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When reformed theologians speak about the first cause and secondary causes, they do not mean sequences in time. They refer to two ORDERS of causality:
1. Divine (first cause);
2. Creaturely (second or contingent causes).
The reason why the first cause—logically prior, but of a different order than secondary causes—can concur with secondary causes is BECAUSE they are of a different order.
I attended the last T4G. It marked the end of an era. But something was not quite right. Two of the four original founders were not there: Al Mohler and CJ Mahaney. Yet undoubtedly the conference and the theological culture it helped cultivate changed the evangelical landscape. Baptists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans fellowshipped at T4G. At one level, T4G 2022 evinced its success. We were there. All together.
But its success, significant as it is, does not match the larger evangelical scene. The Southern Baptist Convention—my former convention—has recently entered into a crisis. Russell Moore goes further and calls it an apocalypse. I am too far away from the SBC today to really understand what’s happening. But if Peter Wehner’s piece in the Atlantic is accurate, then apocalypse may very well be the right word. [Read more…] about The Last T4G: The Unraveling and Reweaving of North American Evangelicalism
When Adam and Eve sinned, God exiled them from the garden, and through them, sin entered the world. Christ came to redeem sinners and make them into saints. But if Adam had not sinned, then would Christ have come? Could Adam have not sinned?
Here are some Augustinian considerations. [Read more…] about Could Adam not Have Sinned? Some Augustinian Considerations
Pastors should shepherd the flock the Great Shepherd has given them. Pastors must then die to themselves to focus on their vocation. Often, that means avoiding political aspirations or other worthwhile endeavours because of their calling.
In other words, I agree with Pastor James Seward who said, “I’m not just an ordinary citizen. I’m enlisted. I’m a pastor. I’m a Word-man, and under-shepherd of Christ.” But not everyone Christian is a pastor. And God calls Christians to farming and to politics because Christians should enjoy and name the grace of God present everywhere in the created order. [Read more…] about Build More Christian Institutions
Complementarian thinking largely draws on natural law as its general foundation. But grace does not destroy but supports and perfects nature. And so the church, the new creation by that special revelation in Christ, maintains this distinction in the church (e.g., in 1 Tim 2).
[Read more…] about New and Old Complementarian Thinking: Returning to the Old Paths of Natural Law
Paul in Ephesians 6 addresses children directly (!) and aims to persuade them to obey their parents for two reasons:
[Read more…] about Paul Uses Bible Verses And Common Notions to Instruct Children
