Book 4/Chapter 10 Bondage and freedom (section 30) 1. What are the two opposite errors when it comes to church constitutions? 2. What is the example that Calvin uses? 3. In what sense is this custom divine and in what sense human? 4. What is our best and most safe guide. Other examples (section 31) …
Looking Forward to the 17th Dimension
Chapter 9 of Dual Citizens is on the unworthiness of this world when compared with the glories to come. And of course this is quite right, but we still have to sort out the implications. There are a few things that Jason asserts in this chapter that rub my fur the wrong way, but he …
Opening Every Lawful Door
We are eager to establish and grow up into a genuine musical literacy as a congregation, as a community. But we have to take care to understand this process rightly. We obviously have to teach our children, and we have a great deal to learn ourselves in this process. And in this area, we have …
Cup and Platter
When the Lord Jesus is chastising the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, He speaks to them with the image of a cup and platter (Matt. 23:25-26). We would do well to apply what He said to our use of the cup and platter here. He said that the scribes and Pharisees liked to make a fair …
No Fear of God Before Their Eyes
Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all. Father and God, we would be a God-fearing people, but we …
Lotsa Lotsa Fun
Lotsa fun.
This Scandinavian Howler
It is hard to add something serious to a topic as risible as Obama’s peace prize, but here goes a try at it. President Obama is in a bad jam. He is intelligent enough (and a number of his advisors are certainly intelligent enough) to see the political capital that would be accumulated if he …
Insufferable Light Bulbs
Last night the overnight temperature here in Moscow was 12 degrees above zero, 7 degrees below the previous record for this date. This datum by itself is an anomaly, an outlier, a quirk. But taken together with what sane people all over the world are observing, to such an extent and at such levels that …
Chortle. Snort.
Here are the top ten reasons why I am beyond delighted that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize: 10. Because this means that the Vatican must have verified that reports of the president floating around the top of the Washington monument were reports of a genuine miracle, and were not a deceitful trick by the …
Extrabiblical Piety
Book 4/Chapter 19 Useless rites (section 19) 1. What are some of the accumulated customs that Calvin objected to? Free conscience (section 20) 1. Is Calvin open to certain exercises of extrabiblical piety? Acts 15 (section 21) 1. Did the Jerusalem Council establish a new law? 2. What were they requiring? Obligation to weaker brethren …