Blog Posts by Bruce Baugus

I 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

I'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

Reformed 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

Shamelessly 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

"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

In 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

On 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

It'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

Without 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

The 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