XVIII. The cause of infant baptism is not the actual faith of infants, of which they are no more capable than of that instruction by which the disciples of Christ are taught (Mt. 28:19). But it is both the universal command to . . . Continue reading →
2016 Archive
Trueman On Tone: Niceness Cannot Be Squared With The Reformation
…If you are looking for politeness in the Reformers, then you are going to have to buy a microscope. Courtesy in polemic was a rare commodity, as even the woodcuts frequently demonstrate. True, there is some evidence that the French editions of . . . Continue reading →
U.S.N. Admiral: The Men And Women At Pearl Harbor Never Took A Knee
Charges, Convictions, And The Ninth Commandment
In the last few weeks the Reformed-ish world has been rocked by allegations against two ministers, one very visible, very well known and the other with somewhat famous name but relatively well known. In the first case, this minister, Tullian Tchividjian, has . . . Continue reading →
Moving Earth Outside My Office Window
What Is Your Line In The Sand? (Updated)
I am not certain what it means but pastors resort to military analogies with surprising frequency. One of them is the metaphor of “dying on a hill.” The image is that of a marine charging up a hill or fighting to hold . . . Continue reading →
Grammar Guerrilla: Your And You’re
I have noticed these two words being confused more frequently of late, hence a grammar guerrilla post. Your is the possessive of you. It means that something belongs to you. “I see that your ball rolled into the street.” “The house is . . . Continue reading →
When The “Tone Police” Appear
One of the unfortunate features of the current Trinity debate is the moaning over “tone.” Such a complaint fails in at least two ways. First it fails in not affording proper weight to the content of the debate. In generations past men . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 121: I Will Be A God To You And To Your Children (15)
This is the 15th and final episode of our series, “I Will Be A God to You And to Your Children.” If you are just finding us, the series starts at episode 105. As we wrap up the series it seemed to . . . Continue reading →
Turretin Answers Objections To Infant Baptism (6)
XII. There was no need that a particular precept concerning the baptism of infants should be given because it was known to the disciples that infants were circumcised. It therefore sufficed that there was a general command to baptize all nations, under . . . Continue reading →
Roger Nicole: An Open Letter to Dr. William Estep
My dear colleague, Your recent article in The Baptist Standard of Texas has come to my attention. I am grieved that you should have such a low opinion of Calvin and of Calvinistic Baptists. Although you hold that “most of the ardent . . . Continue reading →
Welfare, Weber, And A Work Ethic
For whatever reason, I only knew vaguely about Mike Rowe, the host of several television shows, but I ran across his video and audio podcasts online and it has been enlightening. Rowe, an opera singer and actor, among other things, is a big . . . Continue reading →
Help Create A New Tool For Learning The Westminster Shorter Catechism
More info (including a nice video).
Turretin Answers Objections To Infant Baptism (5)
XI. (7) Because the fathers acknowledged the necessity of infant baptism and approved its propriety by their practice. Justin Martyr mentions it (“Quaestiones et Responsiones ad Orthodoxos,” Q. 56 in Opera quae feruntur omnia [ed. J.C.T. de Otto, 1881], v. 3, Pt. . . . Continue reading →
Circumcision Was Always About The Necessity Of Regeneration
HB reader Allan writes, The NT apostolic doctrine is that OT circumcision of the flesh is replaced by NT circumcision of the heart. I have not found them saying it is replaced by baptism. Allan, Circumcision was always a sign of what . . . Continue reading →
Turretin Answers Objections To Infant Baptism (4)
IX. (5) Because the children of believers are holy; therefore they ought to be baptized. For since they have the thing signified, they cannot and ought not to be deprived of the sign (Acts 10:47). “The unbelieving wife,” says the apostle, “is . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours Season 8: Godfrey On Luther (1)
At the turn of the 21st century there was a great deal of discussion about who were the most important figures in the last 1000 years. In 2017 we will celebrate the life and significance of one of those epochal figures: Martin . . . Continue reading →
Turretin Answers Objections Against Infant Baptism (3)
VII. (3) By parity, the necessity of baptism is the same as that of circumcision. Now circumcision was to be administered to infants according to the command of God. Therefore also infant baptism. The truth of the major is proved (a) because . . . Continue reading →
The Media, Flyover Country, Betsy DeVos, The New Yorker, And The Truth
On Wednesday of this week, Jane Mayer published what is known in the journalism business as a “hit piece” in The New Yorker on Betsy DeVos, whom president-elect Trump has nominated to become the Secretary of Education. Mayer begins “dirtying up” DeVos . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 120: D. G. Hart On H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) was one of the most influential writers of the 1st half of the 20th century. He was a skeptic about religion but had a keen eye and a sharp tongue. It was he who described Sister Aimee’s religion . . . Continue reading →