Early critical theorist Walter Benjamin, using the idea of the spoils of war to reflect upon history, memorably commented: [Cultural treasures] owe their existence not only to the efforts of the great minds and talents who have created them, but also to the anonymous toil of their contemporaries. There isContinue Reading
The Mars Hill/Mark Driscoll debacle is well known. Many have listened to Christianity Today’s excellent podcast series The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. The fall of Mars Hill is but another incident in a long series of scandals plaguing American evangelicalism. Why do such things happen over and overContinue Reading
Dr. John Sanford is a brilliant geneticist. He has published more than 100 papers in the peer-reviewed literature and holds several dozen patents in genetics. Most notably, he was the primary inventor of the gene gun, which allows scientists to take genes from one species and insert them into anotherContinue Reading
By Simon Jooste The overriding witness of Scripture is God’s salvation of sinners (Gen. 3:15; John 3:16; Luke 24:27). Natural man remains dead in his sins unless God acts (Rom. 3:9-20; Psalm 53). If God did not extend his grace, there would be no hope for this fallen world (Gal.Continue Reading
By Simon Jooste The piety of God’s Old Testament people revolved around public worship, and in the context of covenant. Whether in the tabernacle, temple or in exile, the Jews drew their strength from the official and public ministry of the Word: the preaching, the sacraments and the sacrifices (see:Continue Reading
By Simon Jooste Under the New Covenant signed in Christ’s blood, God’s institution of the slaughtered paschal Lamb and festive meal at Passover (Num. 9:1-3; cf. Exodus 12:11-27) has now been replaced with Christ’s establishment of the ongoing sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:26-29; cf. 1 Cor. 11:23-26). TheContinue Reading
By Simon Jooste Space does not permit an elaborate historical treatment of the question of Christ’s presence in the Lord’s Supper. Suffice to say, the ancient church exhibited a variety of views on the relationship between the signs of bread and wine and the thing they signified (Christ crucified andContinue Reading
By Simon Jooste The Three Forms of Unity – the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of the Synod of Dort – represent a summary of what the Word of God teaches. They dedicate a significant amount of space to the official ministry of the Word in theContinue Reading
By Simon Jooste The original sixteenth- and seventeenth-century horizon of the Three Forms of Unity and the 1619 Church Order of the Synod of Dort was thick with about five hundred years of theological innovation in the medieval Roman Catholic church, which included the Lord’s Supper. In keeping with aContinue Reading
Simon Jooste The Bible sets forth two sacraments that were instituted by God and qualify as means of grace. In the Old Testament, they were circumcision and the Passover meal. In the New Testament, these rites have been replaced with baptism and the Lord’s Supper respectively. Those that claim additionalContinue Reading