From time to time, I want to make a few comments on passages of the Robbins/Gerety Not Reformed At All book. The passages generally have this in common — they are marked with exclamation marks in the margins, sometimes more than one, in my personal copy of this book. I will not be yelling at …
Going to Presbytery
Once there was a Presbyterian minister who was conducting an illicit affair with another woman in another city. As such things go, his wife found out about it when she discovered some papers in his briefcase that revealed he was planning to meet up with his amour when he traveled to presbytery the following week, …
Local Rumpus
David Johnson of the Tribune did a good job representing our conversation yesterday in his article. There was one significant detail that needs to be corrected, however. I did say that if we won our appeal, we would be looking for ways to donate a comparable amount of money. But no decision has been reached …
Unless the Lord Builds the House
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11) Growing Dominion, Part 11 All dominion is a function of trusting God to do what He promised to do. If He says “do this, and I will respond with this blessing. Go the other way, and I will chastise you,” we can see immediately …
Uncorking the Whole Jug
Every faithful servant of God has to learn how to respond to the lies that are told about him. One reaction is to do precisely that, react, and respond in the flesh. If someone slaps you in the face, that initial reaction is probably what the flesh wants you to do. The reason for responding …
Raining Bear Traps/Psalm 11
In the midst of our tangled earthly confusions, God sees all things clearly. As we are pressed with dangers on every hand, God remains unthreatened by them and unperturbed. This is why a right understanding of who God is must be considered the only rational basis of faith. “In the LORD put I my trust: …
In the Top Three
When the elders of Christ Church made the decision to appeal the tax decision that went against us last week, we also decided that (assuming a victory on appeal) we would pursue donating a comparable amount of money for city services, etc. What’s up with that? There are a number of minor issues that relate …
Slow Motion Helicopter Crashes
Okay, then. My previous post gave away the fact that I have been reading Not Reformed At All by Robbins and Gerety. Just three comments. First, I have read up through page 63 with that curious sense of fascination that one has while watching slow motion videotape of helicopter crashes. Second, why is it that …
As Reformed As I Wanna Be
In their recent book, Not Reformed At All, John Robbins and Sean Gerety ask the following, somewhat rhetorically. “Is Wilson suggesting that because parents are Christians, their baptized children also are Christians?” No, not at all. Baptism is not necessary. The unbaptized children of Christians are Christians. That’s why we baptize them. But I do …
First One Father, Then Another
Regeneration means becoming the seed of another—ultimately, having one family tree and then acquiring another. My father used to be Adam and now he is the second Adam. My father used to be the devil and now he is Abraham. A creature being summoned into being ex nihilo is being created. We might say he …