Thanks to Wayne Sparkman for reminding us that, on this day in 1929 a group of pastors and elders met in Philadelphia to plan for a new seminary to succeed Old Princeton in the wake of its reorganization.
Happy Birthday To Westminster Seminary
History of the Reformed Churches
Where Was Our Church Before Luther And Zwingli? (9)
From the conformity of our church to the primitive apostolic Church. For since no one can deny that the primitive church was instituted by Christ and the apostles neither can it be denied that our church, if it is conformed that both . . . Continue reading →
Reformed Church Planting Before And After Christendom
In April 2010, Sebastian Heck conducted the first worship service of a new Reformed congregation in the city of Heidelberg. A German native, the pastor trained for the ministry at a non-denominational seminary in Germany before pursuing doctoral studies in the United . . . Continue reading →
Just In: Hart’s Calvinism: A History
D. G. Hart’s latest is just out: Calvinism: A History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013). It just arrived in the post so I’ve not had time to read it and we have a dinner guest arriving any minute. I hope to . . . Continue reading →
Where Was Our Church Before Luther And Zwingli? (7)
XV. But we add further that our church was in the papacy itself, in as much as God always preserved in the midst of Babylon a remnant for himself according to the election of Grace (to wit, true believers who, groaning under . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: Instruments In Public Worship Is The Restoration of Shadows
For even now, if believers choose to cheer themselves with musical instruments, they should, I think, make it their object not to dissever their cheerfulness from the praises of God. But when they frequent their sacred assemblies, musical instruments in celebrating the . . . Continue reading →
Where Was Our Church Before Luther And Zwingli? (6)
XIII. Third, as to place, the question can be understood in two ways. It may be understood definitely concerning the certain and constant seat of the church (such as Rome is) and in that continued series of bishops or pastors which the . . . Continue reading →
Arminius’ Claims About The Belgic Confession And Heidelberg Catechism On Predestination
V. This Doctrine Of Predestination Is Not In Harmony With The Confessions Of The Reformed Churches With a minimum of contention or even trivial objection, it may be appropriately doubted whether this doctrine agrees with either the Belgic confession or the Heidelberg . . . Continue reading →
Presbyterians and Quakers Together
I see that Tony Jones has posted something critical of small/cell groups (I don’t know where and I can’t find it now. You’re welcome to post a link in the comments). Perhaps now that a leader in the Emergent Village has suggested . . . Continue reading →
New In Print: Companion to Reformed Orthodoxy
Willem van Asselt, Irena Backus, John Witte Jr, Carl Trueman and others (including John Fesko and myself) are among those contributing to A Companion to Reformed Orthodoxy by Brill. If you’re interested in the academic study of the history of Reformed theology . . . Continue reading →
Renée of France
A Study in the Difficulty of Reformation
UPDATE January 30, 2013: This volume is now available at Amazon. It is tempting sometimes to think of the Reformation as a magical event. Luther re-discovered glorious truths and all of Europe swooned. Of course that’s not what happened. There was resistance . . . Continue reading →
Happy Birthday to the Heidelberger!
In January, 1563 the Heidelberg Catechism was adopted by the Palatinate Church (the German Reformed Church). That means that the Heidelberg Catechism, or the Heidelberger as it’s sometimes known, is 450 years years old this year. As with Calvin in 2009 there . . . Continue reading →
Would Calvin Support the Occupy Movement?
Five years ago it was a leading premillennialist saying that were Calvin alive today he would, in effect, be John MacArthur. Now, the Secretary-General of the World Council of Reformed Churches, lecturing at Princeton Seminary (HT: Sovereign Grace News), claims that were Calvin . . . Continue reading →
Ursinus on What Is the Sum and Substance of Scripture
In the prolegomena (prefatory remarks) to his published lectures on the Heidelberg Catechism, Zacharias Ursinus (1534–83), the primary author of the catechism and the one authorized by Frederick III to explain the catechism wrote: “The doctrine of the church consists of two . . . Continue reading →
Happy Birthday to the Heidelberg Catechism
As several others have noted, today is the birthday of the Heidelberg Catechism. On this date, in 1563, the Heidelberg Catechism was published. Westminster Seminary California student Jared Beaird has a nice summary and some resource links. What is a catechism? It’s . . . Continue reading →
Resources on the Law/Gospel Distinction
The distinction between law and gospel is one of the most fundamental aspects of the Protestant Reformation. It was essential to the Reformation and it was a basic part of both early Reformed theology and Reformed orthodoxy. For a variety of reasons . . . Continue reading →
Audio Resources: The Presbyterian and Reformed Family Tree
Ever wonder whence the split Ps and broken Rs come? Here’s a great interview with WSC’s Darryl Hart on the Presbyterian and Reformed family tree.
The Old Harmony is New Again
Philip Benedict concedes that the Harmony was a more hopeful than a realistic expression of Protestant unity. But he adds that it was “one example of the conviction of many Reformed that the bonds of brotherhood ought to encompass the Lutheran churches . . . Continue reading →
Nobody Expects the Italian Reformation (link corrected)
But it happened, briefly and the good news here is that it’s back. Andrea Ferrari is a pastor of the Reformed Congregation in Milan, Italy. He’s also an author who has written (in English!) on one of the more significant Italian Reformed . . . Continue reading →
New Bavinck Institute Website
Thanks to Laurence O’Donnell (Calvin Seminary PhD student in systematics) for the heads up regarding the new Bavinck Institute website. They are featuring Ron Gleason’s to-be-released bio of Bavinck himself and an online journal, The Bavinck Review. Well done!