“Contradicting” or “out of harmony with”?
Philip Rainey critiques Professor Dykstra's distinction between statements being "out of harmony with" versus "contradicting" the Reformed confessions, arguing that opposition and contradiction are logically equivalent terms. This brief exchange from the Standard Bearer addresses how the PRC Synod of 2018 evaluated doctrinal statements regarding justification by faith alone and the role of good works.
The professor believes that one's statements can be "out of harmony with the Reformed confessions" yet not contradict the confessions. The statements judged to be "out of harmony with the Reformed confessions" and that consequently compromised the doctrine of justification by faith alone, in his view, do not contradict the confessions. He writes: "If the teaching went farther and the logical conclusions were completely drawn out, it would eventually contradict these doctrines as set forth in...
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