Mark Horne

From The Reconstruction of the Church.
The Church in America today is in disarray. Apart from the evil influence of secular humanism and theological liberalism (which are the same thing), the problem is due to two factors: an ambiguous attitude toward public worship, and the development of parachurch organizations.
The first factor is that the institutional Church [...]

In my opinion, this is pure genius:
Now this is why intellectuals … can sit up until two in the morning talking about how a particular French filmmaker was deconstructing the suburban instantiations of gnosticism with his gritty authenticity, while down the street another man puts them all to shame by getting up three hours later [...]

John Barach has begun a review of the conference we attended.

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Question 22. What is then necessary for a christian to believe?
Answer: All things promised us in the gospel, (a) which the articles of our catholic undoubted christian faith briefly teach us.
Question 23. What are these articles?
Answer: 1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: 2. And in Jesus Christ, his [...]

One of the great things about “the Mercersberg Theology,” was that it dealt with the tractarian movement in a way that addressed their concerns but defended the Reformation and vindicated justification by faith alone. In fact, in his The Principle of Protestantism, Philip Schaff articulated what Charles Hodge declared to be a “thoroughly evangelical” [...]

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith (Romans 3.28-30; emphasis [...]

A lot of this is just impression, and perhaps a better title for most of it is “how I misunderstood Van Til.” But the hard evidence is this: For years, on the basis of what I read in the works of Cornelius Van Til, I was absolutely certain that Thomas Aquinas was what amounted [...]

Interesting.
But even though I agree with Leithart’s response I wonder if Barth wasn’t connecting with a real problem that sometimes crops up in Reformed circles.

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Lig Duncan relays some good material about why some Anglicans are saying that the call to unity does not allow them to continue in a church that blesses homosexuality.
It is, among other things, a good reminder of what real issues exist in the world that we must deal with as a Church and not [...]

It occurs to me that the most profound writing in philosophy or theology is writing in which a reader’s acquaintance with philosophical or theological writing, or his identity as a philosopher or theologian, is as likely to be an impediment to understanding what he reads as it is to be an aid.

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Here is a picture the morning before Church on Easter Sunday:

This is Her Highness pretending to sleep:

Dress up!

Ready to ride the ATV (with the Craw in background):

Birthday boy!

Birthday girl!

Dad and daughter:

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From The Sociology of the Church
My purpose in this essay is not to provide a complete theology of conversion, but to comment on an experience I had in the summer of 1984. I was invited to speak at a conservative Presbyterian church. I spoke in the morning, and in addition to the regular congregation I [...]

Pastor Phil Ryken finally weighed in on Presbyterians and Presbyterians Together. He has continued in that vein most recently with a Spurgeon quotation.
I think Ryken has legitimate concerns. Calling for charity as a way of marginalizing those who would refute error is simply a power grab and deserves to be deconstructed.
But it all [...]

Glenn Lucke has not only written a great piece explaining the need for Presbyterians & Presbyterians Together, but he also recommended a helpful post on what is wrong with “the heresy hunters.” Thanks Glenn!

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Here is what Dr. Richard Gaffin said during the fifth lecture at the 2005 Auburn Avenue Pastors Conference:
What about justification and the “not-yet” of our salvation? May we think of our justification as, in some sense, still future?
In other words, as I would want to pose the question for us now, and I would hope [...]

Mayor Says Pastor Should Apologize for Words on Gays
I’m not really sure why the pastor had to use such perjorative modern words. If one must suffer, why not suffer for reading Romans 1 rather than for talking about f@gg0ts and sissies?
Still, it pretty much demonstrates a direct overlap between the “two kingdoms.”

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Since I’ve discussed Buffy recently I thought I would post an entry on Willow’s “turn to the dark-side.” Consider this scene after Willow goes into a homicidal frenzy of revenge:
BUFFY: (sighing) We need to find Willow.
XANDER: Yeah, she’s off the wagon big-time. Warren’s a dead man if she finds him.
DAWN: (bitterly) Good.
BUFFY: Dawn, don’t [...]

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
I’m especially thinking of that last bit: being able to rebuke those who contradict sound doctrine.
How many heresies have been spread, not by clever heretics, but [...]

Does anyone really believe that listening to the preaching of the Word of God in an unworthy manner can fail to come under judgement? Ergo: no one should be permitted to go to church until they have proven to the session that they are able to discern the message.

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Cool. My work here is done.

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