This is the second post in my two-part response to Lutheran minister Jordan Cooper’s critique of John Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando (Rev. Cooper’s critique can be found here, here, and here; part 1 of my response can be found here). Dr. Frame has called into question the traditional […]
Continue reading
Calvinists and Lutherans on Law and Gospel (Part 1)
One of the ongoing debates within the Reformed world centers on the purported distinction between law and gospel. There are some who insist that such a distinction is an indispensable pillar the Protestant Reformation. But others see the distinction as a uniquely Lutheran doctrine that tends to eclipse the historic Reformed emphasis on the so-called […]
Continue reading
What Does Republication Have to Do with Christotelic Hermeneutics? Quite a Lot, Actually
Those who have followed the Reformed blogosphere lately will likely have heard a lot of talk about two intramural controversies over Old Testament interpretation. What they may not realize, however, is just how much these two controversies actually have in common. The first controversy has been around for quite a while, although it has attracted […]
Continue reading
Patrick Fairbairn on the Law’s Promise of Life
Patrick Fairbairn was a 19th-century minister in the Free Church of Scotland and Professor of Church History and Exegesis at Free Church College in Glasgow (now Trinity College). His most notable works included The Typology of Scripture, The Interpretation of Prophecy, and The Revelation of Law in Scripture. The following is an excerpt from his work An Exposition […]
Continue reading
The Proper Place of Science in Biblical Interpretation
Over on his blog Ponderings of a Pilgrim Pastor, Jason Van Bemmel has written this post on the slippery slope of selectively pitting secular science over against biblical teachings. He begins by saying that Christian educators make two fundamental mistakes in preparing our teens for college: We neglect their intellect, leaving them underequipped for the apologetic task. […]
Continue reading
Merit and Moses (Part 1)
David Murray, professor of Old Testament at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, has reviewed the recent book Merit and Moses: A Critique of the Klinean Doctrine of Republication by OPC pastors Andrew Elam, Robert Van Kooten, and Randall Berquist. The book is a direct response to The Law Is Not of Faith: Essays on Works and Grace in the Mosaic […]
Continue reading
Review: Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment
Alan Stanley, editor. Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013. Scripture consistently holds two seemingly contradictory truths in tension: we are justified by grace through faith, and we will be judged according to our works. How are we to resolve this tension while respecting the authority […]
Continue reading
Paul and the Faithfulness of God: A Review
At Reformation 21, New Testament scholar Simon Gathercole has written a review of N.T. Wright’s massive new volume, Paul and the Faithfulness of God (Fortress, 2013). Considering that the book itself is about 1,600 pages, Gathercole has done a remarkable job of distilling Wright’s main ideas in relatively little space. Gathercole says that the main thesis of PFG is: […]
Continue reading
Dr. Doug Green Affirmed by New Life Presbyterian Church Session
On his blog The Ecclesial Calvinist, Dr. Bill Evans of Erskine College has just posted a statement issued by the session of New Life Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Glenside, Pennsylvania, unanimously affirming the confessional orthodoxy of one of its Ruling Elders, Dr. Doug Green (the statement is also available on New Life’s website). Dr. Green—under whom I briefly had […]
Continue reading
Athanasius and the Scope of the Story
Over at Spiritual Friendship, my friend Kyle Keating has written this post on the theology of St. Athanasius, 4th-century bishop of Alexandria and chief opponent of the heretic Arius. The gist: our framework for morality must be grounded in the overall storyline of Scripture. If we hold to any ethic—and in this case any ethic departing […]
Continue reading
November 7, 2014 
