The Importance of Making Careful Distinctions

In conversations about a point of theology or biblical interpretation, I have often heard something along the lines of: "The Bible never says that."  When pressed, the person will then follow-up, "Well, the Bible doesn't say it explicitly," or "the Bible doesn't use those particular words."  I have heard this used to deny a number…

Michael Horton Defines Antinomianism(s)

I've been reading through Kevin DeYoung's The Hole in our Holiness: Filling the Gap Between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness, so when the Nov/Dec Issue of Modern Reformation arrived featuring two articles on antinomianism, I was quite interested. One article even includes a sidebar, recommending Tullian Tchividjian's Jesus + Nothing = Everything and…

Michael Horton Critiques the “God of the gaps” Apologetic

In The Christian Faith, Michael Horton unravels the real problem with resolving the tension between theism and and science via the "God of the gaps" apologetic approach.  This approach, for those unfamiliar with the terminology, is used by people who wish to respect the claims of science but also wish to retain a place for…

The Intent(s) of the Divine and Human Writers

Another great quote by Michael Horton: In scriptural discourse the original human author may never have intended his or her words to be put to use in later, often quite distanciated, contexts, but the divine speaker is doing just that.  Thus, the story of deliverance from Egypt through the Red Sea becomes not only a…

Michael Horton on Speech Acts and Biblical Interpretation

Long before Wittgenstein, Calvin argued in his own way, and in connection with scripture particularly, that language was suited to a form of life.  Language was not a static and immutable code to which the speaker had to submit, a type of calculative reasoning; it was a dynamic tool of human existence and divine communication. …