Growing in grace and knowledge.

I am in the midst of a few projects lately that I hope to share here. It is always on my mind to leave a worthy inheritance for my children and my children's children but, since I am a bit of a pauper materially speaking, my plans usually lean toward some spiritual inheritance. I hope that they will count it as a worthy gain. Of late, I am considering several issues related to my ministerial training that have sidetracked my studies of systematics. I am still studying systematics but I have added these projects because of current needs within my Presbytery and my desire to have a consistent testimony before others.

The areas that I am searching out are 1. Orthodoxy versus Orthopraxy, or more simply, why it seems that the Reformed Church has the absolute best theological understanding of Scripture while at the same time having a very poor understanding of personal piety in the area of modesty. Particular concern is in the area of dress, though this seems to be a manifestation of some general misunderstanding on modesty in general.
And 2., The validity of Roman Catholic baptism along with a general consideration of Sacramental theology itself. This is an issue because there has been some question among others within my Presbytery and we are considering a resolution on the issue. I know that many feel it settled during the Hodge / Thornwell debates, but I am not one of them because I am only now entering those debates for myself. I have always felt that R.C. baptism was invalid because of the fact that the R.C. Church is revealed as the seat of the Anti-Christ and because the Church itself is seen as the Whore of Babylon in Scripture. Now I am learning that many Reformers who also held that Rome is indeed part of the Anti-Christ, still accepted her baptism. In fact, it seems that most reformers held this view. I do not. I am still studying and have been swayed to the Hodge/ Northern/ Traditional side by many of the arguments but still cannot fully embrace this view yet.
I hope to soon add some insights on these issues and why they are so important.