Time to subscribe to v14 of the CPJ. If you have never checked out The Confessional Presbyterian journal before, this would be a good year to subscribe for the current issue that will go to press sometime this month, D.V. I should be announcing final contents soon. In addition to a lot of interesting articles there is a unique one that adds to the literature against so called pictures of Christ. This is Harrison Perkins’ “Images of Christ and the Vitals of the Reformed System.” His thesis:
“There are an increasing number of candidates [for the ministry] taking exception to the traditional view of the second commandment. I argue that the Reformed interpretation of the second commandment, which prohibits images of Christ, should be normative for our lives because the entire force of the Reformed system supports this position. In other words, I examine whether the second commandment even 'could' permit images of Christ, much less should, if one presumes the Reformed system. More specifically, by taking exception to the Westminster Standards on the second commandment, one does strike at the vitals of the system, because this exception has ramifications for many other areas of the system; and to permit images of Christ’s humanity is a clear exception to the intent of the Westminster Assembly, as is easily demonstrated from historical sources. Presbyteries, therefore, should not permit this exception. My argument proceeds by situating the implications of making images of Christ in relation to various systematic loci: through covenant and ecclesiology, through theology proper, anthropology, and Christology, and through eschatology.”
You can subscribe to the current issue at the link. For this year we now have an international distributor which significantly reduces the cost for those outside of North America. See the link at the link. USA and Canada can subscribe here: http://www.cpjournal.com/store/
“There are an increasing number of candidates [for the ministry] taking exception to the traditional view of the second commandment. I argue that the Reformed interpretation of the second commandment, which prohibits images of Christ, should be normative for our lives because the entire force of the Reformed system supports this position. In other words, I examine whether the second commandment even 'could' permit images of Christ, much less should, if one presumes the Reformed system. More specifically, by taking exception to the Westminster Standards on the second commandment, one does strike at the vitals of the system, because this exception has ramifications for many other areas of the system; and to permit images of Christ’s humanity is a clear exception to the intent of the Westminster Assembly, as is easily demonstrated from historical sources. Presbyteries, therefore, should not permit this exception. My argument proceeds by situating the implications of making images of Christ in relation to various systematic loci: through covenant and ecclesiology, through theology proper, anthropology, and Christology, and through eschatology.”
You can subscribe to the current issue at the link. For this year we now have an international distributor which significantly reduces the cost for those outside of North America. See the link at the link. USA and Canada can subscribe here: http://www.cpjournal.com/store/