February 2014 New Horizons

Evangelicals, Confessional Presbyterians, and the Church

by D. G. Hart

Chances are that most Orthodox Presbyterians think of themselves as evangelical Protestants. For most of the OPC’s history, the larger Protestant world in North America and Europe was divided between liberals, or mainline Protestants, and conservatives, or evangelicals. That division accounted for the two most important Protestant magazines in the United States. Christian Century was the periodical edited, written, and read by Protestants in the denominations that endorsed or approved doctrinal teachings that had adapted historic Christianity to modern thought. On the other side was Christianity Today , a magazine founded by the likes of Carl Henry and Billy Graham. It spoke for the convictions of Protestants who stressed the need for conversion and the importance of the essential articles of the faith, such as the deity, virgin birth, substitutionary death, and resurrection of Christ. Liberal or conservative, mainline or evangelical—these opposites seemed to make sense of Protestantism in the ... Read more

Democracy and the Denigration of Office

by Gregory E. Reynolds

I do not intend to reflect on democracy as a political system, but rather as a popular ideal, a major strand in the fabric of the American mind, as that ideal impinges on the idea of church office. President Wilson encapsulated this American ideal in giving the rationale for entering World War I: “The world must be made safe for democracy.” In the popular imagination, “democracy” is a cultural catchword that conjures up a series of narcissistic notions, such as “I have rights,” “My opinion is as important as anyone’s,” “I may believe and say what I like,” and “I may do what I like as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.” This egalitarian instinct—bringing everyone down to the same level—has denigrated the idea of office in the church. Furthermore, egalitarianism tends to elevate the authority of men over God. When it comes to the government of the church, we tamper with its God-given order at our own peril. The Historical Roots of Egalitarianism The fundamental ... Read more

We Will Not Serve Your Gods

by Jonathan B. Falk

The book of Daniel can be summarized as “changing kings and kingdoms, but God unchanging.” In the accounts of God’s deliverance of his people in the first six chapters, and in the dreams and visions of the last half of the book, Daniel reveals the profound spiritual conflict that underlies human history. And Daniel exposes the constant threat posed by the kings and kingdoms of this world against the kingdom of God. In both our private and our corporate worship, we often pray the words our Lord Jesus taught us: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We are praying for God to grant obedience on earth, as it is practiced in heaven. In the third chapter of his book, Daniel records the story of three young men standing before an image of gold outside the city of Babylon. They did the will of God. They knew the true God and his revealed will: “You shall have no other gods before me.” “You shall not make for yourself any graven image.… You shall not bow down to ... Read more