Category Archives: Spirituality

Hypostatic Grace: A Response of Sorts to Tom McCall and Substance Metaphysics

Posted on September 23, 2016 by

Substance metaphysics has been a topic of engagement here at The Evangelical Calvinist as long as its existence as a blog; indeed, it is a metaphysic that I have characterized as oppositional and anti-thetical to the aims of what I … Continue reading →

Posted in Analytic Theology, Analytical Theology, Ron Frost, Salvation, Soteriology, Spirituality, Tom McCall | 1 Comment

A Different Way: A Calvinism where God is Love rather than Law

Posted on September 21, 2016 by

God is love. For evangelical Calvinists such as myself and Myk Habets this is determinative for how theology ought to be done, and the shape which Christian spirituality should have—the shape of love, Triune love. One of the theses Myk … Continue reading →

Posted in Critiquing Classic Calvinism, Doctrine Of Creation, Doctrine Of God, Evangelical Calvinism, Evangelical Calvinism Book, Ron Frost, Salvation, Soteriology, Spirituality, T. F. Torrance, Thomas F. Torrance

The Covenant of Works, The Covenant of Grace; What Are They? The evangelical Calvinists Respond

Posted on September 19, 2016 by

As evangelical Calvinists we stand within an alternative stream from classical Calvinism, or Federal/Covenantal theology; the type of Calvinism that stands as orthodoxy for Calvinists today in most parts of North America and the Western world in general. The blurb … Continue reading →

Posted in 5 Point Calvinism, Barth, Caspar Olevianus, Christian Spirituality, Critiquing Classic Calvinism, Cultural Calvinism, Evangelical Calvinism, Evangelical Calvinism Book, Federal Theology, Karl Barth, Lyle Bierma, Order of Salvation, Pastoral, Reformation, Reformed Theology, Scottish Theology, Semi-Pelagianism, Soteriology, Spirituality, T. F. Torrance, Theo-Anthropology, Theoblogging, Thomas F. Torrance | 1 Comment

“He is Personality, for only a person can forgive.” Getting to Know God’s Radical Personalizing Love through Forgiveness

Posted on October 26, 2015 by

Hugh Ross Mackintosh was a Scottish theologian during the early to mid 20th century; he was also one of my favorite theologian’s – Thomas Forsyth Torrance – favorite teachers. As such, I have started reading some of HR Mackintosh’s books, … Continue reading →

Posted in H. R. Macintosh, Salvation, Soteriology, Spirituality

Just Say No to Dry-Freezing Scripture: Being Biblical without being Propositional

Posted on December 9, 2014 by

I was taught to do Bible study by reducing the various sections of Scripture to propositions; even the Hebrew poetic sections. So the primary goal of biblical interpretation according to the way I was taught in Bible College and even … Continue reading →

Posted in Angus Paddison, Biblical Interpretation, Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, Bibliology, Doctrine of Scripture, Hermeneutics, PT Forsyth, Scottish Theology, Soteriology, Spirituality | 1 Comment

An Invitation: Battle to Be a Theologian of the Cross

Posted on July 24, 2014 by

Staying alert theologically can be an outright spiritual battle. There is an array of things thrown at us in our daily lives that would seek to thwart the work of the Holy Spirit in a way that would cause us … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotion, Passion-Devotion, Spiritual Warfare, Spirituality, Theology | 2 Comments

The Problem of God and Evil answered in Dramatic-Narrative Form and in the Wisdom of the Cross

Posted on June 19, 2013 by

One question that never seems to go away, even if we would prefer that it did; is the so called problem of evil and God. The Scottish philosopher par excellence, David Hume is famous for rhetorically musing: “Is He willing … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Michael Horton, Philosophical Theology, Philosophy, Soteriology, Spirituality | 2 Comments

Good Works, The Work of the Great Deceiver

Posted on November 25, 2012 by

I am starting to become less and less convinced that Christians, at least in America, actually struggle with things like I am about to highlight in this post. It seems as if a folkism has overtaken American Evangelicalism in a … Continue reading →

Posted in American Evangelicalism, Christian Spirituality, Ethics, Evangelicalism, Historical Christianity, Historical Theology, John Webster, Martin Luther, Salvation, Soteriology, Spiritual Warfare, Spirituality, Theology of the Cross | 4 Comments

The Sermon on the Mount [and Barth]: Living the Obedient Life, Now or Later?

Posted on October 16, 2012 by

The Sermon on the Mount, so called, is one of the most recognizable pieces of scripture ever to be written; even pagans (well some) have heard of it. There are many ways into this sermon, many interpretations and frames of … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Interpretation, Biblical Theology, Devotion, Gospel Of Matthew, Hermeneutics, Karl Barth, Pastoral, Salvation, Soteriology, Spirituality

John Calvin, John Cotton on Assurance

Posted on October 7, 2012 by

*Repost on John Calvin number three. English Puritanism was a “divided house”, there were those who followed William Perkins, and those who followed Richard Sibbes and John Cotton. The issue of division was oriented primarily around the concept of “assurance” … Continue reading →

Posted in John Calvin, John Cotton, Puritanism, Purtian Theology, Salvation, Spirituality