How to Fence the Lord’s Table (Part 1) There is irony in fencing the Lord’s Table. What should be a joyous celebration, after due preparation of course, and a communion of believers with their risen Lord and with one another, is for . . . Continue reading →
Church History
I Get Questions: How to Fence the Lord’s Table?
After the Central Valley Conference last month I promised to answer some of the questions submitted for the Q/A for which we didn’t have time. One of them asked essentially: whom should Reformed Churches admit to the Lord’s Table? There are three . . . Continue reading →
Re-Thinking the Crusades
The History Channel reminds us that on this date in 1095, Pope Urban II ordered the First Crusade. Prior to 1979 it was more difficult than it is today to imagine such a thing, a leader of a world religion ordering a . . . Continue reading →
Bob Godfrey Lectures on the Ancient Church
W. Robert Godfrey has taught church history at the seminary level since 1974. As I like to point out, I was in Jr High (which was Middle School used to be called) when Bob started teaching. Antiquity, however, is useful in teaching . . . Continue reading →
Glimpses Into Modern Missions in Jerusalem
David Zadok is a WSC grad who is working in Israel with HaGefen Publishing. You can hear interviews with David here and here. The following is from his latest newsletter:
New: Histories and Fallacies
Just picked this up in the Bookstore at Westminster Seminary California and plan to read it today. It looks terrific. I was reading it when I was interrupted by Bob Godfrey, who stopped into the studio for an interview (to be broadcast . . . Continue reading →
Roman Catholic Scholar Converts to Evangelical Faith
Re-posted from c. 2007 Dateline Paris, 1534. © Paris News Service By Guy LaFontaine Jean Calvin, 25, of Noyon, a leading scholar of the classics and law student in the University of Paris, has reportedly converted to the evangelical cause. A classicist . . . Continue reading →
A Child's History of the Church (Links Corrected)
A colleague once said that when he begins studying a topic from scratch he begins with children’s books because there authors have to be very clear about what they are saying. When ministers speak directly to the children in the congregation the . . . Continue reading →
(Updated) Which Church History Survey Should I Read? (UPDATED)
I get this question frequently but the question usually rests on a premise I don’t share and so I don’t give the answer that most of my correspondents are expecting. The question usually assumes that there are a few good surveys of . . . Continue reading →
Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus Est
Extra ecclesiam nulla salus est is an ancient Christian slogan that means, in English, “outside of the church there is no salvation.” So says the summary of the teaching of the ancient Latin church father Cyprian.1 A version of that view is . . . Continue reading →
Update on WSC Alumnus Patrick O'Banion
Patrick O’Banion is one of the several outstanding graduates of the MA (Historical Theology) program, Westminster Seminary California. At my request he checked in and provided this update: Teaching: I was recently hired as an assistant professor at Lindenwood University in St . . . Continue reading →
Happy Birthday St Augustine
Today is St Augustine’s birthday (354 AD). In that connection I should mention the upcoming publication of Simonetta Carr’s biography of Augustine for children. Few figures in Western history are as important as Augustine. He is one of the early church fathers . . . Continue reading →
On Arminius, Confessional Subscription, and the Limits of Tolerance
Jacob Arminius (d. 1609) thought of himself as Reformed. He wanted to be regarded as Reformed. He graduated from the seminary in Geneva. He studied with that stalwart of Reformed orthodoxy, Theodore Beza (d. 1605). He was a Reformed minister in good . . . Continue reading →
Pierre Viret in Print
Thanks to Andrew Myers for pointing us to these resources for those of us interested in one of Calvin’s colleagues in Geneva and in one of the more interesting, if overlooked, figures in the Reformation.
Audio: On the Utility of Church History and Calvin
Just recorded an interview with pastor Philip George (Calvary PCA, Glendale CA) for the show Fresh Bread. Part 1 airs this Sun, Oct 4 (2009) 8:45 AM Pacific on KKLA 99.5 FM.
Hart's "Mississippi" Interviews
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Trueman: The Case for Church History
In three parts at the Sola Panel (HT: Justin)
New In Print: A Companion to Paul in the Reformation
Just for the sake of completeness I want to let you know about the latest publication, “The Reception of Paul in Heidelberg: The Pauline Commentaries of Caspar Olevianus,” in R. Ward Holder, ed. A Companion to Paul in the Reformation (Leiden: Brill, . . . Continue reading →
New in Print Godfrey on Calvin as Pilgrim and Pastor (Updated)
Bob Godfrey, President and Professor of Church History at WSC has an excellent new book out just in time for Calvin’s 500th birthday: John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor. I’ll review it in this space later this month or early next month, Dv. . . . Continue reading →
Congratulations to WSC Grad Rich Bishop, PhD
70% of Westminster Seminary California students (numerically 95 of our 135 enrolled students) are in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program and preparing to enter the pastoral ministry. The remaining 30% are in one of three MA programs. One of those MA . . . Continue reading →