John Piper Denies Justification by Faith Alone
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
John Piper is a well-known (celebrity) pastor and widely thought of as a leader in Reformed circles.[1] Thus, any subtle errors that he teaches are all the more dangerous and in need of exposure. This is even more the case when his errors pervert justification by faith alone, one of the cardinal doctrines of scripture. Those who seek to learn from Piper must be aware that Piper subtly denies the doctrine of justification by faith alone in a way that aligns...
Read MoreBible Study
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
It’s the season of Bible Study Societies. Thus it is a good time to think about how to study the Bible. I decided to dedicate today’s post to some helpful resources about how to study the Bible. Here are some Standard Bearer articles by Rev. Thomas Miersma (The last 4 links especially get into the “how to” of Bible study): The Reformers’ Principles of Scriptural Interpretation: Introduction Scripture Interprets Scripture: Historically Scripture Interprets Scripture: Grammatically (1) Scripture...
Read MoreIs God the Author of Sin?
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
In response to my last blog post (we welcome responses!), The Errors of Arminianism, a reader asked me (by email) to answer the Arminian charge that the Reformed faith is guilty of making God the author of sin. I intended to write my own answer to the question: is God the author of sin. But in doing some research I came across this brief and yet thorough treatment of the question by Prof. H. C. Hoeksema (posed to him by a...
Read MoreRCC: A False Church
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The pope visited the US last week with much fanfare. Pope Francis is a hit with political leftists and with a certain segment of Protestants. This is an appropriate time to be reminded of the evils of the Roman Catholic Church that Pope Francis represents. So I share with you today an excerpt from an article by Jordan Stanbridge, Why Evangelicals and Catholics cannot be Together. As the title of the article indicates, Stanbridge is opposed to the 1994 Evangelicals and...
Read MoreThe Progression of Theistic Evolution
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Theistic evolution is a view that attempts to yoke Genesis 1-3 together with the findings of scientists. Many have warned that the Bible and the findings of scientists (many of them unbelieving scientists) cannot be equally yoked and that the attempt to join the two together will end in disaster—the progressive denial of important biblical truths. Of course the early proponents of this marriage between the Bible and science masked the danger of this agenda by denying that this would lead...
Read MoreKim Davis: A Model of Christian Conduct?
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
For those of you who have not followed the news, Kim Davis is the Kentucky County Clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses on the basis of her religious beliefs. Davis, a professing Christian, believes that homosexuality is a sin. After the US Supreme Court (in Obergfell v. Hodges) gave the legal right to homosexuals to marry in all 50 states, Davis, not wanting to issue any marriage licenses for homosexuals, decided not to issue any marriage licenses in her county....
Read MoreBetter than the Alternative
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Should it trouble us that there are so many denominations in the world? Should we express sorrow and even indignation over the fact that Christians have not banded together institutionally to give expression of their unity in Jesus Christ? For many the fragmentation of churches into many denominations is deplorable. It is common for speakers and writers to criticize “denominationalism” sharply and call for churches to band together for the sake of unity (usually by means of ignoring doctrinal differences). Dr....
Read MoreKeep Praying for Jesus to Come Quickly
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
This is what I will do in response to the news that Planned Parenthood is selling the body parts of aborted babies. As a Christian there are other things I can do. I can cry, which I did when I heard the audio of one of the undercover videos (I have not watched any of the videos and do not plan to because of how disturbing they are). I can vote for “pro-life” candidates in political elections, which I always do....
Read MoreThe Quest For The Historical Adam
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The Quest for the Historical Adam is the title of a book by William Van Doodewaard, professor at the Puritan Reformed Seminary and minister Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. I do not own the book and have not read it yet. But based on the review of Wes Bredenhof I plan to obtain and read it soon. Bredenhof highly recommends it as “a book for every minister, elder, & deacon.” If he “had the means” he “would get a copy of this...
Read MorePope Apologizes for Persecution, Still Opposed to True Reformation
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
This article in Christianity Today reports that Pope Francis apologized for the Roman Catholic Church’s persecution of the Waldensians during the Middle Ages. Here is an excerpt from the report that includes the apology: “On the part of the Catholic Church, I ask your forgiveness, I ask it for the non-Christian and even inhuman attitudes and behavior that we have showed you,” Francis said during the first-ever visit by a pope to a Waldensian church. “In the name of the Lord...
Read MoreThe Church is Not Small
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The title above is one of the points of today’s Breakpoint, which showed up in my inbox a few mornings ago. The speaker today, Eric Metaxas, discusses the UN Human Rights Council’s vote to adopt “The Protection of the Family” resolution. The family here refers to the traditional family of a husband and wife and their children. The resolution describes the family as “the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children.” Metaxas notes that...
Read MoreTaking Scripture Seriously
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
‘Both sides take the Bible seriously.’ This is a common claim heard in the debates about women-in-office and homosexuality. Christians who favor the approval of women-in-office and of homosexuality make this statement in order to establish their views as legitimate interpretations of the Bible. So they make it appear that they and their opponents are the same in that both take Bible seriously. But even if those who approve of women-in-office and homosexuality do take the Bible seriously, whatever that may...
Read MoreThe Bob De Moor Plan for the CRC’s Acceptance of Homosexuality
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Editor of the Banner, Bob De Moor expresses concern in this Banner article about the likelihood of conflict in the CRC over the denomination’s official position that “homosexual practice is always sinful.” He reports that the discussion about “whether or not to make declarations related to same sex relationships” revealed that “many no longer agree with the position of the Christian Reformed Church that homosexual practice is always wrong or that such practice always requires church discipline.” De Moor is concerned...
Read MoreMale and Female: What’s the Difference?
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
On June 26 the US Supreme Court (SC) effectively legalized homosexual marriage for the entire nation. But this was not the first time that the SC redefined marriage (as far as US law is concerned). In this article in the Wall Street Journal James Taranto explains that in 1981 the SC decided that male headship in marriage is a form of sexual discrimination that is unconstitutional. Thus, in 1981 the SC did away with the traditional (and biblical) view of marriage...
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