The controversy over justification by faith shows no signs of letting up. Every day I hear from some new quarter that the hubbub continues. One of the larger ironies in all this is that men who have abandoned the historic, Protestant understanding of faith have accused other men (who have not abandoned it) of doing …
Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) Cool Quote #6
“Almighty God, Heavenly Father, we give you eternal praise and thanks, that you have granted and bestowed upon this child your fellowship, that you have born him again to yourself through your holy baptism, that he has been incorporated into Your beloved Son, our only Savior, and is now your child and heir.” Strasbourg Psalter …
Anabaptists in Puritan Face Paint
When was the first appearance of the strict regulative principle? And what does this tell us about certain deep affinities between certain streams of the Reformed faith and the streams of other communions? I have before charged that some of the pietists in the Reformed world are completely at odds with their own heritage. And …
Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) Cool Quote #5
“Now in particular I ask you to pray with me that as I baptize this child with water and receive him into the number of Christians, that God himself inwardly baptize him with his Spirit and hold him in the number of his elect.” John Oecolampadius Basel Service Book of 1526
Going to Memphis
A certain man was traveling to Memphis, and as he drove along the highway, he saw one of those big green road signs that said, “Memphis, 250 miles.” This was not unusual, but what was unusual was the cluster of cars, tents, and Winnebagos around the base of the sign. Curious, he decided to stop. …
Justification By Saying the Right Thing About Justification
If I taste too many more delicious ironies, I think I will become a theological diabetic. The latest one is the way in which John Robbins has taken to denying justification by faith alone. Justification by faith alone is not accomplished by asserting justification by faith alone. Justification by faith alone occurs when a sinner …
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 …
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 …
Faith Unplugged
I guess I should be pleased that I caught up with Peter Leithart. The April edition of The Trinity Review is a chapter from a book called Not Reformed At All, which presents itself as a response to my “Reformed” is Not Enough. I am tempted to write another book entitled And Both Are …