
The Decree Encompasses All
“The decree is not independent of means because is it a decree concerning those means.”
Content Cluster Muster [10-10-24]
Deal With It at the Next Rest Stop: Red Box Road: A Song I Really Like for Some Reason: Like an Ice Breaker: HT: Samuel Cherubin: Renato Muccillo Featured Product: Education (Chrestomathy):This small book is a collection of my quotations on the subject of education, taken from sources all over tarnation. The word chrestomathy refers …
No Diluting Agent
“Moderns who are stuck with the language of Westminster want to say that we actually have to understand this as a sacramental union, with the word sacramental being understood as some sort of diluting agent. But I want to say it is a sacramental union, with union meaning union.”
Love for Your People, Disordered Affections, and Failing the Stress Test
Introduction: At the end of last month, I posted a thread of eleven comments on what I was there calling Hell-no-nationalism. It stirred the pot significantly, garnering almost 300K looks, and if we ...
Central Identity
“The Reformation began with a striking emphasis on the center of the covenant, which was Christ and Him crucified . . . The Reformers said you recognize a man by looking at his face, not the ends of his shoelaces, and if you want to recognize the Church, then you must look straight at her Head, who is Christ.”