Dr. R. Scott Clark’s “Recovery of the Reformed Confessions: Our Theology, Piety and Practice," 1-20

1. Some observations on Dr. R. Scott Clark’s “Recovery the Reformed Confessions: Our Theology, Piety and Practice” (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2008), 1-20.

2. Dr. Clark’s work, clearly written, quite readable and accessible to laymen, is designed to remedy Confessional anemia, as the title suggests. (Lest there is doubt, the footnotes and Dr. Clark's other publications are models of top drawer scholarship. We have a scholar who can get it "to us" in the pew.) While addressing the Biblical and Confessionally Reformed world, he observes that this may be useful to others in their faith groups. Hah! We digress. All the Anglican bishops in America need to hear this message, loudly. And they need to recover their unquestionably Calvinist flavour that prevailed amongst all the English Reformers until the arrival of that hapless and blaspheming Arminian, William Laud. (It's available through http://www.heidelbog.wordpress.com/ for $21, including shipping and handling.) It's a must-buy.

3. Dr. Clark refers to the Belgic Confession, Canons of Dordt, Heidelberg Catechism, and the Westminster Standards (Confession, Larger Catechism, Shorter Catechism). Are they not grand? Lamentably, he never appears to deal with that beloved Book of Common Prayer. That omission, however, does not mar the value of the work. We digress. But just as lamentably, Anglicans never matured Confessionally due to repressive Tudor, Jacobean, Erastian policies. We still hear Archbishop Parker's letter. He wrote to Heinrich Bullinger in 1566, to wit, that he and "all of us" agree with the recently published Confession, the "Second Helvetic Confession."

4. Dr. Clark laments the losses in Reformed congregations and notes the pluriform choices in the Reformed world of congregational options: “contemporary,” “emerging,” “traditional,” “theonomic,” “federal vision,” “psalm-singing,” “neo-Puritan,” “and “confessional churches.”

5. As to Confessionalism. We would add that similar disasters exist in the wide, non-confessional, amorphous evangelical world, now said to encompass TBN, Pentecostalists, charismatics, emergents, mega-church voices, revivalists and others. While we have been discussing TBN, we dealt with the faith statement of the Assemblies of God, a notoriously simplistic, retrograde and erroneous effort by Pentecostalists.

6. Two principles will be invoked by Dr. Clark throughout this readable work. QIRC = Quest for Illegitimate Certainty. QIRE = Quest for Illegitimate Religious Experience. We digress from Dr. Clark's discussion. What else is Pentecostalism but a violation of these two principles? We would incline to the view that John Piper, Mark Driscol and Paul Washer might, that is, may incline in this direction (QUIRE); we will hold that in suspension. We have no doubt about the neo-Montanists.

7. Dr. Clark recommends that one read the Bible with reference not just to the Reformed Confessions, but with an ear to the skilled voices of the past. Only the Anabaptists did that in the past, not Reformed Churchmen. We would add that Anabaptists were not students of the past, unlike the Reformed, Lutheran and Anglican communions. Sola scriptura never meant scriptura nuda to Reformation men. We hear the same ignorance in American Anabaptism with “No Creed but Christ.” Or, “We have no theology but the Bible,” which being interpreted means, “We have no theology which means we have no theology.”

8. I must return to familiar military metaphors. Dr. Clark, as the pilot, gets his F-18 off--a launch--off "catapult one" on a carrier, runs skyward, proceeds to target, and puts one laser-guided bomb on target.” Dr. Clark is ever the gentleman. Reasoned, scholarly, well-footnoted, and clearly presented. Nonetheless, a "Whack Job!" Ouch! Rubbing the behind from the spanking. Dr. Clark might not approve of this scribe's bluntness since it is cool reason and ratiocination. That's OK too. This old scribe isn't seeking admission to anyone's guild on this issue and no one pays me but me. This old military guy has no problem with it. Dr. Clark levies the imputation of “Narcissism.” It's huge! Mind you, this is intended for Reformed Churchmen. But there are wider implications. The explosion, for those with ears to hear, can be heard for miles. (I live about 15 miles to the west of Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. Often, artillery units practice their trade on isolated sections of the base. I routinely feel the ground tremble when rounds explode. As an aside, I routinely have CH-53 and CH-46 choppers flying closely and overheard and their radio comms frequently "turn off" my wireless internet, but I digress. Lest the point be lost. Dr. Clark put the "timed ordnance" on target with skill and accuracy. We read him loud and clear. And we appreciate it too.)

9. The error of the fabled story of Narcissus is that he stares into the pond, sees himself, and confuses the image, the subjective experience, for the reality, himself objectively considered. He refers to the well written work of Christopher Lasch, “Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations” (New York: W.W. Norton, 1978). (As an aside, this scribe has read all of Lasch and, though difficult, are excellent.)

10. By application, the sense is that moderns have lost the sense of themselves by their historical and Confessional amnesia and, as a result, cannot understand or project themselves forward. It sounds something like the sociologist Peter Berger in "Habits of the Heart" only from a theological and historical perspective.

11. We draw a few applications from Dr. Clark's discussion: 1) Develop the QIRE/QIRC principle. 2) What do Churches confess? 3) What do you and your congregation “proactively confess?” 4) What is “confessed” amongst the Pentecostalists 5) What do most non-Pentecostalist churches “confess” in relation to Pentecostalists? Silence? 6) What does your life history "confess?" What will be the "dash" between date of birth and date of death on your tombstone?

12. May Dr. Clark’s book get wide exposure. May his arguments be carefully weighed.

13. Lord willing, more to come.