Dear visionaries, In response to Randall, I fully understand that the current legal situation makes a distinction between speech and restaurant management. I want to know why. How come? By what standard? What is so magical about speech? Why is the First Amendment first misunderstood and then absolutized? Why is the Tenth Amendment ignored? Give …
Adultery
We must always remember that sin muddles. Even though we live in a sex-crazed society, it does not follow from this that we understand sex, or sexual morality. The “openness” advocated by so many actually blurs the understanding. In such a situation, God’s law illumines; disobedience results not only in sexual immorality, but also sexual …
Salt and Light
We have been considering the character of the Christian in the Beatitudes. We now come to the effect that believers, who have this kind of character, will have on the world. “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing …
Wilson and Fesko
Dr. Fesko’s critique interacts mostly with Jim Jordan, Rich Lusk, and Ralph Smith. In his critique, he frequently misses the point being made by these men, although I also believe he raises some legitimate questions. But when he comes to summarize his concerns, he does so in a way that expands his critique to include …
Jordan and Fesko
Dr. Fesko also takes issue with Jim Jordan on the subject of death and maturity. Before defending Jordan’s point, let me agree with Dr. Fesko’s objection on his use of terms. To use the word death to describe the transformation/glorification/maturation of Adam, had he not sinned, is, in my judgment, prone to do nothing but …
Smith and Fesko
Dr. Fesko also objected to seeing the covenant as part of the triune life, and spent a good bit of time answering some of the points raised by Ralph Smith on that score. “The legal element in the covenant is not a problem unless one argues, as does the federal vision, that covenant is part …
Some Responses to Dr. Fesko
Dr. Fesko is an Adjunct Professor of Theology at RTS, Atlanta, and is serving on a study commission of the OPC, a group tasked check out the federal vision. He recently released a paper toward that end, entitled “The Federal Vision and the Covenant of Works.” To that paper, I offer a few comments. The …
The Reformational Creeps
“It is easy for modern Christians to think of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli standing around a cauldron at the beginning of some reformational Macbeth, coming up with the doctrines of predestination and depravity. The lightning flashes, the murky brew belches a loathsome smell, and one can readily tell by the pricking of his thumbs that …
Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) Cool Quote #13
“This covenant is variously styled, from one or other of these several elements. Thus, it is called the ‘covenant of works,’ because perfect obedience was its condition, and to distinguish it from the covenant of grace, which rests our salvation on a different basis altogether. It is also called the ‘covenant of life.’ because life …
Truth and Laughter
“The truth of the gospel leads inexorably to laughter. Those who want to glower as they cling to truth want something that can never be. Whatever it is they have in their hands, it must not be the truth, unless it is perhaps just a fragment of it. The dour Calvinist, the cranky sabbatarian, and …