Always Reforming

1 Samuel 2  relates the story of Eli, the well-meaning high priest whose only flaw (apparently) was his refusal to discipline his sons.  These sons, described as worthless men , utilized their position to abuse the people and indulge their lusts with impunity.  Eli's dereliction of duty brought his otherwise noble career in service to God's house to an ignominious end.   There are, of course, important differences between Eli and Joe Biden.  Joe Biden is not a religious leader (though he is a practicing Roman Catholic ), nor would I consider his record to be otherwise spotless.  However, similarly to Eli,  Biden's pardoning of his own  worthless son, Hunter, will prove to be his legacy.  His long (and I mean loooong) career in politics will likely be overshadowed, even in the eyes of those who previously respected him, by this one shameless act.  By pardoning his son despite  promising not to, Biden has yet again demonstrate...

Such a pretty girl The fairest, the loveliest Lovelier each day Kind, caring, friendly Generous, sacrificial Gentle, powerful Her love and her touch Sparks igniting in my chest Souls entwined, yet freed   Golden hair, brown eyes That bright smile that captured My gaze and my heart

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations.  As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae.  Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict.   What does it mean?  Who may partake?  What do we call it?    These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts.  Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention.  PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it.  I underst...

So, we had an election earlier this week.  Perhaps you heard about it. I have done my best to remain mostly silent on political issues this time around because I have found that fixating on such matters does little for my mental or spiritual health.  Also, no one cares what I think.  Nevertheless, here are a few thoughts on our recent election. 1) I didn't vote for Donald Trump, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not glad he won.  To be clear, that says more about Kamala Harris than about Donald Trump. 2) This election seemed much cleaner--much less suspicious--than the sordid affair we had in 2020.  This election didn't feature any poll workers tallying (discovering? conjuring?) votes behind closed doors in the wee hours of the night, messy mail-in voting, or voter turnout beyond plausible expectations.  The 2020 election had me convinced that we would never see another peaceful, uncontested election, but, as contentious as things were this year, it seems like...

I'm not old But I'm old enough To appreciate  A beautiful day I'm not young But I have some life left in me I have some words I'd like to Get off my chest I'm not done Making my mark on this world I know I have something to offer If I can just figure it out I'm not sure Where any of this is headed I'm trying to cross bridges When I come to them I'm not scared But I am a little uncertain Mistakes I make at this point Could follow me to the grave I'm not young But I'm too young to give up I hope my zeal is seasoned With a little patience and love I'm not old But I'm older now The rest of my life is Shorter than before I'm not old But I'm old enough To appreciate A beautiful day

I consider myself Reformed.  I was baptized as a baby in a PCA church.  I grew up in a Reformed microdenomination that allowed its member churches to subscribe to any of the Reformed confessions (we subscribed to the Three Forms of Unity).  In many ways, whether I like it or not, I still think and act like a Reformed Presbyterian.   Some, however, would seek to deny me that label.  I suspect there are many reasons for this, but paramount among them is that I hold to Paedocommunion (hereafter PC), which, for some reason, is absolutely the worst thing ever to these people.  Some would go so far as to say that PC makes me a heretic, but they all agree that I am certainly not Reformed .   My recent engagement with these opponents of PC has caused me to reflect on what it means to be Reformed and what it means to be a Christian.  This online jousting has dovetailed well with some of my recent study, particularly  An Apology of the Church...

Concerning Paedocommunion: I've seen people argue that it is not "Reformed," that is, it is not in line with the historic, Reformed confessions. This point I will grant, though there certainly were some Reformers who held it. This also assumes a mythological idea of a monolithic "Reformed Church" or "Reformed view" on any given matter, but we won't go down that road. I've seen people argue against it exegetically, arguments being mainly drawn from 1 Corinthians 11. I ardently disagree with their interpretations of that passage. In fact, I think 1 Corinthians is one of the strongest defenses of Paedocommunion. Regardless, I can understand their line of argumentation. What I have not seen is an explanation of how Paedocommunion is anything but a valid practice of the historic catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church has literally practiced it forever. We have multiple explicit statements from the early Church that support Paedocommunio...

Prayer.  Scripture.  Baptism and the Eucharist.  Fellowship. These are means of grace . What does that mean?  Does that rustle your feathers a little?  Does it sound too Roman Catholic for you?  I assure you that there is nothing magical about this concept of the means of grace.  We do not believe in  ex opere operato .  Nevertheless, God has prescribed specific acts--many of them physical--to which He has attached promises.  The Church has long known these as the means of grace. Let's be clear about one thing-- God can (and does) work however He pleases. He can work directly, miraculously, etc. when He so chooses (see the Conversion of St. Paul). However, He has ordained to use certain, concrete activities to convert and sanctify His people. As Christians, if we wish to grow in holiness and intimacy with God, we are called to utilize these spiritual gardening tools. The primary means of grace have traditionally been identified as ...

Why do you go to church on Sunday?  I would assume there are many reasons, but what is the primary reason that you get up on a cold, snowy Sunday morning and get your butt to church?  Further, why has the Church of Jesus Christ consistently gathered together on Sundays (among other days) for the last 2000 years? Throughout my 34 years of church attendance I would have proffered a variety of answers to that question.  As a child I'm sure I went to church because I had to, to see my cousins (who happened to be my best friends), to get bread and wine (weekly communion for the win), etc.  As my faith matured in adulthood these reasons remained, hopefully deepening, but to them were added concepts like rest and theological training. As I moved into Anglicanism I was struck by the deliberate focus on worship .  Why do Christians gather on Sunday morning?  To worship God!  Are teaching and fellowship important?  Absolutely!  Are they aspects of wor...

As an adherent to Paedocommunion  (hereafter PC), I have always found it painfully ironic that Credocommunionists use 1 Corinthians 11 to withhold children (among others) from the Table.  One can imagine St. Paul shaking his head as he watches theologians using his discussion of unity at the Table to divide the body at the Table.  You're missing the point! he would say in exasperation.  Not only does 1 Corinthians 11 not forbid PC; I would go so far as to say that there is no better defense of PC in the New Testament than the epistle of 1 Corinthians. Credocommunionist logic is pretty straightforward.  1 Corinthians 11:28 says, "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup."  If, they argue, one is unable to fulfill the exhortation to examine himself, then he may not eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  This is a pretty logical deduction, right? Credobaptists would adamantly agree.  Acts 2:38 says, "Repe...