“We are quite rightly impressed by the iconoclastic dimensions of the Reformation, the pruning of the liturgies and the decimation of the saints’ days, the removal of statues, paintings and even stained glass from the churches. But such iconoclasm may be eclipsed by what we can call the iconopoaic energies of the Reformation, its creativity …
When Experts Aren’t
“I will not say that a good story for children could never be written by someone in the Ministry of Education, for all things are possible. But I should lay very long odds against it” (C.S. Lewis, Of Other Worlds, p. 34).
How Fundamentalism Destroys the Bible
“A fallible authority is not defined as one that is wrong all the time. This is a good thing, as it turns out, for it is the fallible teaching authority of the historic Church which pointed us to the canon of Scripture. A fallible Church made an infallible (true) judgment when it determined the boundaries …
Devil in the Will
“If a man is proud and turbulent in his carriage, by that you may know the devil is rather in the will than in the conscience. Though an erroneous conscience may cause one to hold fast an error, yet it does not cause proud, scornful, turbulent behavior” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 45).
The Sabbath Mind and the Tithe
We have seen that we are not to twist and distort God’s sabbath kindness—we are not to boil a kid in the mother’s milk. And throughout this section of Deuteronomy, although we may not be addressing the weekly sabbath directly, we are still concerned to cultivate what may be called the sabbath mind. “Thou shalt …
More On Louisiana Presbytery
I am grateful to be able to announce that Steve Wilkins has been cleared (for a second time) by his presbytery. “Louisiana Presbytery, after thorough examination and investigation of TE Steve Wilkins as per the SJC directives regarding allegations made in the Central Carolina Presbytery Memorial, finds no strong presumption of guilt in any of …
Westminster XXX: Of Church Censures
1. The Lord Jesus, as King and Head of His Church, hath therein appointed a government, in the hand of Church officers, distinct from the civil magistrate (Isa. 9:6–7; 1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Thess. 5:12; Acts 20:17–18; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24; 1 Cor. 12:28; Matt. 28:18–20). The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, …
Teaching Children to Come
As you know, we gladly welcome little children to the Table here. All baptized children are welcome to partake, with this proviso. What we require is that they have the capacity to be taught what we are doing through the doing of it, and that their parents faithfully instruct them every week as they partake …
Gearing Up for Mother’s Day
One of our cultural customs honors our mothers once a year on Mother’s Day. There is no divine sanction for the particular day chosen, but the theme of the observance is required in the Ten Commandments, and Paul tells us that this is the first commandment with a promise—that your life may be long in …
The Christian Protection of Women
“The difference in the position of women was indeed one of the most striking contrasts between Christian and Muslim practice, and is mentioned by almost all travelers in both directions. Christianity, of all churches and denominations, prohibits polygamy and concubinage. Islam, like most other non-Christian communities, permits both . . . The status of women, …