Again, my mailbox had another letter from what I am sure is a faithful and committed Christian urging me to not wish you or anyone else a merry Christmas. I can't count the number of copies of this letter from many hands I have received over the years. And I have to admit, it causes me to feel bad. I feel bad if I say it and I feel bad if I don't. Now, that might well be my fundamental upbringing, but I want to think it's more related to my personal desire to serve others.
Continue reading this article...On The Hermeneutics of Subscription - Part 2
A moderately successful experiment in “presbyterianizing” was carried out in Northampton in 1571, with “prophesyings” (exposition of Scripture apart from liturgy) following from the precedent of 1 Corinthians 14. In Northampton, seven regulations were adopted, the first of which was: “That every minister, at his first allowance to be of this Exercise, shall by subscription declare his consent in Christ’s true religion, with his Brethren, and submit to the discipline and order of the same.” Further, a Bill on May 29, 1571 allowed Presbyterian ordination as long as the Ordinand was supportive of the Thirty-Nine Articles.
Continue reading this article...On The Hermeneutics of Subscription
Interpretation is a difficult art, nearly as much so with a hermeneutic of history as with a hermeneutic of Scripture. Of course, the former both is governed by more certain principles and also is more rewarding. Still, many of the historic debates in ecclesiastical communions are in no small part intertwined with certain hermeneutical decisions. That is the case for any who seek an understanding of the crucial set of issues discussed in this work.
Continue reading this article...Lessons for the Journey Home
We love lessons. As parents we wait for and even seek out teaching moments. But even more specifically, we love distilled instruction. We want the ideas boiled down. Give us three easy points and we are happy. You want proof for this mindset? Check out the endless series of books for Dummies and Idiots on virtually any subject. We want the facts and just the facts. Now, if you think I’m balking at the idea of lessons and teaching moments then you’re heading toward country I don’t plan to visit. But if these shoes aren’t made for walking in that direction, then to which road am I headed.
Continue reading this article...Don't let the lights fool you
Despite Thanksgiving having passed, the 'holiday music' - scrubbed of any references to Christ - with all of its cheer ringing throughout my Starbucks and various grand shopping days all round, we here at the Alliance are not quite done for the year.
Continue reading this article...Alistair Begg in Princeton, on Audio and Video
The Alliance was pleased to partner once again with the Princeton regional Conference on Reformed Theology. Ian Hamilton and Alistair Begg brought the doctrine of Providence to us in a clear and compelling way. You can download or order copies of the audio recordings from Reformed Resources.
Continue reading this article...Working Together - Alliance via ExtraordinaryGive
On November 21st, you can support the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals with the Extraordinary Give program. Any donation made online at ExtraGive will be stretched by up to $250,000 from the Lancaster County Community Foundation and their presenting sponsors. Plus, there are $50,000 in prizes we can win instantly as a result of your donation!
Continue reading this article...Theology on the Go on iTunes
We're very grateful for the feedback we've already received about Theology on the Go podcast at Place for Truth. And as an update, I'm pleased to report that you can listen and subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or just go to iTunes and search for "Theology on the Go."
Continue reading this article...Christward Collective’s Scott Redd with Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn
The Alliance has a growing list of scholars and contributors leading our efforts to proclaim historic confessional doctrine for a modern reformation. One of those contributors is Dr. Scott Redd on ChristwardCollective.org. In order to keep you in the loop about what our contributors are doing, we alert you to an exciting conference next week in DC. Reformed Theological Seminary, where Redd is President, invites you to join the third annual ReForum: Confessing Christianity: Yesterday’s Reformation for Today’s Public Life.
Continue reading this article...The Case for Credobaptism
The practice of baptizing professing believers is grounded upon two complementary foundations. The first is an argument from the covenants of Scripture. The second is an argument from the commands of Scripture related to those covenants. Credobaptists and paedobaptists often assume, or argue, that the people of a given covenant receive the covenant sign. Thus, in the case of the subjects of baptism one must simply identify the covenant people. This is insufficient. The administration of covenantal ordinances is governed by specific laws, which must be obeyed strictly.
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