Before his conversion on the Damascus road, did Saul of Tarsus wrestle with a troubled conscience? Now I believe that he did, and have argued for this take in the special issue of Credenda entitled “A Pauline Take on the New Perspective.” I am happy to grant that a troubled conscience in a Pharisee like …
Secret Tunnels
Someday I hope to write a full account of the last two years’ worth of controversy. Such an account would have to cover the waterfront — young fatheads, illegal gambling, slavery, Intoleristas, the bearded lady incident, postmodern encroachments into the conservative Reformed world, Auburn Avenue theology, N.T. Wright, and the Shroud Indignation Support Group. One …
Saul As Torah-Breaker
I am continuing with some occasional remarks on various aspects of N.T. Wright’s work. “What, then, was the agenda of Saul of Tarsus? We may draw it together in three points. First, he was zealous for Israel’s God and for the Torah. This was a matter of personal piety, no doubt, and of fervent prayer …
Petty Legalism
I am currently working through another of N.T. Wright’s books, Bringing the Church to the World, and which promises to be quite good. But on p. 34, I came across a passage that, in my view, overstates his case, and causes alarums to break out in various sectors of Christendom. He says this, speaking of …
President Bush and the High Places
Brian Mattson, of The Banty Rooster, has raised some interesting questions about my characterization of President Bush as a false teacher. In response to this, Mattson cites the biblical example of Asa. “But back to the issue about President Bush. All I want to do is quote 1 Kings 15.14: “Although he did not remove …
Richard Gaffin at Auburn 2005
Richard Gaffin is a gracious Christian gentleman, who really knows his subject. I learned a great deal from his talks, and appreciated how careful he was being. Some of this was no doubt because of the setting, for, after all, he was speaking at the Auburn Avenue Pastors’ Conference. This means that his words are …
Auburn 2005
The Auburn Avenue Pastors’ Conference 2005 just concluded this last Wednesday, and I just got back from Louisiana last night. I’d like to briefly review the conference in three posts. Here in the first one I would like to thank the conference organizers and the participants for a very helpful conference, both in terms of …
If the Federal Vision Were a Beer
My friend Cal Beisner sent me a copy of a new P & R book, which I just finished reading this morning. The book was entitled Justification and the New Perspectives on Paul, so guess what it was about. Overall I would rate it as a very fine book, one that I highly recommend, but …
Yelling At My Windshield
I have begun listening to the audio recordings of the recent conference at Westminster West on The Foolishness of the Gospel, and will make a few comments here from time to time as circumstances warrant. Initially, just a few remarks. While it is quite true that Scripture speaks of the foolishness of the gospel, it …