RRC by RSC

There was a meeting of the TSG reading group at the John Owen Centre yesterday. Mostyn Roberts of Welwyn was in the chair and we were looking at R Scott Clark's book Recovering the Reformed Confession. A group of six Reformed Baptist ministers, we were generally appreciative of the book (which is written for an American, chiefly Presbyterian audience) but far from sure that he's got it all right. What Professor Clark seeks to do in the book is to show where Reformed theology, piety and practice is going wrong.

As a professor of historical theology he knows his history well and gives many a fascinating insight. He is also scholarly and well read - though he knows it and that could be off putting.

I particularly appreciated his explanation of archetypal and ectypal theology (143-145) and of the various forms of confessional subscription that have prevailed down the years (Chapter 5).

He begins negatively by criticising QIRC and QIRE (the quest for illegitimate religious certainty and experience). In his sights are certain creationists, reconstructionist/theonomists and the federal vision people plus any form of pietism or revivalism. Jonathan Edwards, Dr Lloyd-Jones and most post-17th Century Christians are gunned down at this point. It is quite a blood bath.

Positively, he calls for a recapturing of the Creator/creature categorical distinction and a return to the confessions. Chapter 6 The joy of being confessional gives further arguments. The final chapters are on worship and the second service. It has an index which is helpful.

We really enjoyed discussing such an interesting book. One fun moment - when Jeremy Walker spoke quite unconsciously of standing in Clark's shoes - would we wear any other?

Next it's an old book, the Marrow, in September, and I'm leading. Clark's Heidelblog is here. You can find a long review by John Frame here.