Although it is bad practice to believe in golden ages in the absolute sense, the present is certainly a high point for the church in the specific sense of the English-speaking world gaining increasing access to rich material from Protestant Orthodoxy that . . . Continue reading →
Reformed Orthodoxy
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 →
The Canons Of Dort In Swahili
The Three Forms of Unity are now in Swahili. The third of the forms, the Canons of the Synod of Dort are now translated into Swahili. Continue reading →
New In Print: Compendio De Teologia Crista By Johannes Wollebius
Johannes Wollebius (1589–1629) was a professor of Old Testament, theologian, and pastor in Basel. His Compendium of theology was widely used in the 17th century and even it was so well regarded that it even replaced William Ames’ Marrow in the American . . . Continue reading →
Anti-Scholasticism, Revival(ism), Pietism, Or The Reformed Theology, Piety, And Practice?
Or Why I Wrote Recovering The Reformed Confession
In recent weeks there has been a remarkable confluence of articles that, in their own way, are right on time. Let us start chronologically. In November John Frame reviewed James Dolezal’s excellent book, All That Is In God. In the course of . . . Continue reading →
Who Are The Reformers? Zacharias Ursinus (1534–83)
Witsius On The Relation Between Human Reason And Divine Authority
III. Let then these things be premised. First. Reason signifies either that faculty of man where by he perceives, and judgeth, and distinguisheth truth from falsehood, or those maxims, aphorisms, or axioms, which are either self evident, or believed to be rightly . . . Continue reading →
Honoring But Not Venerating
Obj. 1. The saints, on account of their virtues, are to be honored with the worship either of adoration (λατρεια) or of veneration (δουλεια). But it is not in the former sense that they are to be worshipped; because this form of . . . Continue reading →
Get This Outstanding Book FREE
When, in 1994, Carl Trueman kindly invited me to co-edit Protestant Scholasticism: Essays in Reassessment there was no such modern introduction to what had long been a forgotten or misrepresented period of Protestant theology. Since the publication of PSER (1998), there have . . . Continue reading →
Muller On Reformed Orthodoxy On Double Procession And The Filioque
2. The demonstration of the filioque: “double procession.” The traditionally Western trinitarian concept of the double procession of the Holy Spirit was consistently upheld by the Reformers and argued with some vigor against the Greek Orthodox view. The Reformed exegetes, moreover, understood . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: Kelly Kapic On John Owen, Theology, And Piety
Kelly Kapic is Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College. This is a sort of lost episode. Kelly was on campus campus in February, 2010 to talk with our students about theology and piety. That spring we renovated the Office Hours studio . . . Continue reading →
Who Was Franciscus Junius?
Todd Rester, at the newly-founded Junius Institute, (HT: Jordan Ballor) explains: Franciscus Junius (1545-1602) is a significant figure in the development of Reformed theology in the era of early Reformed orthodoxy. Junius studied under John Calvin in Geneva, pastoring churches throughout Europe . . . Continue reading →
Reason Is Not the Principium But Instrument Of Faith
The question is not whether reason is the instrument by which or the medium through which we can be drawn to faith. For we acknowledge that reason can be both: the former indeed always and everywhere; the later with regard to presupposed . . . Continue reading →
It’s Here: Muller on Calvin and the Reformed Tradition
This is going to be fun. Anyone who is interested in the history of Reformed theology, in finding out what the classical Reformed authors (of which Calvin was one) actually said, must get to grips with the work of Richard Muller. By . . . Continue reading →
Witsius is Back in Print
The other day I listened to a lecture by a well-known, well-respected evangelical scholar. There was a lot of good material in the lecture and I have much appreciated and benefitted from his work over the years. During his talk, however, he . . . Continue reading →
J. H. Alsted's Theological Curriculum
More great stuff from Todd at Historical Theoblogy.
Re-Thinking the Old Paradigm From Within
One of the reasons I wrote Recovering the Reformed Confession was to help professedly Reformed Christians re-connect to their heritage. When, in the early 1980s, I began researching the Reformed tradition I was surprised to learn not only how the Reformed theology, piety, . . . Continue reading →