WSC Faculty Reflections

Signposts by Joel E. Kim

1 Apr 2009 18:00:33 GMT

Even at her young age, my daughter understands the purpose of signposts. Signs point us to a reality, to direct us or to warn us. As long as they point clearly and accurately, signposts have served their purpose.

Wisdom by J. V. Fesko

1 Sep 2009 17:58:10 GMT

There are many Christians in the church who absolutely shudder at the thought of wisdom. They want formulas, commands, and instruction for every situation in life. Instead, the apostle Paul calls the church to have the mind of Christ, to seek the wisdom of God.

Quitting Church by Michael S. Horton

3 Aug 2008 18:39:10 GMT

Not only has there been a decline in the percentage of professions of faith in American churches during the megachurch era; numerous studies over the last few years have documented a massive decline in the knowledge of even the basics of Christian faith and practice among professing believers.

A Privilege of Ministry by Joel E. Kim

23 May 2008 22:32:24 GMT

I officiated at a wedding last Saturday. It took place at a beautiful historic church in Long Beach and ended with a reception at a nearby restaurant filled with food and good company. Both the bride and groom were members of the church I served for four years before coming to Westminster Seminary California.

For Jesus' Sake by Hywel R. Jones

2 Sep 2008 18:22:05 GMT

Let us proclaim sola fide, solo Christo and sola gratia clearly and repeatedly so that those who profess faith in Christ cannot think of the Gospel (their salvation) without also being aware of how the Law was (had to be) honored in it (Rom. 3: 31) and of their being assured of irrevocable acceptance with a holy God without also a realization of sin’s sinfulness and the costliness of Christ’s self-sacrifice.

The Fear of the Lord by Robert B. Strimple

1 Aug 2008 16:28:16 GMT

Was our Lord himself practicing merely Old Testament piety when his prayer in Gethsemane was “heard for his godly fear”--as both the King James and the Revised Standard versions translate Hebrews 5:7?

What Does Rwanda Need? by Dennis E. Johnson

1 Oct 2008 17:52:51 GMT

When we flew into Kigali, Rwanda, on August 7, 2008, we had visited three East African nations, and after Rwanda we would travel to three more. Compared with some of the cities we had already visited, Kigali’s smooth, newly-paved roads, (relatively) orderly traffic patterns and clean roadsides were impressive.

Living By Faith in Fearful Times by Robert B. Strimple

23 Jun 2006 22:18:23 GMT

Often in these letters a faculty member reflects on an interesting current book he has recently read. One book on which I have been meditating once again, however, was written millennia ago, probably in the last quarter of the 7th century B.C.

Lost in Translation by Joshua Van Ee

1 Jul 2008 16:30:34 GMT

God's word can be rightly and effectively translated into all those vulgar tongues we use every day.

Christ's Kingdom in I Samuel by David M. VanDrunen

23 Oct 2006 22:19:15 GMT

Whether you’re serving as a pastor or working full time in a secular field, one thing that I hope we have in common is devotion to the church of Jesus Christ. Preaching recently from 1 Samuel 24 was a helpful reminder to me of the nature of Christ’s kingdom as we now experience it in the church.

What is Faith by Dr. Bryan D. Estelle

2 Jun 2008 15:47:02 GMT

A couple of years ago I was flying home from the East Coast where I had been attending a Presbytery meeting and preaching on the Lord’s day. It was also the end of a Semester and so I had many exams with me that I was grading.

Christ the Destroyer: A Christmas Meditation by Robert B. Strimple

23 Dec 2007 22:17:49 GMT

The approaching Christmas season draws our attention anew to the Incarnation of our Lord, and one portion of scripture that we turn to for a full answer to the question of why God became man, to dwell among us, is the First Letter of John, because in that letter John reveals so fully the purpose and the result of Christ’s coming.

Pagan Spirituality On the Rise by Peter R. Jones

23 Nov 2006 22:17:07 GMT

Last week I did what many of you would love to do, I am sure—teach in Calvin’s Geneva, in Calvin’s language! I was invited as the plenary speaker at a conference at the Geneva Bible Institute. It was a great honor for me, and set me to thinking.

Unity and Division by Hywel R. Jones

23 Apr 2007 22:16:19 GMT

In the 1960s and 70s there was considerable debate concerning the doctrine of the church in the United Kingdom. It was an agonizing and perplexing time and recent events have reminded me of it.

The Call and the Responsibility by Hywel R. Jones

23 Oct 2005 22:15:37 GMT

I have never met most of you because I have only been at Westminster Seminary California for five years. But I am glad to have this opportunity of making contact with you now and especially with those of you who are actively involved in the Gospel ministry.

Rediscovering an Almost-Forgotten Reformation Treasure by Dennis E. Johnson

23 Jul 2005 22:14:59 GMT

The launch of the Master of Arts (Christian Studies) program in 2004 set me on a quest to rediscover one of the lesser-known treasures of our Reformation heritage: the biblical doctrine of vocation. "Vocation," of course, is essentially the Latin way to say "calling," and in Roman Catholic circles today it still means essentially what it meant to the medieval church, the calling to serve the church as a priest, nun, or monk.

Holy Passion, Intelligently Designed: On Reading George Herbert

23 Jun 2007 22:01:32 GMT

The arrival of Westminster Seminary California’s 26th Commencement reminds me of a time long, long ago (34 years, to be precise) when a young seminary grad and his wife packed all their earthly belongings (not much) to move from Philadelphia to Fair Lawn, New Jersey.

Why Seminary? The Continuing Importance of an Educated Ministry by Michael S. Horton

23 Aug 2007 21:59:19 GMT

I hail from a long line of medical doctors. Although none of us has ever had formal medical training, we are all perfectly confident that we can diagnose ourselves and prescribe a remedy.

Enthroned on a Cross by Michael S. Horton

23 Jul 2005 21:58:04 GMT

Picturing a victory parade and no-expense-spared inaugural festivities for the messianic King, they expressed irritation whenever Jesus raised the subject of his death. Instead, the disciples wanted to talk about the seating chart for the Big Day in Jerusalem.

The Rural Church by D. G. Hart

23 May 2006 21:57:19 GMT

I am not in the habit of quoting Eugene Peterson, the mainline Presbyterian minister with fairly conservative convictions. But when suspected authors confirm my own prejudices I generally find their reflections more congenial -- funny how that happens.

Oh, the Formality by D. G. Hart

23 Oct 2007 21:54:05 GMT

Historically, Calvinists have not been known for being the life of the party. Most know that John Calvin ran a fairly tight ship in Geneva. Meanwhile, Reformed worship strikes many people as austere. Examples such as these have earned Calvinists the reputation for being "God’s frozen chosen."

A Call to Persevere by Bryan D. Estelle

23 Sep 2006 19:32:12 GMT

Since I began teaching at WSC, my responsibilities have required that I travel throughout the U.S. and abroad much more than when I was a pastor in the Washington D.C. area and attending graduate school. Sometimes I have gone to a location for business with my church; for example, Presbytery, General Assembly or a committee meeting.

Ventilator Blues by R. Scott Clark

23 Feb 2007 19:31:25 GMT

Most folk probably associate the Rolling Stones more with “Sympathy for the Devil” than with historic Christianity, and few of us would expect to learn any theology from them, but I noticed recently that in “Ventilator Blues,” Mick and the lads hit a strong Calvinist note:

This Christian Life by R. Scott Clark

23 May 2005 19:30:23 GMT

Next to The White Horse Inn, one of my favorite radio programs is This American Life starring Ira Glass. I stumbled across this show several years ago, and for a while I did not understand why I was so attracted to it. Glass does not have a classic "radio voice" (it has been described as "adenoidal").

Living Proof by Derke Bergsma

23 May 2006 19:29:00 GMT

The apostle Paul reminds the church in Corinth that they are the living proof of his apostolic authority and the genuineness of the Gospel they received. Their transformed lives and God-and-neighbor loving attitudes served as open books for all, even the uncommitted world, to read as living expressions of the power of the Gospel. They were, as one poet expressed it, “the sinner’s Gospel, the scoffer’s creed, the Lord’s clear message in word and deed.”

Textual Variations and Inerrancy by S. M. Baugh

23 Jul 2006 14:22:11 GMT

I attended a professional society meeting recently and heard two or three speakers mention that when they had attended seminary they learned that the New Testament has quite a number of variant readings, and that this fact had seriously shaken their faith in an inerrant Bible. We affirm that the Scriptures are inerrant in the autographs, meaning the actual documents of the original writers.

The Resurrection: Fact or Fable? by S. M. Baugh

23 Apr 2008 17:20:23 GMT

It is strange, is it not, that perfectly rational, even brilliant people should believe the most untenable of fables but disbelieve the most believable of historical events? No, it is beyond strange: it is downright tragic, because to deny this one historical fact—the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ—means to die in pitiful despair (1 Cor 15:17–19).

The Killer B's: Idols of the Minister's Heart by R. Scott Clark

30 Apr 2008 19:19:19 GMT

There are three great idols that all ministers must tear down daily cast into the fire for scrap: buildings, bodies, and budgets. These are the three things that almost invariably come up in conversation with pastors and I must confess that too often I have been a part of the problem.