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 […]
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C.S. Lewis Anticipated Thomas Nagel
October 22, 2014 
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I am currently walking my 9th grade theology class through C.S. Lewis’s classic Mere Christianity. We are on chapter 4, the final note of which called to mind the thesis of the recent book Mind and Cosmos by philosopher Thomas Nagel (Oxford University Press, 2012), which I reviewed last year. Nagel takes a rather unique position; although he […]
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Berkouwer on the Covenant of Works
October 21, 2014 1 Comment
G.C. Berkouwer (1903-1996) was a leading 20th-century Dutch theologian in the neo-Calvinist tradition of Abraham Kuyper and S.G. De Graaf. His major work was his 14-volume Studies in Dogmatics, from which the following quote is taken. Here he critiques the language (though not the substance) of the Westminster Confession’s “Covenant of Works.” In many respects, his […]
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What Does Republication Have to Do with Christotelic Hermeneutics? Quite a Lot, Actually
September 23, 2014 5 Comments
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 […]
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Lord over Every Square Inch of CSU
September 14, 2014 0 Comments
Things took a turn for the worse for evangelical campus ministries nationwide last week. America’s largest university system, California State University, has officially “derecognized” InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on all of its 23 campuses. This was in response to IVCF’s refusal to comply with CSU’s new “all-comers” policy requiring all campus organizations to open up leadership roles […]
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Lecrae on America and Immigration
September 10, 2014 1 Comment
I’ve never really followed Lecrae before, but I heard about the release of his new album Anomaly (Reach Records, 2014), and figured I would give it a listen. I have to admit, I’m quite impressed with what I’ve heard so far. He combines quality music and rhythms with thoughtful lyrics, which is rare these days. He even wades into […]
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Two Kingdoms vs. Two Cities: What’s the Difference?
September 6, 2014 2 Comments
As Christians, we are called to be “in” the world but not “of” the world. Jesus preached in the Sermon on the Mount that our mission is to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). But exactly how are we supposed to do this in the midst of a secular culture? What does it look like concretely? […]
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Pride and Privilege in the American Church
September 4, 2014 1 Comment
The events in Ferguson, MO over the past few weeks have been like a social earthquake. The shooting of Michael Brown has revealed again the fault line in American race relations, and one overwhelming theme rising from the discussion is we don’t understand each other. Or to be more specific, whites, on the whole, don’t […]
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Patrick Fairbairn on the Law’s Promise of Life
August 31, 2014 1 Comment
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 […]
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The Proper Place of Science in Biblical Interpretation
August 26, 2014 3 Comments
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. […]
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