Infant Baptism Illustrated by Revivals

When later the church obtained a firm foothold in the world, and grew not so much through missions among the heathen as by means of catechizing her own children, conversion assumed another form, while remaining the same in essence. In infant baptism it was confessed that conversion and regeneration differ, and conversion is ordinarily a coming to consciousness of that new life which has long before been planted in the heart. An illustration of this is supplied also by revivals, which do not occur among heathen, but only within the limits of the Christian church.

– Herman Bavinck, The Philosophy of Revelation: The Stone Lectures for 1908-1909, Princeton Theological Seminary (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1908), 201. (Read online at Google Books or Internet Archive.)

Bavinck Books

Dogmatics and Idiosyncracy

Independent formulation of faith is nothing but the criticism of an individual mind, which cuts itself loose from the communion of saints, takes its stand proudly over against the power of history, and cherishes faith in its own leading by the Holy Ghost but not in the guidance of the Holy Ghost in the Church of Christ. As a protest against this the name of Dogmatological group demands that Dogma, as a result of history, shall be taken as one’s starting-point, and that in its central interpretation and in each of its subdivisions this Dogma shall be examined critically and ever again be tested by the Holy Scripture, in order that in this way at the same time its further development may be promoted.

– Abraham Kuyper, Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology: Its Principles, trans. J. Hendrik De Vries (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1898), 635. (Read online via Google Books.)

Books by Abraham Kuyper

Sermon: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 — Christ’s House of Prayer for All Nations

My sermon from last night on 1 Timothy 2:1-7 has been posted on the church web site….

Sermon: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 — “The Church is Christ’s House of Prayer for All Nations”

I delivered the following sermon in the morning worship service at Providence OPC on 3 May 2009.

Scripture Reading

• Isaiah 56:6-8
• 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

(Download audio file; multiple formats available.)

“The Authentic Church” — New Horizons January 2009

This month’s New Horizons explores the emergent church movement:

1. Sincerely Yours: The Marks of the True Authentic Church
   by A. Craig Troxel
2. Why We Are Not Emergent
   by Dale A. Van Dyke
3. Christianity and the Emergent Church
   by Danny E. Olinger

In “Sincerely Yours,” pastor Troxel creatively explores the buzzword “authenticity,” weaving together the traditional Reformed marks of the church (word, sacraments, discipline) and practical applications on living as authentic churches and Christians today. Acknowledging that our generation is crying out for “authenticity,” Troxel helpfully exhorts Christians toward God-centered, Word-directed authenticity of the communio sanctorum.

In “Why We Are Not Emergent,” pastor Van Dyke reviews the book, Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be. In Van Dyke’s opinion, “The leading authors of the emergent church get the Bible wrong, the gospel wrong, Jesus wrong, and the Christian life wrong.”

In “Christianity and the Emergent Church,” New Horizons editor Danny Olinger reviews Phyllis Tickle’s book, The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why [the book title in New Horizons is incorrect] and Brian McLaren’s A Generous Orthodoxy. The twofold allusion in Olinger’s title outlines his historical argument for maintaining Christianity’s antithesis: Machen’s classic critique of liberalism (Christian and Liberalism) and Van Til’s critique of neo-orthodoxy (Christianity and Barthianism) both apply to the emergent church movement, which is simply a resurgance of various themes from liberalism and neo-orthodoxy.

While we ruminate together over the question posed in this month’s edition of New Horizons, How is the emergent/ing movement wrong?, perhaps it would be equally illuminating for us Presbyterians to ask, In what ways, if any, is the emergent movement right? For example, do Orthodox Presbyterians and emergents share a related (though not equivocal) antipathy toward many of Evangelicalism’s presuppositions, like bigger is better (megachurch mentality), right wing = Christian (America as new Israel/”city on a hill”), suburban life is better than urban or rural living (cultural tribalism), soteriology trumps cosmology (salvation as “fire insurance”/”let it [the earth] burn” mentality)? If we do share similar concerns, in what ways are our concerns related, and how do our respective approaches to these concerns differ? Perhaps holding both questions in view will provide a more satisfying chew as our communio sanctorum engages the emergent generation authentically, in truth and love.

Related Reads

Credo-Paedo Baptism Debate: Dr. Thomas Schreiner and Dr. David VanDrunen

Dr. Thomas Schreiner

Dr. David VanDrunen

Grace Reformation Church of Woodland, CA, recently hosted a fraternal debate on the doctrine of baptism and has graciously released the MP3s for free.

Listen to the debate or download the MP3s below:

Dr. Thomas Schreiner: Credo-Baptism (30 min.)

Dr. Thomas Schreiner on Credobaptism (MP3)

Dr. David VanDrunen: Paedo-Baptism (30 min.)

Dr. David VanDrunen on Paedobaptism (MP3)

Q & A Session Between Schreiner & VanDrunen

Baptism Q & A (MP3)

Related Debates

• Listen to James White (Baptist view) and Bill Shisko (Presbyterian view) debate infant baptism.
• Listen to Dr. Robert Strimple (Presbyterian view) and Dr. Fred Malone (Baptist view) debate infant baptism.

Multimedia

• Free video online: Why Do We Baptize Our Children? — by Dr. Richard Pratt
• Purchase the DVD.

Books on Baptism

(HT: Heidelblog)

Confessions for Confessing Christianity’s Unique Trinitarian Monotheism

Stan Guthrie weighs in on A Common Word, claiming that “All Monotheisms Are Not Alike.” His argument is that Christians ought to keep the Apostles’ Creed at hand when engaging in interfaith dialog, otherwise we lose our most basic confessional foundation from which to distinguish ourselves from other religions.

Aside from the obvious disappointing fact that due to Evangelicalism’s tepid theological context such articles have to advocate (instead of presume) the most basic of Christian creeds (a disappointment, BTW, which ought to cause the Evangelical world at large to ask itself, How did we get to the point where we have lost our most basic understandings of foundational Christian doctrines?), perhaps Guthrie’s thought allows reflection and expansion in other related directions.

For example, contrary to popular stereotypes which claim Reformed theology is “dead” or results in “frozen chosen” mentality, Reformed churches are the most suited to interfaith dialog, evangelism, and missions in our pluralistic world; for, to further Guthrie’s thought, if the Apostles’ Creed is so necessary and helpful for confessing our basic beliefs (i.e. within the context of interfaith dialog surrounding A Common Word), does it not follow that the more robust confessional riches of the Reformed tradition (i.e. the Westminster Standards and the Three Forms of Unity) are even more necessary and more helpful for filling in the picture of what the whole Bible teaches within the give and take of such interfaith dialogs?

Continuing this thought with a hypothetical, imagine the advantages in terms of clear and concise communication a Reformed believer will have in answering the following basic questions from the confessional standpoint of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (as opposed to Christians who have no such confessional moorings): What is man’s purpose (WSC 1)? What does the Bible teach (WSC 3)? What is God (WSC 4)? Do you believe in one God or three (WSC 5-6)? Is Jesus God or man (WSC 21-30)?

Like trained athletes ready to run the race, Reformed churches with confessions in hand ought to be first to the interfaith fray, eagerly seeking opportunities to confess the person and works of our Great God according to the Scriptures. In spite of (yea, in the very face of) “hyper-Calvinism” and “dead orthodoxy” stereotypes, Reformed believers ought to rejoice (with trembling, of course–Psa. 2) in their preparation for engaging wholeheartedly in interfaith dialog, evangelism, and missions amidst today’s pluralism with a confession that is worthy of the whole Gospel which it proclaims from the whole Holy Bible in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Related Resources

“Duties are ours, events are the Lord’s” — Rutherford Thursdays No. 21

To William Dalgleish, minister of the Gospel

Reverend and Dear Brother,

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you. I am well. My Lord Jesus is kinder to me than ever He was.

Brother, this is His own truth I now suffer for. He has sealed my sufferings with His own comforts, and I know that He will not put His seal upon blank paper. His seals are not dumb nor delusive, to confirm imaginations and lies.

Go on, my dear brother, in the strength of the Lord, not fearing man who is a worm, nor the son of man that shall die. Providence has a thousand keys, to open a thousand sundry doors for the deliverance of His own, when it is even come to a “conclamatum est”. Let us be faithful, and care for our own part, which is to do and suffer for Him, and lay Christ’s part on Himself, and leave it there.

Duties are ours, events are the Lord’s. When our faith goeth to meddle with events, and to hold a court (if I may so speak) upon God’s providence, and beginneth to say, ‘How wilt Thou do this and that?’ we lose ground. We have nothing to do there. It is our part to let the Almighty exercise His own office, and steer His own helm. There is nothing left to us, but to see how we may be approved of Him, and how we may roll the weight of our weak souls in well-doing upon Him who is God Omnipotent: and when what we thus essay miscarrieth, it will be neither our sin nor cross.

Brother, remember the Lord’s word to Peter; ‘Simon, lovest thou me? — Feed my sheep.’ No greater testimony of our love to Christ can be, than to feed carefully and faithfully His lambs.

I am in no better neighborhood with the ministers here than before: they cannot endure that any speak of me, or to me. Thus I am, in the meantime, silent, which is my greatest grief.

I hope, brother, that ye will help my people; and write to me what ye hear the Bishop is to do with them. Grace be with you. Your brother in bonds.

Aberdeen

Who is William Dalgleish?

Dalgleish was minister of a neighbouring parish and was responsible for the parish of Anwoth also until Rutherford took charge of it. He later became minister of Cramond, from which he was ejected in 1662. See also Letter 38.

About “Rutherford Thursdays”

• See my introduction to the “Rutherford Thursdays” series of blog posts.
• Selection from His Letters is a public domain text hosted by CCEL. I have arranged and formatted Rutherford’s text and Hugh Martin’s editorial comments, added headings, paragraph separations, etc., for presentation on this blog.
• Letters of Samuel Rutherford is a nice print edition of Rutherford’s letters for under $5.
• For a brief biographical sketch of Rutherford’s life, see Hugh Martin’s forward to Selections. And see Martin’s glossary for help with outdated vocabulary.
• Rutherford Resources:
  • Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thompson. This book, now freely available via Google Books, presents two parts: First, a biography of Rutherford’s life; Second, a selection of Rutherford’s letters entitled “Honey from the Honeycomb.”
  • Fire and Ice index to S. R.
  • Samuel Rutherford: A New Biography of the Man & His Ministry. This biography by Kingsley G Rendell provides an excellent introduction to Rutherford’s life and work.

Rutherford Reads

Paedo-Credo Baptism Debate: Dr. Robert Strimple and Dr. Fred Malone

Dr. Robert Strimple

Dr. Fred Malone

On 11 March 1999, Westminster Seminary (CA) hosted a fraternal debate entitled, “The Proper Subjects of Baptism.” Dr. Robert B. Strimple argued the paedo baptist (or Presbyterian) view, and Dr. Fred Maloneargued the credo baptist (or Baptist) view. The audio recordings from the debate are now available in MP3 format:

Debate Audio

Part 1: Dr. Strimple’s 40 min. opening statement (MP3)

Part 2: Dr. Malone’s 40 min. opening statement (MP3)

Part 3: 10 min. rebuttals and Q/A with the audience (MP3)

Baptism Resources

Debates

• Listen to James White (Baptist view) and Bill Shisko (Presbyterian view) debate infant baptism.
• Listen to Dr. David VanDrunen (Presbyteran) and Dr. Thomas Schreiner (Baptist) debate infant baptism.

Multimedia

• Watch video online: Why Do We Baptize Our Children? — by Dr. Richard Pratt
• Purchase the DVD.

Books on Baptism

“the devil’s stomach cannot digest the Church of God” – Rutherford Thursdays No. 16

To Mr. Robert Blair – The Other Half of Our Ministry

Reverend and Dearly Beloved Brother,

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, be unto you.

It is no great wonder, my dear brother, that ye be in heaviness for a season, and that God’s will (in crossing your design and desires to dwell amongst a people whose God is the Lord) should move you. I deny not but ye have cause to inquire what His providence speaketh in this to you; but God’s directing and commanding Will can by no good logic be concluded from events of providence. The Lord sent Paul on many errands for the spreading of His Gospel, where he found lions in his way. A promise was made to His people of the Holy Land, and yet many nations were in the way, fighting against, and ready to kill them that had the promise, or to keep them from possessing the good land which the Lord their God had given them.

I know that ye have most to do with submission of spirit; but I persuade myself that ye have learned, in every condition wherein ye are cast, therein to be content, and to say, ‘Good is the will of the Lord, let it be done.’ I believe that the Lord tacketh His ship often to fetch the wind, and that He purposeth to bring mercy out of your sufferings and silence, which (I know from mine own experience) is grievous to you. Seeing that He knoweth our willing mind to serve Him, our wages and stipend is running to the fore with our God, even as some sick soldiers get pay, when they are bedfast and not able to go to the field with others.

When they have eaten and swallowed us up, they shall be sick and vomit us out living men again; the devil’s stomach cannot digest the Church of God. Suffering is the other half of our ministry, howbeit the hardest; for we would be content that our King Jesus should make an open proclamation, and cry down crosses, and cry up joy, gladness, ease, honor, and peace. But it must not be so; through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of God. Not only by them, but through them, must we go; and wiles will not take us past the cross. It is folly to think to steal to heaven with a whole skin

For myself, I am here a prisoner confined in Aberdeen, threatened to be removed to Caithness, because I desire to edify in this town; and am openly preached against in the pulpits in my hearing.

There are none here to whom I can speak; I dwell in Kedar’s tents. Refresh me with a letter from you.

Dear brother, upon my salvation, this is His truth that we suffer for. Courage! Courage! Joy, Joy, for evermore! O for help to set my crowned lying on high! O for love to Him Who is altogether lovely – that love which many waters cannot quench, neither can the floods drown!

I remember you, and bear your name on my breast to Christ. I beseech you, forget not His afflicted prisoner.

Your brother and fellow prisoner.

Aberdeen, Feb. 7, 1637

Who is Robert Blair?

Blair became minister of Bangor in Northern Ireland in 1623. But after nine years there he was deposed for nonconformity with a number of other ministers. A group of them took ship to emigrate to America in search of religious liberty but were forced by the weather to return, which is the occasion of this letter. In 1638 Blair was called to be minister in Aye and later in St. Andrew, where he became a close friend of Rutherford. In 1661 he was summoned before the Privy Council for a sermon on the Covenant and deprived of his church. He died in 1666. See also Letter LIV.

About “Rutherford Thursdays”

• See my introduction.
• Selection from His Letters is a public domain text hosted by CCEL. I have arranged and formatted Rutherford’s text and Hugh Martin’s editorial comments, added headings, paragraph separations, etc., for presentation on this blog.
• For a brief biographical sketch of Rutherford’s life, see Hugh Martin’s forward to Selections. And see Martin’s glossary for help with outdated vocabulary.
• Rutherford Resources:
  • Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thompson. This book, now freely available via Google Books, presents two parts: First, a biography of Rutherford’s life; Second, a selection of Rutherford’s letters entitled “Honey from the Honeycomb.”
  • Fire and Ice index to S. R.
  • Samuel Rutherford: A New Biography of the Man & His Ministry. This biography by Kingsley G Rendell provides an excellent introduction to Rutherford’s life and work.