Mark Horne

Francis Turretin, the Reformed theologian of the seventeenth century, carefully distinguishes the Reformed view of infant faith from Lutheran and Anabaptist claims. Anabaptists denied any faith to infants so that they could justify their refusal to baptize them. Lutherans affirmed (rightly) that covenant infants were believers, but made no distinction between that sort of faith [...]

Interesting stuff going on. A pastor does a bang-up job defending Schenck and also really pointing out the shift that is taking place in Christian thinking (both Reformed and otherwise) that roughly corresponds to the shift from Des Cartes to Wittgenstein (the later). Here is a challenge for you: name one relationship that you have [...]

It is hard to remember, when one reads this response, that Thornwell and Charles Hodge were members of the same church and respected one another, even as they disagreed at points, as Christians and as teachers. I don’t get it. Schenck’s book has been highly recommended by many including Dr. Robert Rayburn of Faith Presbyterian [...]

Since the season is coming, it is time to provide vaccines to common diseases that spread among Christians during this time of year. Don’t worry. The medicine is not only helpful, but it tastes good too. Share and Enjoy:

So, when I know I’m alone in the house, and decide I need to pray about something, why do I instinctively whisper? What’s up with that? Can anyone imagine the author of Hebrews reasoning that We all had fathers of the flesh and only whispered to them. Shall we not only whisper to the Father [...]

The good news is that the iTunes store is selling TV episodes. The bad news is that Veronica Mars is not available and I’ve missed every single episode of the new season. Share and Enjoy:

Last night, I was in what, to my sense of scale, was a megachurch. It met in what used to be a Target store, was huge, had a gymn and a big room for weight machines and treadmills, etc. I was in a room with a shelf full of Sunday School aids for young children. [...]

“…do not let that wretched, mutilated thing be thrown between me and the Bible.” Share and Enjoy:

I’m used to the fact that the more one is a stranger to the stream of Biblical Theology in the line of Vos, Ridderbos, Gaffin, and others the more strange the work of N. T. Wright will seem to be. Thus, my first thrill of discovery in him was one of confirmation. Here was a [...]

Justin Taylor, of Reformation21 fame, writes: Here are Poythress’s 12 Maxims for Symphonic Theology. Without explanation, some will doubtless come across as cryptic. If that’s the case, you’ll just have to read the book! Indeed you will. Here it is. PERSPECTIVES IN EVERYDAY LIFE PERSPECTIVES IN THE BIBLE EXAMPLES OF USEFUL BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES PERSPECTIVES IN [...]

Sinners who are saved from the wrath of God are justified only by grace only through faith. This faith is a confidence in God, his Word, his message of Jesus Christ and his work, and a trust in his promises. To listen to much popular preaching, once one trusts in God, there are no further [...]

Lig Duncan writes: By the way, I’m told that the next edition of the Westminster Theological Journal will have a review essay on Guy Waters’ Justification and the New Perspectives on Paul (P&R, 2004). No doubt that interaction will be critical too, but I look forward to it nevertheless. Good for us all to have [...]

James 1.23-2.13 was the text today, though I may be off by a verse or two. It prompted some thoughts (some more driectly from the sermon than others). We often hear how James follows Matthew, but there are some strong resonances with Mark as well. Mark and James are the only two books in the [...]

Part 1 One of the things that strikes me, now that I reflect upon it, is how utterly impossible it would be for Jesus to make any headway with those who didn’t want to hear his case against the Pharisees. When you are in power you always have plausible deniability. And, in this case, being [...]

By the way, in addition to Lig Duncan’s post on Sinclair Ferguson’s stuff on NPP there have been a lot of good things on the metablog. I especially appreciate Justin Taylor, who recommends Augustine, Calvin, Bavinck, and John Frame’s The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God. Thanks go to him, also, for the heads up [...]

For those interested in current (cough) discussion of the so-called “new perspecteve,” you should read this. Share and Enjoy:

Look, now they’ve added Sunday School. C’mon guy! Podcast already. Share and Enjoy:

I thought this was an overall good summary of Sinclair Ferguson’s lecture. But something reminded me of a question I’ve been meaning to ask: He argues that … it is an exegetical mistake to suggest that Paul was without pre-conversion guilt…. I differed with Ferguson on a number of things in the lecture, but this [...]

Paul writes: For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (Romans 3.28. Some claim that this merely means that Paul is saying here that we are justified only by faith, but that (as he or others teach elsewhere in Scripture) such a justifying faith is never alone. But [...]

At the end of chapter 12 of Mark’s Gospel Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of “devouring widows’ houses.” Where? When? The story of the widow’s offering which transitions from this condemnation to Jesus’ Mt. Olivet prophecy of the destruction of the Temple gives us a hint, but not anything like a satisfying picture. In [...]