Theology That Bites Back
As I see that whiteness is in the news again, or perhaps still, it seems time once again to marshal some observations that might be helpful to some of my fellow pale faces. As I have also gathered that I am from time to time read by critics who have the discerning eye of a …
“Is it legitimate in any way to say that non-elect members of the visible church are not part of the Church? Sure. Scripture is full of this kind of thing—a true Jew is one who is one inwardly, synagogues of Satan, you are of your father the devil, and countless more. Our whole point is that baptized covenant members are Christians, members of the Church, connected to Christ, etc. in some important sense, not that they are participants in these things in every sense. So, is there a legitimate way to say that non-elect members of the covenant are not part of the Church? Absolutely.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 714
“We are justified by faith alone, apart from works of the law, and this includes the law that ‘thou shalt score 100% on the justification portion of your Westminster exam.’”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 710
“I can see broader uses of the word election in Scripture without denying in the slightest the doctrine of decretal, jet fuel election, a doctrine which flies our Reformed fighter jets really, really fast, and which I like as much as anybody.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 707
I have thoughts a plenty about the splash that Rory made, and so I am just going put them down in the order that they occur to me, with perhaps some arrangement after the fact. The transitions between paragraphs may seem somewhat abrupt, and so if it seems that way to you, just say, “Ah, …
“What we are saying is that if ‘election’ means one thing one hundred percent of the time in Westminster (because it is being applied in a precise, theological way), and it means that very same thing seventy percent of the time in Scripture, a Bible teacher needs to be able to say what is going on exegetically that other thirty percent of the time. That is all, and it ought not to be controversial.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p.707
I really do need to say something about my grandson, Rory, because when you are this proud of somebody, it is necessary to say something. As a number of you know, he is about to graduate from Columbia, and so he has been a close observer of all the recent tumult there. Last night, a …
Letter to the Editor: God has used you in mighty ways in my life and the life of many of my congregants. I am wrestling with how to take our congregation from being a "grape juice" ...
“The historic Reformed faith is a spacious mansion. We really need to stop living in the broom closet that some want to call true Calvinism. And it is possible to come out of the broom closet and not be in the process of leaving the house.”
The Auburn Avenue Chronicles Vol. 2, p. 706
