Does diversity of opinion increase the chance that truth will surface in the Church? A recent article in the Presbyterian Church in America’s magazine ByFaith, “Must We All Get Along?” by Jim Seybert, claims that contrary views are essential for determining truth. Seybert begins by making note of Pauline texts on the need for diversity […]

Would Calvinism be improved if it dropped all this talk of ‘double election,’ the doctrine that God chose some from before all time for salvation and the rest for damnation? Rev. Alvin Hoksbergen, a retired minister in the Christian Reformed Church, proposes in The Banner that a major retooling of election-speak from Reformed pulpits is […]

Is sola scriptura offended if it takes more than the Bible to be obedient to the Bible? Dr. Derek Thomas, Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, gives his insight in his column Corinthian Enthusiasm, in the July 2009 Tabletalk magazine.  On the one hand, he opens with this: “Only one book […]

Does the Holy Spirit work through a line of men who underwent sacramental ordination, through a collection of divinely inspired texts assembled by men, or in some other way? This seems to be the issue underlying a thoughtful and straightforward “Question and Answer” posting on the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s website. 1 The inquirer had put the […]

I find reading the Apostle John’s letters especially beneficial for the simple reason that they are non-Pauline; they allow for a contrast, a reading of a different tenor or tone. John opens his first epistle by explaining that he preaches the word which he had seen and which was “made manifest” to him (1 John […]

There is a classical dispute in the law of contracts, the underlying problem of which also bears on the doctrine of sola Scriptura.  Can one really look to an authoritative text alone without at least impliedly resorting to extrinsics during interpretation? Suppose you enter into a contract to purchase a home from a seller, and […]

The Bible tells us that we, as Christians, are types of soldiers. For instance, Paul tells the Church at Philippi that he has decided to “send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier.”1  In 2 Timothy, we are reminded to “[e]ndure hardship…like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving […]

It takes a lot of hard work from all parties to a discussion to agree on even a narrow proposition and, depending on the work committed, ecumenical discussion can either be a labor of love or a waste of time.