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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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Dante's Journey

In the course of a review of Vittorio Montemaggi's Reading Dante's Commedia as Theology , Rowan Williams offers these observations on Inferno and Purgatorio : "There is still a tendency among not very attentive readers – not to mention people who have read almost nothing of the work but have…

September 29, 2017
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Liturgy

The World Needs the Liturgy

"God's work in history," writes Mark Searle ( Liturgy Made Simple ), "is to gather into one the scattered children of God, to overcome divisions, to provide a place for the homeless and the lonely, to give support to those whose burdens are heavy, and to create an oasis of…

September 29, 2017

Christian Historicism

John Milbank argues in his Beyond Secular Order that " historicism cannot straightforwardly be considered as something specifically modern" (8). In fact, it originates from a Christian insight: "the sense of estranged distance from the past is initially the fruit of the Christian contrast between old and new covenants and…

September 29, 2017

No Thucydides Trap

Last week, I wrote a Firstthings.com column summarizing the argument of Graham Allison's Destined for War , a study of Sino-American relations organized around the concept of the "Thucydides Trap." Allison says that the ancient Greek historian claimed that Athens and Sparta went to war because Sparta was fearful of…

September 29, 2017
Eucharist

Bodies Renewed by Christ's Body

Christine Chaillot has a fascinating summary of the liturgical traditions of the "Ancient Oriental Churches" (Egyptian, Ethiopian, Syrian, Assyrian, Indian) in The Oxford History of Christian Worship . She quotes this Eucharistic hymn from the fifth-century Saint Yazdin (p. 164): "Strengthen, O our Lord, the hands which reach out and…

September 29, 2017

Do Human Beings Create?

In ST I, 45, 5, Thomas Aquinas asks whether God alone creates. His sed contra cites Augustine’s de Trinitate (3.8), where Augustine says that angels cannot create anything. If angels cannot, Thomas reasons, neither can any other creature. He presents several arguments in favor of this conclusion. Creation is, Thomas…

September 28, 2017

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