“But to protect the importance of faith we do not have to deny His presence, which is what many people, in opposition to formalism, want to do. They say, ‘No, we don’t want to find Christ in the water, we want to find him just by faith.’ But Luther and Calvin’s point is that the …
Was Jesus Faithless?
What I would like to do in brief compass is explain how a particular understanding of a pre-fall covenant of works requires us to say that Jesus was faithless. In short, I want to explain the problem some have with our rejection of their covenant of works, and then explain the problem with that problem. …
Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) Cool Quote #2
“All who are baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, recognizing the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead, the incarnation of the Son and his priestly sacrifice, whether they be Greeks, or Arminians, or Romanists, or Lutherans, or Calvinists, or the simple souls who do not …
Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) Cool Quote #1
“More and more it has occurred to me that the big issues between the Anabaptists and the Reformers of classical Protestantism are still among the biggest unresolved agonies of modern American Protestantism.” Hughes Oliphant Old, The Shaping of the Reformed Baptismal Rite (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992), p. x.
Bestminster Best
Once two seminary professors at Bestminster Theological Seminary were walking together, heads bowed as they were deep in theological conversation. Their topic concerned the depths of the wisdom of God in the salvation of sinful man, and it was consequently slow going, as though they were try to paddle a canoe across a lake of …
The Irenic Bombshell
The Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) of course has a number of texts going. But those who are theologically astute have no doubt noticed some subtexts also. One of those subtexts is the question about the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, and the grounding of those covenants. Fundamentally, what is the relationship of …
Effectual Means of Salvation
A young ministerial candidate was asked whether his sacramental views comported with those of the Westminster Standards. This line of questioning was a novelty to him, and so he asked for a copy. One was quickly produced, but when it became apparent that he was not going to swear on it, but on the contrary, …
A Woman Named Faith
A woman named Faith once gave birth to twins, who were boys as it turned out. The firstborn was named Justification and the second was named Sanctification. As word spread in the village and throughout the region, it became impossible to keep this information from the moderator of the presbytery, who lived in a nearby town. …
As Clear As I Can
Many bystanders have been trying to figure out what the whole “Auburn Avenue” controversy is all about. As one of the players in this, I feel it is my duty to try to make this as clear as I can. Some Lutherans are concerned about us because they have heard that somebody might be questioning justification by …
Wu Tang Presbytery
A minister of tender years was once receiving theological bastinado from concerned brethren at Wu Tang Presbytery. He had been working three jobs in order to keep his family fed, and so his time for sermon preparation had fallen woefully short. This was not the direct cause of his problem, for had he received his …