Here is something I’ve learned about theological controversies on social media: the first 48 hours are almost always the worst time to weigh in. The takes are hot and everyone is talking past each other. So when John Piper’s name started trending in Reformed circles a few days ago over something called “final justification,” I […]
Justified Once: What the Reformed Confessions Say About Final JustificationRead More
If the social media posts, YouTube clips, and Facebook groups of prominent Evangelical and so-called “Reformed” pastors serve as any barometer of theological health, a pastoral crisis is hiding in plain sight. When a pastor cannot distinguish law from gospel, his congregation will either be crushed under a burden they cannot bear, or settle into
The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel in Reformed TheologyRead More
If you’re weighing a move to a Presbyterian or Reformed church, infant baptism is often the hardest doctrine to accept. Reformed theology doesn’t rest the case on a few proof texts; it rests it on how the whole of Scripture hangs together. Here is the case in brief. What Is Christian Baptism? First, what is
A Concise Case for Reformed Infant BaptismRead More
If you came to the faith through a dispensational church that drew a sharp line between Israel and the Church, you were likely told that belief was a non-negotiable. I understand. Many of us sat under gifted preachers, men like John MacArthur, who taught us to love the Bible and take it seriously. My debt
The True Israel of God: What Scripture Teaches About God’s Covenant PeopleRead More
In 2007, John MacArthur dropped a bombshell at the Shepherd’s Conference with his lecture, “Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is a Premillennialist” (listen here). He claimed that if you’re an amillennialist, you’re basically saying, “The kingdom as identified in the Old Testament and promised to Israel will not happen!” To a lot of Reformed people, this
Reformed and Amillennial: Five Reasons to Embrace AmillennialismRead More
Standing at the edge of Yosemite’s high country, few hikers would boast that they need no trail or guardrails, only confidence and good intentions. No experienced climber trusts instinct alone in terrain like that. And yet, when it comes to Christian doctrine, many believers say something similar: “We have no creed but the Bible.” The
Creeds and Confessions: Guardrails for the Christian FaithRead More
