One of the most forgotten Elizabethan Puritans is Richard Greenham (c. 1542–1594). As an early Elizabethan puritan, Greenham’s influence in the late 16th century was second only to that of William Perkins. He wrote a very helpful catechism on the Christian faith . . . Continue reading →
History of Reformed Theology
Perkins: As Soon As One Believes
For so soon as a man believes, he is presently justified. For every believer has… Continue reading →
Created for Union: John Williamson Nevin And The Supper
On June 9, 1886, a funeral was held in a church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The deceased, John Williamson Nevin (1803–86), was a pastor, professor, and theologian in the German Reformed Church. Friends and family were in attendance as well as several theologians and professors of differing fame and reputation. None of this was unusual for a theologian’s funeral in nineteenth-century America. There was, however, at least one irregularity: A. A. Hodge (1823–16) gave one of the eulogies.1 Hodge’s late father, Charles Hodge (1797–1878), and Nevin were involved in one of the most prominent sacramental controversies in nineteenth-century America, yet the younger Hodge eulogized the very man who contested with his father decades before. Even now, the controversy and the theologies that gave rise to it live on long after the death of the major figures. Continue reading →
Perkins On “The Exclusive Particle”
Throughout his works Perkins objected to the idea that one was justified by a mixed faith. On the contrary, faith was to be regarded as an instrument “to apprehend and apply that which justifies, namely, Christ and His obedience.” Perkins saw justifying . . . Continue reading →
NoCo Radio Is Reading Beza
Theodore Beza (1519–1605) was a remarkably long-lived and significant theologian in the Reformed tradition. He is best known as a theologian but he was an advisor to Calvin and the Reformed churches across Europe and the British Isles. He was more than . . . Continue reading →
The Reformation Was Not As Radical As You Think: Calvin And Virtue Ethics
There is a widely held perception today—shared by ethicists, historians of ethics, and theologians—that the Reformation inaugurated a sharp break from earlier forms of eudaimonist virtue ethics prevalent in the medieval period (Rehnman 2012, 473–75, 490; Herms 1982). The assumption that the . . . Continue reading →
New In Print: Petrus van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology vol. 3: The Works of God And The Fall Of Man
Petrus van Mastricht (1630–1706) was among the more important Reformed theologians of the later 17th century. According to Richard Muller, in van Mastricht we see Reformed orthodoxy and scholasticism coming to its high point technically. So students of the history of Reformed . . . Continue reading →
On Leaving The Mainline: Some Friendly Advice To The Alliance Of Reformed Churches
Kathryn Post, writing for the Religion News Service (HT: Christianity Today), writes, “On New Year’s Day, 43 congregations of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) split from the national denomination, one of the oldest Protestant bodies in the United States, in part over theological differences regarding same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBT clergy.” This move, she says, “follows the RCA General Synod’s October decision to adopt measures for ‘grace-filled separation’ with departing churches and to appoint a team to develop a restructuring plan for those that remain.” These 43 congregations (so far) have formed The Alliance of Reformed Churches. Continue reading →
Wollebius On The Good News
What Did Geerhardus Vos Think He Was Doing?
Although Geerhardus Vos is best known as a biblical theologian, this is not an essay about biblical theology. Nor does it deal with his well-known 1894 Princeton inaugural address. It is instead a reflection on important aspects of the larger theological method that . . . Continue reading →
William Perkins On Justification (2)
In connection with Trent and Bellarmine’s stance on purgatory and the sacrifice of the Mass was Rome’s doctrine of a second justification. Bellarmine’s Scriptural basis for a second justification was Romans 3—which he saw as the first justification, and James 2—which he saw as the second justification. For Perkins, James 2 was for the justified because of Christ, “outward testimonies of the truth of our faith and profession, proving that the grace of our hearts is not in hypocrisy, but in truth and sincerity.” In other words, James 2 spoke not of justification in the same sense as Paul in Romans, but in a completely different sense, scope, and design, James 2:21 is in the demonstrative for Abraham’s “works did testify that his faith was true and sincere. Continue reading →
William Perkins On Justification
Perkins objected to Rome’s sacrifice of the Mass. For Perkins, this doctrine was attached to erroneous views of Christology, Christ’s propitiatory suffering unto death, and in turn the doctrine of justification. One of Perkins’s clearest Christological statements is found in his treatise, A Warning Against the Idolatry of the Last Times (1601), where he wrote, “For He in one person is perfect God and perfect man, our only Redeemer all-sufficient in Himself, and therefore perfect king, priest, prophet; without either partner or fellow in the work of man’s salvation.” Continue reading →
Caspar Olevian And The Substance Of The Covenant Discounted To $10.00
RHB is now selling (for how long I do not know) Caspar Olevian and the Substance of the Covenant for $10.00.
Riddlebarger On Belgic Confession Art. 14 And The Covenant Of Works
It is also very important at this point that we deal with an issue which has become very divisive among the Reformed churches of late–and that is whether or not our confession teaches that there is a covenant based upon a works-principle . . . Continue reading →
Laying the Foundation…. Twice
Where do we begin in our theology? The answer may seem obvious: We begin with God. Theology, after all, is talking about God; that’s literally what the word means. But things get a little more complicated when we get around to developing . . . Continue reading →
Reminder: Please Subscribe The English Translation Of Polanus
Amandus Polanus (1561–1610) was a theologian and Professor of Old Testament in Basel. He produced one of the most important systematic theologies of the early orthodox period. It has never been translated into English. There is, however, a publisher willing to take . . . Continue reading →
John Owen Defended Infant Baptism
III. The question is not whether all infants are to be baptized or not; for, according to the will of God, some are not to be baptized, even such whose parents are strangers from the covenant. But hence it will follow that . . . Continue reading →
With The Guilt, Grace, Gratitude Podcast On The Development Of Reformed Covenant Theology In The Reformation
Contrary to what some Dispensational writers have claimed the Christian church, in the post-apostolic period, has always taught covenant theology. The Epistle of Barnabas (c. AD 120) wrote a fairly mature covenantal explanation of the history of redemption, the unity of the . . . Continue reading →
Now In One Volume: Geerhardus Vos, Reformed Dogmatics
For those of us who love Reformed theology and are interested in its modern development, Geerhardus Vos (1862–1949) is a significant figure. He spent most of his career, at Princeton Seminary, reforming and developing what had come to be known in the . . . Continue reading →
Stop Saying It Please
Reformed people need to stop saying that the distinction between law and gospel is “Lutheran” and that the Reformed did not (and do not) make that distinction. Continue reading