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Apologetics

Presumptuous Presuppositions: The Apologetics of Cornelius Van Til

Whether one entirely agrees with him or not, no Christian interested in apologetics–the reasoned defense of the Faith–can afford to be uninterested in Cornelius Van Til, the late professor of Apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. According to John Frame, Van Til “is perhaps the most important thinker since…

by Mark HorneJuly 15, 1997
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Baptism

Richard Bacon’s “What Mean Ye By This Service? Paedocommunion in Light of the Passover” A Brief Response

Reverend Richard Bacon is the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Rowlett, Texas. He has written a tract entitled “What Mean Ye By This Service? Paedocommunion in Light of Passover,” printed by Presbyterian Heritage Publications (P.O. Box 180922, Dallas, TX 75218). I am writing this brief response to set forth…

by Mark HorneJuly 6, 1997
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Angels

Twelve Fundamental Avenues of Revelation, Part 5

As we move toward a consideration of Dynamic Cosmic Revelation, there is a further aspect of revelation through action that should be discussed here, and that is this: God is particularly revealed to us in times of crisis and distress. When things are going well, we forget God. When distress…

by James B. JordanJuly 3, 1997
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Biblical Chronology

John Sailhamer Weighs In, Part 4

We conclude our analysis of John Sailhamer’s book *Genesis Unbound: A Provocative New Look at the Creation Account* (Multnomah Books, 1996), which argues that Genesis 1:2ff. is not about the creation of the whole world, but about the preparation of the Land of Eden, which is also the Promised Land.…

by James B. JordanJuly 3, 1997
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Biblical Horizons

The Sin of Ham and the Curse of Canaan, Part 2 (An Exposition of Genesis 9:20-27)

Commentary A. Noah’s God-like Labor: 8:20 And Noah, a master of the ground, was the first, And he planted a vineyard. 21 And he drank from the wine, And became drunk, And lay uncovered inside his tent. It appears to me that there is a balance between "ground" and "tent"…

by James B. JordanJuly 3, 1997
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How to Worship

Why Does the Pastor Wear a Robe?

A Defense of the Use of the Ministerial Robe in Public Worship The purpose of this series of articles is to explain our biblical philosophy of worship and how we have sought to implement it here at Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church. We have thought through our worship services. We have…

by Jeff MeyersJune 20, 1997

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Biblical Studies

Ingratitude and biblical criticism

I have described Descartes’s cogito as modernity’s founding ingratitude, the thought experiment that justified (doubtless against Descartes’s ultimate intentions) countless political, intellectual, and cultural erasures of the past. So also biblical criticism, though the ingratitude takes a specific form here. Insofar as biblical criticism arises from “inner light” sectarians (and…

April 26, 2008
Theology

What the Law Cannot Do

Each is responsible for all, Dostoevsky says. He didn’t mean that no one was responsible. He meant that responsibility spreads far. In his intriguing Rosenstock-Huessy-inspired Power, Love, and Evil , Wayne Cristaudo illustrates Dostoevsky’s point with a review of the family history of Gary Gilmore. Extreme violence went back several…

April 26, 2008

Adulterous Generation

John Nolland points out in his commentary on Matthew that the combination “evil and adulterous” is found in the LXX of Hosea 3:1, applied to Gomer. He suggests that by using this phrase, Jesus is echoing Hosea, and implicitly comparing the Jews to the generation of the exile. This makes…

April 26, 2008

Me and the Bush Police State

I don’t want to over-dramatize, but I had a taste of the Bush police state this weekend. I crossed the line, and felt the force of the federal government bearing down on me. I tasted totalitarianism. I was dragged into The Castle, playing the role of K. The TSA tried…

April 26, 2008

Giving signs

Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for seeking signs, but He promises to give a sign, the sign of Jonah. Two observations: First: Signs are given; signs are gifts. Second, the first time we hear of “giving signs” in the Bible is Deuteronomy 13, which describes Israel’s proper response to…

April 25, 2008

Adulterous generation

Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees as an “evil and adulterous generation” for demanding a sign. Israel is being conceived, clearly, as a faithless bride; and she is a faithless bride because, in the face of countless signs of Yahweh’s favor to Israel in Jesus, she is still searching for…

April 25, 2008

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