Archive for August 2020
New Podcast: Why I Love Philosophy
What does philosophy have to do with theology? Isn’t Christianity a faith of the heart, and not a faith of the head? And for that matter, isn’t philosophy an impractical discipline, completely unrelated to everyday life? In this episode, Matthew Barrett talks with Nicholas Wolterstorff about his journey into academia as a philosopher, as told…
Read MoreWhy I Love Philosophy
What does philosophy have to do with theology? Isn’t Christianity a faith of the heart, and not a faith of the head? And for that matter, isn’t philosophy an impractical discipline, completely unrelated to everyday life? In this episode, Matthew Barrett talks with Nicholas Wolterstorff about his journey into academia as a philosopher, as told…
Read MoreGod is God.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. — Psalm 46:10 Prayer Gracious Lord, Thou art God and I am not. Thou art infinite and I am finite. Thou art powerful and I am weak. As I meditate upon Thy character,…
Read MoreAugustine of Hippo: Orthodoxy and Sovereign Grace
The new issue of Credo Magazine, “The Great Tradition,” focuses on the early Church Fathers. The following is an excerpt from one of the issue’s featured articles by William VanDoodewaard. William VanDoodewaard is a minister in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, and serves as Professor of Church History at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. The fires of…
Read MoreDivine Simplicity and the Grammar of Classical Christian Orthodoxy
The doctrine of divine simplicity is anything but easy. Christians do not have “doctrines” of God. Rather, there is a single “doctrine” of God which is internally coherent and based on the full picture of Scripture. When structuring this singular doctrine, James Dolezal reminds us that “there are rules to govern this task” which “tell…
Read MoreRead the Fathers, With the Humility of the Fathers
Throughout the antiquity of the Church, there have been seasons in which it seemed the Lord was pleased to open the eyes of Christian thinkers to see that aspects of the predominant theologies of the day were lacking. In some of these cases, mental breakthrough took the form of theological innovation in which the Church…
Read MoreWhat is the Difference Between Justification and Sanctification?
What is the difference between justification and sanctification? Why is it important to articulate the distinctions between these two doctrines rather than merging them together? Can a Christian be justified without being sanctified? Do we merit our sanctification or is it given to us? In this video, Matthew Barrett explains several notable distinctions between the…
Read More4 Ways Paul Encourages Us to Love the Church (Even When It’s Hard)
Around the corner from where I live, a house is for sale. In bold green letters, the lawn sign reads: “I’m Gorgeous Inside!” The message is surprising. From the street, the house is thoroughly ordinary, even run-down. It’s a seventies-era raised ranch with dingy white vinyl siding and a location on a busy road. The…
Read MoreAthanasius: Guarding Against Heresy and Holding Fast to Sound Doctrine
The new issue of Credo Magazine, “The Great Tradition,” focuses on the early Church Fathers. The following is an excerpt from one of the issue’s featured articles by Bryan Litfin. Bryan Litfin (PhD, University of Virginia) is an editor at Moody Publishers. He taught theology at Moody Bible Institute for sixteen years. He is the author…
Read MoreTheistic Personalism and the Erosion of Classical Christian Theism
In his first lecture at the Southern California Reformed Baptist Pastors Conference James Dolezal assessed the state of theology proper within calvinistic Evangelicalism. Dolezal compares the Classical Theism that has traditionally marked Evangelicalism with Theistic Personalism, the belief that “in order for God to be truly personal he needs to somehow enter into relationship with…
Read MoreThe Foundation of all our Communion with God and Comfortable Dependence on Him
The doctrine of God is most certainly a complicated topic. Yet, if pastors find themselves in a fog when approaching the doctrine, then it is almost guaranteed that their people will misunderstand the Father. Seeing that knowing God and believing rightly about Him is foundational to the Christian faith, pastors must pursue a correct understanding…
Read MoreThomas Aquinas: Friend or Foe? The Credo Podcast with Michael Allen
Why are evangelicals so unfamiliar with one of the greatest theologians in the history of the church, Thomas Aquinas? Is Thomas a friend or a foe to evangelicals today? Was Thomas first and foremost a philosopher or a theologian? Was Thomas a rationalist as some would suggest? What advantages are there to embracing a Reformed…
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