The Reformed Realist

  **The following was originally published in Covenant Conversations Vol. 2, Issue No. 3 (June 2024) Philippians 3:20 - “For our citizenship is in heaven…” [1] One sobering aspect of the Christian’s life is that he is, in this life, a pilgrim. A pilgrim by definition is a wayfarer, someone journeying to another country. By implication, during his pilgrimage, he is often threatened or harassed by various enemies, trials, and defeats, but he is also a man of great longing. The greatest of his longings concerns his desire to be home: to be back in his own country, to breathe the air of his homeland. Thus, as a pilgrim, the Christian is faced with numerous difficulties along the path to his native land in heaven (cf., Hebrews 11). [2] However, the Christian is not left without hope during his journey. The promises of the gospel work to strengthen the weary traveler’s faith and hope to be with Jesus Christ. One such promise, and therefore assurance, is the reality of what the apostle P...

“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). [1] In Henry’s preface to volume one, he articulated six “great and sacred principles” that governed his commentary on Holy Scripture.[2] Becoming familiar with Henry’s guiding assumptions is helpful for at least two reasons: (1) - They instruct us concerning the heart and mind of the commentator. These principles highlight what Henry believed to be true about God, man, and a theology of revelation. Thus, they aid in reading Henry’s commentary in its appropriate theological context. (2) - Henry’s six principles summarize a consistent, biblical approach to reading, teaching, and understanding God’s Word. Therefore, they assist in helping readers to develop and mature proper biblical assumptions about reading Scripture. Henry’s first great and sacred principle: "That religion is the one thing useful; and to know, and love, and fear God our Mak...

In a famous passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus—when asked by his disciples, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”—exhorts us to “become as little children” to “enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-3). Given the context, it seems that our Lord was emphasizing the cruciality of humility for true saving faith. However, I believe there are still other vital benefits of childlikeness, particularly for Christians influenced by the prevailing materialism of our day. Perhaps the most compelling defense of childlikeness that I have encountered comes from G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy . In this spiritual autobiography, Chesterton recounts his path to discovering the truth of the Christian creed, and a major theme throughout is his resultant return to an outlook of childlike wonder. Chesterton says much about returning to the “garden of childhood”¹ after becoming a Christian, and we can scarcely plumb the depths of this idea here, but let’s briefly consider one particularly in...

Author and philosopher C.S. Lewis is often considered to be the first to write a Christian fantasy story. The Chronicles of Narnia are well known, not only because of the multiple film adaptations and simple writing style being appealing to children but because of the obvious and intentional allegories. However, it could be argued that it is not the only Christian fantasy worth reading, and even fantasy can point us to greater realities already shown in Scripture. Despite the myriad of such tales now flooding the market (whose theological foundations span a number of denominations), there is another source of classic fantasy that could be argued to fall beneath the label of “Christian fantasy”, even though it was never meant to be so.  J.R.R. Tolkien, who was a contemporary of C.S. Lewis and a fellow member of the literary club “The Inklings”, is internationally acclaimed for his masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings , which is the sequel to the children’s fantasy novel, The Hobbit ....

I have always loved a good novel, and I have particular affection for English classics of the 19th century. In addition to the beauty of their prose, the best authors of this period tended to possess greater moral clarity than their modern counterparts and were thus able to produce literature filled with uncommon virtue and wisdom.  A good story is hard to beat (and the story we are about to discuss is certainly that), but I find it especially thrilling when—through revisiting a novel at an older age or hearing insight from a more perceptive reader—I discover a theme or application that has previously escaped me. Such was the case during my recent re-reading of Bram Stoker’s Dracula . Aside from the obvious theme of Good versus Evil, and the array of weapons marshaled by the protagonists whose connection to Catholic sacraments is hardly subtle, I noticed that Stoker’s vampire-hunting professor, Dr. Van Helsing, often sounds quite like the great Christian philosopher—though not yet ...

Josh, Daniel, Caleb, and Dylan provide an introduction to The Reformed Realist and share our interests. Enjoy!