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Writing

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

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Food

Gluttony In The Bible (As Opposed To Gluttony In The American Church)

In the Bible, fatness is such a blessing, that it is especially hard to understand why wicked men are permitted to enjoy such a state. It requires a theodicy and faith in God. Thus: “For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek . They are…

by Mark HorneAugust 12, 2013
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How to Worship

Biblical Worship (Video with James B. Jordan)

[fve]http://vimeo.com/71901553[/fve]

by Peter LeithartAugust 8, 2013
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Deuteronomy

Holy Things for Holy People

The allusion to the Exodus story is contained in the first words of Deuteronomy 14:1 — “ye are the sons of Yahweh your God” — as well as in 14:2 in the use of the technical term translated “treasured possession,” “His own possession,” “peculiar people,” “precious people,” and so forth.…

by Ralph Allan SmithAugust 5, 2013
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Deuteronomy

Forbidden Foods

I have argued that Deuteronomy 14:1-21 is an independent literary unit that applies the Third Word to the lives of Israelites from the time of Moses and Joshua. In this short pericope, Moses suggests broad and deep meaning by means of literary allusion to the stories of the creation and…

by Ralph Allan SmithJuly 31, 2013
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How to Worship

Pro-Sacramental Reformation

In his recently republished The New Creation , the late, delightful Herbert McCabe defends the priesthood of the plebs as roundly as anyone could want. Citing Hebrews, he claims that "there is an essential difference between the Christian community and the community of the Old Law, or any other religious…

by Peter LeithartJuly 29, 2013
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Augustine

Sexual Idolatry

Augustine famously prayed, “Our hearts our restless until they rest in You.” True indeed. Being creatures, we inherently sense our ontological poverty—our innate condition of dependence—and are compelled to find a sense of security. And it is also true—as Augustine’s own narrative painfully illustrates—that one of the things we most…

by Gerald HiestandJuly 24, 2013

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Paedocommunion and the FV

My previous couple of posts highlight the fact that paedocommunion lurks behind the whole Federal Vision debate. Paedocommunion disambiguates the ambiguous “God is/isn’t your God” that paedobaptism without paedocommunion declares to our children.

June 15, 2007

Infant Baptism and the FV

The Federal Vision has been about a lot of things, but one of the central pastoral issues has to do with the status of our children, what we say to them, and how we say it. From one perspective, the Federal Vision is an effort to articulate a consistent paedobaptist…

June 15, 2007

Infant baptism and saving benefits

The PCA Federal Vision report condemns the notion that some receive saving benefits of Christ and later lose them. But this runs contrary to the PCA’s own covenant understanding of infant baptism and the statements of its own Constitution. Consider: Children of believers, all Presbyterians confess, are covenant children. At…

June 15, 2007
Theology

Letter to the Stated Clerk

This is a copy of a letter I sent to the stated clerk of my Presbytery this morning. To the Stated Clerk: I don’t know if I’m technically required to send this letter, but following the GA’s vote on the Federal Vision study committee yesterday, I thought it would be…

June 14, 2007
Theology

Theological debate in the PCA

It’s long been a frustration that there are few fora for theological discussion and debate in the PCA. Presbyteries sometimes devote time to such discussion, but that’s too rare. And GA is simply not a place where theological debate can be expected to happen. Yesterday’s debate on the Federal Vision…

June 14, 2007
Theology

Dubious innovators

During the PCA debate on the Federal Vision, PCA minister David Coffin dismissed NT Wright’s supposed claims to have discovered the gospel that had been hidden for centuries. Coffin found the claim dubious. I am dubious that Wright actually makes the claims that Coffin attributes to him. He claims to…

June 14, 2007

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