April 2012 Ordained Servant

From the Editor. While it is always important in our ecclesiastical debates to be concerned about the unity and peace of the church as well as its doctrinal and ethical purity, debates are an important aspect of the church militant’s life and witness here on earth. Recent topics of intense discussion, such as justification, union with Christ, the nature of the covenants, and natural law and the two kingdoms, have forced us to open our Bibles, confessional standards, and theologies as we seek understanding and consensus within our confessional boundaries. Debate also forces us to consult the ancient church fathers and the Reformers. But most illuminating to me in recent years has been our renewed interest in post-Reformation theologians. The continuity between the magisterial Reformers and these post-Reformation theologians has, until recently, been vastly underestimated. This, in turn, has lead to the rediscovery of a number of important doctrines, especially natural law, which is the subject of this issue of Ordained Servant Online.

David VanDrunen ably sets forth a summary of the positive construction of this doctrine in light of its place in historical theology and biblical exegesis in his article “Natural Law in Reformed Theology: Historical Reflections and Biblical Suggestions.” David Noe provides a nice example of how the closely related doctrine of the two kingdoms should affect our use of the modifier “Christian,” in his article, “Is There Such a Thing as Christian Education?”

In keeping with our theme of exploring God’s work in the natural order, Steve Migotsky reviews Vern Poythress’s Redeeming Science.

Don’t miss Christina Rossetti’s resurrection poem.

Finally, be sure to avail yourself of the various formats in which OSO is now available. PDF, ePub, and Mobi formats allow a wider distribution of this material to church officers and members.

Blessings in the Lamb,
Gregory Edward Reynolds,

From the Archives "NATURAL LAW"

http://opc.org/OS/pdf/Subject_Index.pdf

• “A Biblical Case for Natural Law: A Response Essay.” (Nelson D. Kloosterman)

  16 (2007): 101–7.

• “VanDrunen in the Hands of an Anxious Kloosterman: A Response to a

  Review.” (David VanDrunen) 16 (2007): 107–13.

• “The Culture War Is Over: A Review Article.” (Gregory E. Reynolds) 20 OSO

  (April 2011): http://opc.org/os.html?article_id=251&issue_id=64.

Ordained Servant exists to help encourage, inform, and equip church officers for faithful, effective, and God glorifying ministry in the visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its primary audience is ministers, elders, and deacons of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, as well as interested officers from other Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Through high quality editorials, articles, and book reviews we endeavor to stimulate clear thinking and the consistent practice of historic, confessional Presbyterianism.