Those who have been around here for a while know that I am a C.S. Lewis junkie. I have read and reread him, and have been edified by him in ways beyond reckoning. If I were to calculate the impact that various writers have had on me—and there have been many who have—he would always …
Like a Titanium Slide Rule
So then, by way of preamble, let me say that I am as orthodox as a titanium slide rule. When it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity, everything I’ve got is from the best doctors in the church, and is still under warranty. Our doctrine of God must be grounded in the Scriptures, in …
Carl Trueman, Ecclesiastical Celebrity
A discussion broke out yesterday over The Nashville Statement Fortified, and that discussion promptly headed straight back to the doctrine of the Trinity—the same debate that broke out a year or so ago. In the course of an extended back and forth yesterday, Tim Bayly said this: “Until these guys and gal publicly affirm the …
On Kissing the Casket Enough
While we were in Kiev last week, another place we visited was the monastery of the caves, a warren of cells deep underground. The active monastery above ground is Russian Orthodox, and the holy things below constitute one of the most unholy things I have ever seen. But there are some Western Christians who think …
Sneaky Little Busters
I recently saw a snippet of an interaction between Joel McDurmon and Mark Jones that made me think of something. And why not?, say I. It’s still kind of a free country. Why can’t I think of oblique stuff? So I offer this, not as my own engagement with their debate, but rather as a …
Damnation and Deficient Allegiance
A few days ago, Peter Leithart published a brief summary of Matthew Bates’ book, Salvation by Allegiance Alone. My musings here cannot be a fair rebuttal to Bates, since I have not read his book, and it is really not a rebuttal of Peter’s point either, because he largely limits himself to summarizing what he …
How Flocks Are Protected
Introduction: Scripture teaches that the flocks of God are precious, and they are precious because of what it took to purchase them. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own …
The Invisible Mainspring of Human Conflict
Introduction: And now for a little intellectual history—my own, that is. This can be read by friend and foe alike with edifying pleasure. My friends can discover how I learned these wonderful things and my foes can discover what messed me up so bad. First consider the base coat of my theological assumptions that were …
Straight Outta Calvin
It is only natural that there are some federal vision questions. Of course there are. I have been asked a number of times what the response has been to my Federal Vision No Mas post. As best as I am able to gauge, there have been three visible responses. The first has been relief and …
Doug and Evan
Introduction: So to help make sense of this portion of my story, I have to set some dates that will serve as doctrinal pegs as I proceed. I became postmillennial somewhere near the end of 1985. Three years later, in 1988, I became a Calvinist (although I refused to call myself that for several years …