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Blog Posts by Bruce Baugus
Marriage (and the Church) in America
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June 2015I have little idea what challenges American churches (and other institutions) that refuse to recognize same-sex "marriages" may soon face in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, announced today. The Wall Street Journal's Jerry Seib says this feels... continue
A Few More Thoughts on "The State of the PCA"
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May 2015I've been wondering just what we're supposed to do with Bryan Chapell's "The State of the PCA" essay in byFaith (available here), beyond praying over the sad state of affairs it describes.Chapell adapted this essay from a private letter to... continue
Baltimore and the Credibility of Our Theology
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May 2015Reformed ministers of the past ordinarily paid some attention to things like riots in the streets of their cities, and spoke and wrote on them with force at times. Granted, some of those riots were over religious issues, but not... continue
Calvin contra Thomas (and most Reformed folk) on the merit of Christ
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April 2015Shamelessly stealing Aaron's "Calvin contra . . ." title form while trying to slip into Mark's stream of interest in merit, I thought this might be a good time to indulge a little excursion in Reformed diversity by noting Calvin's... continue
Progressive Christianity
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March 2015"Presbyterians Approve Gay Marriage in Church Constitution." That was the headline under which The Wall Street Journal ran the St. Patrick's Day AP article. According to the PCUSA's revised order, "marriage involves a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and... continue
To Enjoy, To Use, and To Be Used: Augustine on Everything
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March 2015In the opening chapters of On Christian Teaching (I.1-5), Augustine argues that everything that exists can be divided into two groups: things to be used and things to be enjoyed. "To enjoy a thing," he proposes, "is to rest with... continue
ECT and Ref21 (a personal counterpoint)
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March 2015On this blog, fellow contributor Jeremy Walker has offered a "rapid response" protest of the first installment, by Timothy George, of a three-part series on the twentieth anniversary of the founding of Evangelicals and Catholics Together. In doing so, Walker... continue
Deuteronomy and the Decalogue
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February 2015It's a common observation, beloved by Reformed folk, that Deuteronomy reflects ancient near eastern suzerainty treaties--international covenants enacted between a superior suzerain power and inferior vassal state. Such treaties follow what we now think of as standard covenant formulary: a... continue
Enduring Ignorance for Us and Our Salvation
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February 2015Without a hint of shame or embarrassment or any sort of profound internal conflict, Jesus openly admits he is--or at least was, while living under the conditions of the fall and fulfilling all righteousness for us--ignorant of at least one... continue
Angst About Religious Liberty in America
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January 2015The litigious assault on bakers, florists, and photographers who have convictions against serving same-sex wedding planners is a sad cause of much angst these days. Noticing this, Frank Bruni of the New York Times devoted his Jan 10 column to... continue

