A Defense of the Well-Meant Offer: The Objections Summarized
In the 1920s, a schism arose in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) over the doctrine of common grace and the free or (more precisely) well-meant offer of the gospel. Those who rejected common grace and the well-meant offer left the CRC to found the Protestant Reformed Church (PRC). Two decades later, a similar controversy arose within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). A general assembly commissioned a committee to study and give a report on the question of whether God desires the salvation all men indiscriminately (whether elect or non-elect). The result was a “majority report,” which affirmed the well-meant offer, and a “minority report,” which denied it. Read more 
The Elephant’s Still in the Room: Some Reflections on the Recent ER2
In October I posted an article alerting my readers to “The Elephant in the ‘Elephant Room.’” For the uninitiated, the “Elephant Room” (ER) is a discussion forum originally designed to facilitate open, candid, and sometimes lively discussion between brothers in Christ who agree on the essentials of the faith (the inspiration and authority of Scripture, the Trinity, the gospel, etc.) but who may have differences over secondary matters (ministry philosophy and methodology, ecclesiology, etc.) James MacDonald, pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, is the founder, and he serves, together with Mark Driscoll as one of the moderators. Read more
What Child Is This? The Reality and Importance of the Virgin Birth
In light of the approach of Christmas—a time when Christians celebrate the incarnation of Christ—I’d like to highlight the reality and importance of the virgin birth, or more properly, the virgin conception of Jesus Christ. Until recently, the virgin birth has been acknowledged as an important doctrine of the Christian faith. The early church fathers, the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene and Chalcedon Creeds, the Lutheran Augsburg Confession, the Reformed Belgic Confession, the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England, and the Westminster Confession of Faith all bear witness to the church’s faith in the virgin birth. Read more
Updating and Refining the 1689 Baptist Confession: Answers to Common Objections
It’s challenging to persuade people to modify their favored theological traditions even when the modifications suggested are intended to enhance the intelligibility and usefulness of the timeless truths embodied in those traditions. So I’d like to close this series on updating and refining the 1689 Baptist Confession by looking at some common objections that have been offered by some of my pastor friends and fellow believers. While I believe each of these objections is motivated by a concern to preserve biblical truth and the unity of the church, I haven’t found any of them sufficiently decisive or conclusive to preclude the framing of a new 21st century Reformed Baptist confession of faith upon the foundations of the old 1689. Read more
Does All Worship and No Play Make Jack a Holy Boy? Sabbath-keeping according to Isaiah 58:13
Those of us who view the Lord’s Day as a “Christian Sabbath” have to wrestle with the question of what is and what is not appropriate activity for the day. Historically, our tradition, as reflected in the Westminster Confession of Faith, has viewed Sunday as a time to devote almost exclusively to formal acts of public and private worship. Work or deeds of mercy that are deemed “necessary” are allowed. But all unnecessary secular employment is to cease. What’s more, recreation is forbidden. Indeed, one may not needlessly think or talk about his job or Saturday’s college football game. Thus, following this tradition, we might say, “All worship and no play on the Sabbath makes Jack a holy boy.” But is that really what the Bible teaches?
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Obstacles to Updating and Refining the 1689 Confession: Subtle Traditionalism
The New Testament speaks of inspired apostolic tradition, which is good, and non-inspired religious tradition, which is often bad. This data should make us wary of any non-inspired ecclesiastical tradition that competes with or invalidates the supreme authority of Scripture. In this post, I’ll note the tendency of becoming over-infatuated with a good tradition and the tendency of reacting to modern errors by relying more on one’s favorite tradition rather than Scripture. Both of these tendencies can make good people resistant to changes in their tradition that are biblically warranted. Moreover, they can subtly influence one’s hermeneutic so that the Bible is read through the lens of the tradition rather than the tradition through the lens of the Bible. Read more
Obstacles to Updating and Refining the 1689 Confession: Strict Subscription
In previous installments, we suggested several ways in which the 1689 Baptist Confession can be improved by updating its language and refining its teaching. We also offered three worthwhile reasons for such a revision. In the next posts, I’d like to identify two potential obstacles to revising the Confession. These “obstacles” can influence the way people view the Confession, making it difficult for them to be open to the prospect of updating and/or amending the Confession’s teaching. The first obstacle we’ll consider is “strict subscription.” Read more
Young, Restless, Reformed: “Hip, Hip, Hurrah!” or “Bah Humbug!”
Young, Restless, Reformed is “a journalist’s journey with the new Calvinists.”1 Collin Hansen, an editor for Christianity Today describes the contemporary resurgence of Reformed theology, particularly among young evangelicals. The book consists largely of interviews with young people who have been drawn to Calvinism and the leaders whom God has used to foster the resurgence. Read more
- This is a slightly edited version of a book review I did December 2008 for RBS Tabletalk. [↩]
Updating and Refining the 1689 Baptist Confession: Toward a Humble Orthodoxy
Reformed Baptists often emphasize what makes them different from other evangelicals. While we don’t claim a “corner on the truth,” we sometimes give the impression that we view ourselves as closer to historical Christian faith and practice than others in every respect. Revising our Confession is a good opportunity to show our evangelical brothers that we don’t believe the illumination of the Holy Spirit ended with our Particular Baptist forefathers in the 17th century. Furthermore, borrowing language or insights from their creeds where appropriate demonstrates a teachable and humble spirit on our part. Read more
