We are nearing the end of the first week of homosexual marriage in Massachusetts. It is easy enough to see the incoherence of this dead end, but hard for us to see where it all started. It is especially hard for evangelical Christians to see where it all began, because it all began with us, …
Common Grace. Uh Oh.
I just can’t stay off this monocovenantal thing. This whole fracas is a real head scratcher, and the word grace appears to be the thing that causes the great game of paradigm bumper cars to begin. But this is highly selective. The fact that I want to use the word grace to describe the unearned …
She Blinded Me With Science
The very first man once occupied himself, as he was told to do, with naming the animals. A short way behind him walked a scientific investigator, holding a clipboard, in order to check whether or not the first man had named them accurately. Many years later, an elderly man in his nineties was given a …
Faith is Not Under Your Seat
The apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that he would not that they should be ignorant. As we deal with holy things, ignorance is dangerous. Paul wanted them to know that their fathers were all under the cloud, and they all passed through the sea. The Jews in the wilderness are called the fathers of the …
Ascension and Pentecost
I just posted two sermon outlines to the left. I will be out of my office for several days, and so I had to draft my Pentecost sermon outline early. This does not indicate a problem with your calendar.
Who Is the Holy Spirit?/Pentecost 2004
INTRODUCTION This is our observance of Pentecost, the time when we commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. There are many things that can be said of this, but we sometimes overlook the obvious. Today we should consider the holiness of the Holy Spirit. THE TEXT For God hath not called us …
That At the Name of Jesus/Ascension 2004
INTRODUCTION The ascension to Jesus Christ is the coronation of Jesus Christ. This is the point where God formally bestows upon Him all authority in heaven and on earth. THE TEXT Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every …
God Bless the Baptists
A few years ago, Nathan Wilson wrote an article for Credenda entitled “Our Baptist Betters.” We coming up on what may prove to be a striking example of the same thing yet again. The Southern Baptist Convention (the communion in which I was baptized) is considering a resolution that calls upon all Southern Baptists to …
The Council of Trent Finally Repents!
In response to my Thanks for Nothing post (5/18/04), one correspondent argued that this was essentially the same position that Trent affirmed. It was a bit hard to follow, but I will do my best to replicate it here. If the creature’s works are the ground of his justification (which I was denying, actually), but …
Two Towns Over
A much overworked session of Presbyterian elders had just finished the hard and thankless task of disciplining their minister, a man who taught that being a Christian was an objective reality, marked by baptism, and that being a faithful Christian was a covenant requirement, to be marked by evangelical faith, hope and love. This was …