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Writing

Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.

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Federal Vision

The Covenant of Works: The Mosaic Covenant & the Necessity of Obedience for Salvation in the Day of Judgment

When someone expounds the way of salvation found in the Westminster Confession and Catechisms and in the easily-accessible writings of the Reformed heritage, he often finds him embroiled in a debates about the covenant of works and the Mosaic Covenant. One is “proven” to be aberrant by allegations that one…

by Mark HorneMay 29, 2005
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Baptism

Rome Won't Have Me

The ultimate condemnation of a position in Reformed circles is to show that it “leads back to Rome.” Indeed, one gets the feeling that Rome is a worse destination for a Presbyterian than even hell itself. The accusation of Rome stings deeply, of course, because it means that all the…

by Rich LuskOctober 24, 2004
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Federal Vision

Mixing “Law” & Gospel in the Abrahamic Promise: A Response to Michael Horton

One of the odd features of Michael Horton’s version of Covenant theology is his interpretation of the covenant God made with Abraham 1 in Genesis 15. According to Horton, The very way in which God made the covenant with Abraham (putting him to sleep; walking through the torn animals by…

by Mark HorneSeptember 22, 2004
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Mark

The Victory According to Mark

What was I trying to do, when I wrote my book on Mark’s Gospel ? Fundamentally, I wanted a book that would change readers by making them better readers of the Gospel of Mark. My ideal reader is not someone who goes to the book to use as a resource…

by Mark HorneSeptember 7, 2004
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Baptism

Sacramental Assurance & the Reformed Faith: The Biblical Perspective of the Westminster Standards

Why do we need sacraments? According to the Westminster Confession, sacraments were instituted by Christ “to confirm our interest in him” (27.1), “to strengthen and increase” the “faith” of those within the Covenant of Grace and “to distinguish them from those that are without” that covenant (Westminster Larger Catechism, #162).…

by Mark HorneSeptember 3, 2004
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Isaiah

“What More Could I Have Done?” | Some Thoughts on the Mystery of Divine Sovereignty and Covenant Responsibility

In Isaiah 5:1-7, we have a typical covenant lawsuit, in which the Lord accuses his people of rejecting his grace and mercy. It is not my intention here to exegete the entire passage, or to look at the way the vineyard image used here serves as a metaphor in other…

by Rich LuskJune 7, 2004

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Feeding of the Five Thousand

Luke 9 is largely about the final stages of the training of the Twelve before Jesus moves from Galilee to Jerusalem. Part of their training comes in the story of the feeding of the five thousand. Eugene LaVerdiere’s treatment of this incident in Dining in the Kingdom of God highlights…

October 5, 2003

More on Two Faces of Islam

Well, there’s a problem with speaking well of a book before reading far enough in it. I’m still learning a lot from Stephen Schwartz’s Two Faces of Islam , but fairly early in the book he makes it clear that he’s working with the view that at least all “Abrahamic…

October 4, 2003
Theology

First Comes Love

Scott Hahn’s First Comes Love is, overall, a very fine book. It is a Trinitarian treatment of biblical theology that focuses on sacrificial self-giving as the mode of divine life that is to be replicated in the life of the church and to transform family life. “Family” is the dominant…

October 4, 2003

Schwartz on Islam

I have been reading Stephen Schwartz’s wonderful pieces on Islam in the Weekly Standard for several years. Schwartz has done as much as any journalist to highlight the responsibility and role of Saudi Arabia for the rise of radical Islam, and particularly the central importance of the Wahhabi sect in…

October 4, 2003
Politics

Bush Hatred

Jonathan Chait begins an article on “Bush hatred” ( TNR ) with the kind of rant that journalists are supposed to keep to themselves. He hates Bush’s policies, but he also hates the way Bush walks, the way he talks, the look on his face, and every thing else about…

October 3, 2003
Politics

Arnold’s Campaign

From the radio reports I hear, it seems that Arnold’s campaign is an extension of his movie career. At one stop, he unveils a bus bearing his mug, and buses for the press labeled “Predators.” At another stop, he talks about taxes, and says that in the movies he destroys…

October 3, 2003

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