The Synod of Dort is one of the most important events in the history of the Reformed Churches. From 1618–16 delegates from the Reformed Churches the Netherlands, the British Isles, and Europe attended (or, in the case of France, were prevented by . . . Continue reading →
Academic Stuff
Doubts About Political Theology And The Church As A Lever Of Cultural Influence
Tish Harrison Warren, a priest in the ACNA (a denomination in the Anglican tradition), writes in Christianity Today, We have an impoverished and inadequate political theology. It took us generations to get here, and this one election, regardless of the results, will . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: On The Spiritual Care Of Seminary Students With Chuck Tedrick
Chuck Tedrick is no stranger to Office Hours. He first appeared on Office Hours in 2009, season 1, episode 3, as a student at Westminster. Then he appeared in season 8, episode 22. Before coming to Westminster he studied at BIOLA University . . . Continue reading →
The Ninety-Five Theses: Did Luther Nail Or Mail Them (Or Both)?
It is Reformation Day 2020. As far as I know, magisterial (Reformed and Lutheran) Protestants have been observing October 31 as Reformation Day since the 17th century. Longtime readers of this space will may remember my critique of October 31 as Reformation . . . Continue reading →
Dear Academic Publishers: End Endnotes
Dear Academic Publisher,
Please stop using endnotes instead of footnotes.
Continue reading
Do We Confess That The Preaching Of God’s Word Is God’s Word? A Text-Critical Note On The Second Helvetic Confession
Heinrich Bullinger (1504–75) was Hulrych Zwingli’s successor as the Antistes (Chief Preacher) in Zürich and an influential figure in the transition between the first- and second-generation Reformers. He wrote the Second Helvetic Confession in 1561 as a private document but at the request . . . Continue reading →
Stephens On The 1619 Project
The 1619 Project is a thesis in search of evidence Continue reading →
National Association Of Scholars: Revoke Pulitzer Prize For 1619 Project
The Project as a whole was marred by similar faults. Prominent historians, most of them deeply sympathetic to the Project’s goal of bringing the African American experience more fully into our understanding of the American past, nevertheless felt obliged to point out, . . . Continue reading →
Back In Print! Ames On The Heidelberg Catechism And Caspar Olevianus On The Apostles’ Creed
William Ames, A Sketch of the Christian’s Catechism. Classic Reformed Theology. Todd Rester, trans. (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2008). Ames (1576–1633) exposits a particular text of Scripture that supports the main thoughts for a given Lord’s Day in the Heidelberg Catechism . . . Continue reading →
Ignatius Of Antioch As A Remedy For Two Weaknesses In Contemporary Evangelicalism: The Reality Of Christ’s Humanity And The Reality Of The Church
Each autumn term one of my responsibilities is to spend about half the semester helping a group of students to walk through the Apostolic Fathers, a collection of second-century Christian texts which was first compiled in the 17th century. That collection has . . . Continue reading →
Singing The Psalms Was A Powerful Weapon In The English Reformation
[T]he metrical psalms were the ‘secret weapon of the English Reformation,’ ‘perhaps the most powerful of the persuasive weapons in the armoury of English Protestantism,’ ‘a potent weapon’ against Catholicism….Psalm-singing was never universally welcomed (Queen Elizabeth seems snobbishly to have disapproved of . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours With Sujin Pak On Calvin’s Hermeneutics And More
Few Bible interpreters in the history of the church have been as prolific and influential as John Calvin (1509–64). Love or hate him, one cannot ignore him. He wrote commentaries upon much of Scripture. As a humanist, he was a careful, sensitive, . . . Continue reading →
What The Reformed Can Learn From A 1532 Synod: Free Justification Leads To Free Sanctification
The Reformed theology, piety, and practice is about as old as the Reformation itself. Scholars often describe the Reformation as if it were the child of the second phase of the Reformation. This is because when they think of the Reformed Reformation, . . . Continue reading →
Arminius Was Not Only A Synergist But He Also Denied The Imputation Of Christ’s Active Obedience
“Arminius’ views clearly belong to the category of those of Karg and Piscator: he not only attributes no soteriological purpose to Christ’s active obedience, he also restricts the purpose of the nominally passive aspects of Christ’s obedience in life and ministry to . . . Continue reading →
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Academic Freedom And The Tiger
Academics who take advantage of their temporary ideological superiority in the university to suppress the freedom of expression of their ideological opponents are like those who, after setting loose a wild tiger, are surprised when it finally turns on them.
What The Reformed Can Learn From A 1532 Synod: Preach Christ
God at all times has tied, as it were, the knowledge of Himself to certain suitable actions and signs, and these figures, shadows and types all point to Christ Jesus. Appearing in these last days, He has finished His course in the . . . Continue reading →
Turretin: We Are Justified Now And Shall Be Vindicated At The Last Day
Francis Turretin distinguished between justification and vindication. Continue reading →
What The Reformed Can Learn From A 1532 Synod: Christ Our Wisdom
But what need is there of many words? “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge lay hidden in Christ” (Col. 2). Why should a Christian preacher seek wisdom in other histories and in supplementary books, without displaying those riches and that treasury . . . Continue reading →
What Is Historical Theology?
DEFINITION Historical theology refers to the discipline of narrating the development of Christian theology. SUMMARY Historical theology is closely related to but distinct from the discipline of Church History, which is more interested in the institutional history of the church and its . . . Continue reading →
What The Reformed Can Learn From A 1532 Synod: Christ Is Our Only Hope
Therefore, Christ our Lord is the base and foundation for the spiritual edifice. Outside of Him there is no hope of salvation. But in Christ there is no loss or condemnation to be feared. He is the cornerstone, the rock, the entrance, . . . Continue reading →