Who owns this thing called "Evangelicalism"? On one hand, we speak as if we all know what we are talking about when we use the term. This is especially true for those of us who were raised in the subculture. On other occasions, we speak as if there is no coherent conception of what it […]
Two extremes can be found in the project of defining Evangelicalism. On the one hand, there is the infinitely elastic approach that treats this task as if it were a matter of defining cyberspace-far too diverse to characterize. On the other hand, there are those who are ready to reduce Evangelicalism to one of its […]
You may have heard Lutherans, Reformed, and other confessional Protestants criticize parachurch "statements of faith," while simultaneously celebrating the creeds of the early Church, and the confessions and catechisms flowing from the Reformation. Why this distinction? Is it simply a function of a nostalgic attachment to the past, a naive yearning for a lost golden […]
In John 17 Jesus prays for his flock to “be brought to complete unity” (v. 23). Yet in Luke 12, he tells his disciples that he did not come to bring peace on earth, but division (v. 51). While often seen as two completely different and contradictory statements, they actually provide a window to explore […]
Among the "end-of-the-1970s" wrap-up articles filling the pages of periodicals a few months ago was one by Harold O. J. Brown in Christianity Today (December 21, 1979), called "The Church of the 1970s." What struck me about this piece is that, while it was about the 1970s, it was not at all about the Church. […]
MR is published by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. MR's editor-in-chief, Michael Horton, recently sat down in Atlanta with a few members of the Council that directs the Alliance, and asked them to explain what the Alliance is and why it exists. Joining him for the conversation were council members R. C. Sproul, chairman of […]
We have lost the connection between Law and Gospel. We think we can make Christians into better people without the Gospel, and we think we can make unbelievers into believers without mentioning the Law. I often hear sermons-even intentionally evangelistic sermons-where people are urged to "accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior." But they […]
We incline to moralism by nature. In other words, not all theologies equally draw us. The theologies which draw us, as iron filings to a magnet, are the ones that have to do with self-improvement, with the righteousness of the Law. As children of Adam, we are drawn to those that say: "I stuck in […]
We cannot speak about the influence of the charismatic movement upon Evangelicalism without speaking about charismatic singing. For in this realm, the charismatic movement has had an impact upon the Church far beyond proportion. This has happened, I think, for two reasons: First, there is something especially harmonious between the charismatic movement and the spirit […]
Our "Free Space" column, unlike the feature articles, is the opportunity for those outside of our circles to respond. It doesn't imply editorial endorsement, but encourages the open exchange of ideas. -eds. MR: Before getting to your reading of charismatic and evangelical history, tell us a bit about your theological background and your relation to […]
Christian doctrine is grounded first and foremost in the testimony of Scripture. On this, evangelical Christians concur. Yet evangelicals often arrive at deep and seemingly irresolvable disagreements on the details and implications of that testimony. How sinners who lack faith in Christ Jesus will be punished at the final judgment is one such point of […]
G. K. Chesterton expressed the opinion of many when he wrote: "Though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators." Too true too often. One antidote, however, would be a judicious, scholarly commentary based on the Apocalypse's Greek text. It […]
In 426 A.D., Augustine handed over leadership of his church to his assistant, Eraclius. Overwhelmed by his own inadequacy and fearing his predecessor's voice would be lost, Eraclius lamented, "The cricket chirps, the swan is silent." A thousand years later, Augustine's doctrine of grace reverberated through the voice of John Hus, who was burned at […]
Today, the notion of truth has almost completely disappeared from American culture. In Time for Truth, Os Guinness profiles this phenomenon that he calls "America's 'Nietzschean Moment.'" Following in the German philosopher's wake, the radical onslaught of postmodernity with its "assault on truth" amounts to "a profound crisis of cultural authority in the West-a crisis […]
This useful volume harmonizes the Belgic Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort, the Second Helvetic Confession, and the Westminster Confession, and Shorter and Larger Catechisms. It is divided into subjects-theology, anthropology, Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology-and presents the texts in parallel columns. The actual harmonization is preceded by a brief […]
