The Rise Of Moralism In Seventeenth-Century Anglican Preaching: A Case Study

The twenty-first century is not the first to witness English-speaking theologians in the Reformed tradition expressing dissatisfaction with the Reformation’s doctrine of justification through faith alone on the ground of Christ’s righteousness and sacrifice alone. Continue reading →

To Obey Or Not To Obey, That Is The Question: An Examination Of Anthony Burgess’s Theology Of Law And Gospel In Vindiciae Legis: Part 2

Burgess used the similarities between the old and new covenants to refute Antinomian errors, but perhaps the most surprising facet of his broad distinction was that the gospel contains “commands.” The command for repentance, in a sense, belongs to the gospel, not . . . Continue reading →

To Obey Or Not To Obey, That Is The Question: An Examination Of Anthony Burgess’s Theology Of Law And Gospel In Vindiciae Legis: Part 1

After his suspension on June 25, 1629, by the High Commission for the charge of “doctrinal heterodoxy,” Robert Towne (1592–1663) desperately sought to meet with those “godly opponents” who had been criticizing his preaching, perhaps to explain himself.1 He found a few . . . Continue reading →

Review: Beholding the Triune God: The Inseparable Work of Father, Son, and Spirit By Matthew Y. Emerson and Brandon D. Smith

The recent resurgence of classical Trinitarianism has borne tremendous fruit in bringing the reality of who God is to bear in the church’s ministry and proclamation. Even in confessionally Reformed circles where subscription vows have at least maintained a background fidelity to . . . Continue reading →

Review: Proclaiming the Triune God: The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Life of the Church By Matthew Barrett, Ronni Kurtz, Samuel G. Parkison, and Joseph Lanier

The Trinity is the heartbeat of the Christian faith, as Herman Bavinck reminds us.1 If this doctrine is indeed about pumping blood through our spiritual veins, then it must not be blockaded only into the academy halls and books inaccessible to ordinary . . . Continue reading →

Bates’s Recycled Errors

The gospel is central to Christianity. Protestants and Roman Catholics have been reflecting on and debating the gospel’s content for centuries. However, Matthew Bates argues that most of Western Christianity to date—Protestant and Roman Catholic—has completely misunderstood the gospel. In Beyond the Salvation . . . Continue reading →

Review: Swing Low: A History of Black Christianity in the United States By Walter R. Strickland

The earliest church experience I remember was in my hometown of Shreveport, LA. My mother made sure my brothers and I were dressed in our “Sunday best,” then loaded us into the car and drove us to a small white church building that could not have held more than sixty people. Continue reading →

Review Roundup: Covenant Theology (Part 1)

Antonio Coppola’s Faithful God: An Introduction to Covenant Theology Faithful God is a pastoral treatment of covenant theology meant to equip ordinary Christians to see the categories of law and gospel and to understand how Christ is at the center of redemptive history. Continue reading →

Review: Still Protesting: Why the Reformation Still Matters By D. G. Hart

In 2008, Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom published Is the Reformation Over? An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman Catholicism.1 The book was measured in its answer, but in an interview at the time of publication, Noll said, yes, the Reformation is over. . . . Continue reading →