Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (November 5, 1851 - February 16, 1921) — The Centennial of B. B. Warfield's Death
Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (November 5, 1851 - February 16, 1921) — The Centennial of B. B. Warfield's Death

B. B. Warfield died of an apparent heart attack on February 16, 1921. I thought it might be a fitting tribute to talk about Warfield bibliography.

One hundred years after his death, Warfield's collected works are still readily available: The ten-volume “Oxford” set reprinted by Baker Books, or the five-volume set from P & R (several volumes are still in print, but e-book editions of the others are easy to find), and the two-volume set Warfield's Selected Shorter Writings, published by P & R in 2001, includes many important essays.

A huge (and free) collection of Warfield’s books, essays, and articles about Warfield can be found at Monergism.com. Monergism's Warfield Resources.

To see my short Warfield bibliography, follow the link below

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B. B. WarfieldKim RiddlebargerB. B. Warfield, Centennial of Warfield's death, Warfield bibliogrpahyComment
Evil in the Millennial Age -- A Huge Problem for Premillennarians
Evil in the Millennial Age -- A Huge Problem for Premillennarians

One of great strengths of premillennialism is its apparently straightforward reading of Revelation 19 and 20. If John depicts the Second Advent of Christ in Revelation 19, and in Revelation 20 he describes the millennial reign of Christ which follows, this would seem to establish some form of premillennialism. At first glance, this appears to be a strong argument in favor of premillennialism.

When amillennarians attempt to challenge this point by contending that Revelation 20 is part of a different vision which recapitulates the events depicted in Revelation 19, we run headlong into the premillennial argument that amillennarians “spiritualize the Bible.” Supposedly, we don’t take John seriously when he speaks of a “literal” thousand year reign and a bodily resurrection (the “first” resurrection) associated with the second coming of Jesus Christ.

To read the rest of this post, follow the link below

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eschatology, AmillennialismKim Riddlebargerpremillennialism, evil in the millennial age Comments
Antichrist . . . He's Not Nice . . .
Antichrist . . . He's Not Nice . . .

William Tapley’s “Gloom and Doom” was one of the most popular posts on the old Riddleblog. He’s the rare Roman Catholic Prophecy pundit. He’s no Billy Joel, but the tune will very likely get stuck in your head. Tapley made national news in 2011 for his video series “exposing” the hidden phallic symbols throughout the art in the Denver International Airport.

Follow the link below to watch the video

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End Times Nuttiness, escahtologyKim RiddlebargerThird Eagle, William TapleyComment
An Exposition of Article Five of the Belgic Confession
An Exposition of Article Five of the Belgic Confession

John Calvin once declared: “The Scriptures obtain full authority among believers only when men regard them as having sprung from heaven, as if there the living words of God were heard.” Since the Bible comes to us from the hand of God, through the agency of men inspired by the Holy Spirit, when we read the Bible or hear it read aloud, we can be assured that God is speaking to us. The Bible is God’s word written and the same Holy Spirit who breathed it forth, assures us that the words of Holy Scripture are the very words of God.

We now skip ahead to Article Five of our confession which deals with the authority of Scripture. But why defer discussion of Article Four which lists the canonical books of the Bible until later? The reason is a practical one. Recall that in Article Three our confession deals with the subject of the inspiration of Scripture. Scripture has its origin not in the will of humanity, but in the will of God. It is God who breathes forth his word (the Bible) through the agency of human writers without sublimating their individual personalities or negating the historical circumstances under which these books were written. This is what our confession means in Article Three when it speaks of God’s revealed word being committed to writing.

Since Scripture is God-breathed, it is suitable for religious purposes, i.e., teaching, correction and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Only in the Bible do we find the will of God fully revealed (the law) and only in the Bible do we find God’s means of rescuing sinners from the guilt and power of their sins (the gospel). While in nature we see the hand of the Creator, we do not learn of the gospel by contemplating the beauty of a sunset. The gospel is only revealed in God’s word written. This is why we as Christians have a sure and certain knowledge of God and of his will (unlike secularists and pagans), and why we base neither our doctrines nor our practices upon the mere opinions of men (the essence of all false religion). God has spoken to us in his word and we must listen to what he says.

To read the rest of this article, click here: Article Five -- The Authority of Scripture

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Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerBelgic Confession, the authority of Scripture
The OC -- A New Burned Over District? Lessons to Be Learned
The OC -- A New Burned Over District? Lessons to Be Learned

What are we to make of the "Christian buzz" which once swept throughout Orange County? As religion writer Jim Hinch points out in his Orange County Register article of June 24, 2013, "the future of religious America is all over Orange County. And that future, like the county itself, is diverse, entrepreneurial, stratified by economic extremes, innovative and endlessly fascinating" (Hinch on OC Religion in 2013). Hinch is certainly right about the endlessly fascinating part of the OC's religious future. What comes next? Only the Lord knows the answer to that question. But to anyone who grew up in the OC, it is self-evident that the OC is not the same place in 2013 that it was in the 1960's-70's-80's-90's. The Christian buzz which dominated the religious life of the OC during those bygone years has, for the most part, gone quiet. This is not a bad thing in my estimation.

To Read the Rest of This Article, Follow the Link Below

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OC - Burned Over DistrictKim RiddlebargerSet Free Christian Center, Saddleback Community Church, Rick Warren
The OC -- A New Burned Over District? The Bible Teachers
The OC -- A New Burned Over District? The Bible Teachers

If the Christian buzz in the OC was generated by larger than life personalities who promulgated a revivalist, dispensationalist, and charismatic evangelicalism, that buzz was surely sustained by a number of Bible teachers who faithfully taught the Scriptures and defended the faith. While there are a number of men who labored to keep the faith during those years, two significant figures come to mind as we look back at that era. The first is Charles R. Swindoll, pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton (or "E-V-Free" as it was known in the OC). The second is Walter Martin, the original and authentic "Bible Answer Man."

The Chuck Swindoll of the late 1970's was one of the best expository preachers I have ever heard. When I first became aware of the buzz, and then finally settled the question as to whether or not I was going to be a Christian, the time came to find a church and join. There was little question that my choice was going to be EV Free. The preaching and teaching at Calvary Chapel was repetitive and weak, and places like Melodyland (and later the Vineyard) were just too wild to suit my tastes. My family had attended the Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton off and on back in the days when Wes Gustafson was still pastor, and when the church was still located on Woods Ave. This was well before Chuck Swindoll arrived in the OC in 1971 from Irving, TX.

To read the rest of this post, follow the link below:

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OC - Burned Over DistrictKim RiddlebargerChuck Swindoll, Walter Martin, EV Free
The OC -- A New Burned Over District? Robert Schuller and The Crystal Cathedral
The OC -- A New Burned Over District? Robert Schuller and The Crystal Cathedral

Calvary Chapel may have created most of the Christian "buzz" in the OC, but surely the OC's most famous church (building and grounds) was Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral [note: Robert Schuller died in April of 2015]. The sheer scale and grandeur of the Cathedral dominates the heart of the OC. In an area with few tall buildings, the Crystal Cathedral is clearly visible from three of the freeways which pass through central Orange County.

In one sense, the Crystal Cathedral and Robert Schuller were not really part of the OC "buzz." Schuller's message of "self-esteem," and the Cathedral's highbrow manner of worship, were much more typical of the Protestant mainline than the evangelical and charismatic churches which did generate local buzz. But if you had family coming to town from the Midwest or the East Coast, they wanted to see the Crystal Cathedral and they knew all about Robert Schuller, even if they had never heard of the two "Chucks" (Smith or Swindoll) who were much more appreciated by the local evangelicals.

Follow the link below to read the rest

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OC - Burned Over DistrictKim RiddlebargerCrystal Cathedral, Robert Schuller, Hour of Power, Christ Cathedral in OC
The OC -- A New Burned Over District? Calvary Chapel
The OC -- A New Burned Over District? Calvary Chapel

You simply cannot talk about the Christian "buzz" in the OC apart from Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel. If there has been one dominant church in the development of the OC's evangelical subculture, it is Calvary Chapel. Calvary Chapel made being a Christian "cool."

In 1965, "Pastor Chuck" as he's affectionately known, wanted to reach young people, especially the throngs of hippies and surfers found throughout South-Central Orange County (the so-called Jesus People). This was the era of free-love and Vietnam War protests, kids with long hair, tie-dyed jeans, girls in halter-tops, experimentation with drug use, and fascination with Eastern religions. Those young adults were asking questions about life, the future, and especially about the Christianity in which they were raised. Many of them found that the churches of their youth were not all that interested in them, or their questions. Their churches wanted nothing from them but conformity. Conformity, of course, was the one thing that was not going to happen. The Jesus People had "dropped out" and "tuned in." Why bother with them?

To read the rest, follow the link below

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OC - Burned Over DistrictKim RiddlebargerCalvary Chapel, Chuck Smith, Jesus People
OC -- A New Burned Over District? TBN
OC -- A New Burned Over District? TBN

There was a time when much of the Christian "buzz" in the OC centered around the nightly doings of Paul and Jan Crouch and their must-see "Praise The Lord" program. "Praise the Lord" is still broadcast live each evening (Monday through Friday) and the world-wide and gigantic TBN empire remains a force. But the local buzz TBN once generated is now long gone.

In my circle, the "Praise the Lord" program was known as the "Pentecostal follies." Of course, most Pentecostals I know felt about TBN the way in which I feel about former CRC elder Harold Camping--the guy is a crackpot. We felt bad laughing at Paul and Jan at first, but then you realized that these people were broadcasting this stuff into my home because they wanted me to watch them. And frankly, much of what they did was funny--even if it shouldn't have been. If some of us were taken aback by Paul and Jan, many more just lapped this stuff up.

To read the rest, follow the link below

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OC - Burned Over DistrictKim RiddlebargerTBN, Paul and Jan Crouch, Televangelism
The OC -- The "Buzz"
The OC -- The "Buzz"

I am certain that my family owned and operated the only Christian Bookstore in an amusement park (Knott's Berry Farm). The photo above is of my dad (Clayton) and was taken when our bookstore was newly remodeled in 1967. If you ever visited Knott's back in the day, and can recall the displays of the California missions in what was then Fiesta Village, you'll understand why our store looked like a California mission. It was a California history thing, not a papal thing.

I grew up in this strange world of Christian retail, and I have long since repented of supplying too many families and churches with Warner Sallman's awful "Head of Christ" painting. If your grandma lived in Southern California (or visited Knott's), and had on her wall the picture of the old man praying over his bread, or the gleaners in the field giving thanks for the harvest, chances are she bought it from us.

I begin with our family's bookstore (the Inspiration House), because the first time I encountered the Christian "buzz" so typical of the OC in the late 60's through the mid 90's was the first "Maranatha Night" at Knott's. I don't remember the year (1971?), but my dad had died in 1969 of a sudden heart attack at age 50, and my mom took over the business. Darrell Anderson (one of the younger and hipper members of the Knott family) had recently become a Christian while attending a "Jesus People" church, which I later came to know as Calvary Chapel.

Follow the link below to read the rest

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OC - Burned Over DistrictKim RiddlebargerMaranatha Night, Jesus People, OC Burned Over District
The OC -- A New Burned Over District?
The OC -- A New Burned Over District?

I've been thinking about tackling this subject for some time. But it was an article in Monday's Orange County Register (Click Here) which prompted me to begin this brief series. In an article in the new "faith & values" section of the Register religion writer Jim Hinch observes . . .

The future of religious America lives in a two-story beige office building in downtown Fullerton, where homeless people and college graduates attend church together. The future also lives at a mosque in Mission Viejo. At an organic farm started by a megachurch. In downtown Santa Ana, where kids of many faiths feed the homeless. And in an Orange County church for hipsters where women, once excluded from ministry, now are pastors.

Hinch goes on to describe the biggest change of all to the Orange County religious landscape--Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral is soon to become "Christ Cathedral," home to Rome's OC diocese. Anyone who has been to the OC, knows that the Crystal Cathedral stands tall and is directly across the 5 freeway from the Honda Center (where the Ducks play hockey) and Anaheim Stadium (where the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play baseball). Christ Reformed is also nearby, but almost invisible until you are on top of it.

To read the essay: The OC -- A New Burned Over District

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OC - Burned Over DistrictKim RiddlebargerOC Burned Over District
An Exposition of Article Three of the Belgic Confession
An Exposition of Article Three of the Belgic Confession

When we speak of the Bible as “inspired,” we do not mean that the Bible is “inspirational.” What we do mean by the term “inspired” is that the Bible is given to us by God as part of his self-revelation for the purpose of giving us a knowledge of his will (the law) as well as knowledge of how to be delivered from the guilt of our sins (the gospel). That said, we’ll address the limits of the term “inspired” momentarily.

When discussing Article Two, we made the case that as our post-Christian culture becomes increasingly hostile towards Christianity in general, and Reformed Christianity in particular, one way in which we are to respond to the unbelief around us is to personally believe those things revealed to us by God in his word and then publically confess these doctrines as a church before the watching world.

One of the most important things we must confess to the unbelieving world is that the Bible is a divinely-inspired, self-revelation of God, through the agency of various human writers. Because God has spoken to us in and through his word, we have a sure and certain foundation for our knowledge of our Creator and Redeemer. God has not left us in the dark with only our own pious opinions about religious matters. Through the words of Holy Scripture, God speaks to us, even this very day.

To read the rest of this exposition: An Exposition of Article Three: The Written Word of God

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Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerBelgic Confession
New Riddleblog Publications
New Riddleblog Publications

I am continuing to move resources from the old Riddleblog to the new.

Here are two new essays.

The first is an essay from Modern Reformation magazine on the reactions of Jerome and Augustine to the fall of Rome: Jerome, Augustine, and the Fall of Rome (2009)

The second is an essay written for the volume, Always Reforming (a 2010 Festschrift for Dr. Godfrey) which defends a frequent celebration of the Lord’s Supper: The Reformation of the Supper

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Riddleblog PublicationKim RiddlebargerJerome and Augustine, Fall of Rome 411
Exposition of Article Two of the Belgic Confession Posted
Exposition of Article Two of the Belgic Confession Posted

According to the Apostle Paul, there is no such thing as an atheist, there are only people who attempt to suppress the knowledge of God in unrighteousness. Atheists may claim they do not believe in God, yet Scripture tells us that they suppress the knowledge of God deep within. I am reminded of the atheist’s quip, “there is no God, but I hate him.” This internal contradiction comes about because God reveals himself to all people in such a way that everyone knows that God exists and that he possesses divine attributes. Since God has made himself known to all, people are without excuse for failing to worship and serve the Creator. But the revelation of God in and through the created order cannot lead people to a saving knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. God reveals this through his word, both in the historical record of his mighty acts in redemptive history, and through the divinely-inspired explanation of those saving acts recorded in Holy Scripture. It is through these two divinely-appointed means (Creation and Scripture), but only through these divinely-appointed means, God makes himself known.

In Article One, the Confession makes the point that the biblical pattern found in Romans 10:8-10 of believing certain doctrines and then confessing them before the watching world is one of the divinely appointed means by which Christians are to respond to unbelief and idolatry. In the previous article, we made the case that we currently live in a post-Christian age and find ourselves confronted with secularism, paganism, false religion, and what may be called the “Great Awokening” at every turn.

To read the rest of this article: An Exposition of Article Two of the Belgic Confession

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Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerBelgic ConfessionComment
Dogs in Church?
Dogs in Church?

An artist whose work I enjoy, is Emanuel de Witte, noted for his interior scenes of churches. This painting is the "Interior of the Oude Kerk [old church], Delft," from about 1680. It is now housed in the Art Institute of Chicago.

The scene above is of a Reformed minister, preaching from the raised pulpit in the center of the church. If you look carefully, one of those listening to the sermon has brought his dog to church (in the shadow at the bottom right). According to one source, this was a common practice. But should Fido got too noisy, or attempt to do his business, church wardens would instruct the dog's owner to take them outside, or else make them clean up after the dog made a mess.

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Blog postKim RiddlebargerDogs in churchComment
Scenes from My Retirement Celebration at Christ Reformed Church (Updated Video)
Scenes from My Retirement Celebration at Christ Reformed Church (Updated Video)

Our church family at Christ Reformed threw my wife and me a wonderful retirement celebration. We are truly thankful to all of you for your kindness and great generosity!

Video:

I recorded a “thank you” video for the members of Christ Reformed Church who could not attend the celebration, but it applies to some of the long-time readers of the Riddleblog too.

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Riddleblog UpdateKim RiddlebargerKim's retirementComment
My Office Hours Interview with Scott Clark
My Office Hours Interview with Scott Clark

I was recently interviewed for Westminster Seminary California's "Office Hours" by my friend and colleague Dr. Scott Clark. We talk about the founding of Christ Reformed Church twenty-five years ago, my time as a student at Westminster Seminary California, and the rise and fall of the evangelical "buzz" in Orange County, California.

Here's the link: Office Hours with Scott Clark -- An Interview with Kim Riddlebarger

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Riddleblog UpdateKim Riddlebarger
Exposition of Article One of the Belgic Confession Posted
Exposition of Article One of the Belgic Confession Posted

When someone says “I think God is like,” I can be certain that the person speaking hasn’t got a clue as to what God is like. Since the only way God can be known is through his self-revelation in creation and his word–the topic of article two–someone who defines God based upon personal experience, or personal opinion, is engaging in rank idolatry. While it is easy to think of idolatry as something associated with the primitive peoples of the past, or with pagan religions of the east, nothing could be further from the truth. We are all habitual idolaters. America is a land filled with idols. When we believe and confess that there is only one God, we are raising a standard against the spirit of the age.

The confession of the Reformed churches that there is only one God is at the very heart of all Christian theology. The famous Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4) is the basic confession of faith of Israel and separates biblical revelation from all forms of paganism. Christians do not worship the “sun god” nor the “moon god” as do the ancient pagans. We worship the true and living God who created the sun and the moon. Nor are we pantheists and identify God with that which he has made, as in “the earth is our mother,” the creed of those environmentalists who worship nature. There is only one God–not many gods–and since God has created all things, God cannot be equated with that which he has made. He is transcendent and Lord over all the earth.

To read the rest of this exposition, click here: Exposition of Article One of the Belgic Confession --There Is Only One God

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Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerBelgic Confession