The Canons of Dort (1619) are too frequently described as dry or even scholastic. One wonders if those who speak thus have ever actually read them? The word canons simply means rulings or decisions and these decisions by the Synod of Dort are expressed in vigorous, practical, pastoral language. There is much confusion about the Canons of Dort in part because, since the late 19th century or early 20th century, they have often been reduced to the misleading acronym TULIP. Far too many think they know and understand the so-called “Five Points of Calvinism” simply because they know the acronym. This has led people to speak ridiculously of “four-point” Calvinism and so forth. In fact, the Canons were the product of an international ecclesiastical synod that was held in the Netherlands, in the midst of the Republic’s long-running struggle for independence from Spain. As Synod met they were helping to form a national identity as well as to preserve the Protestant Reformation in face of an attractive but spiritually and theologically deadly alternative: the Remonstrance. The Synod of Dort (1618–19) met 180 times from November of 1618 until late May, 1619 and addressed many topics and questions beyond the five points of the Remonstrance. Below is a collection of sources, commentaries, articles, and podcasts on the Synod and Canons of Dort.
SOURCES
- The Lambeth Articles
- Five Articles of Remonstrance (1610)
- The Contra Remonstrance Of 1611
- 1975–76 CRCNA Edition of the Canons With Preface and Conclusion
- URCNA Edition/Translation of the Canons of Dort (recommended)
- Canones Synodi Dordrechtanae
- The URCNA edition of the Belgic Confession (recommended)
- The URCNA edition of the Heidelberg Catechism
- My revision of the RCUS 1978 edition of the Heidelberg Catechism
- The Opinions of the Remonstrants
- The Church Order of the Synod of Dort
Practica From The Canons
- Synod Of Dort: The Law Neither Gives The Remedy Nor The Strength To Save Sinners
- 1578 Synod Of Dort: Organs To Be Removed ASAP
- The Synod Of Dort Opposed Funeral Sermons
- Dort On Law And Gospel
- Dort: When Believers Fall Into Sin
- The Synod Of Dort On The Sabbath
- The Synod Of Dort On The Sincere And Promiscuous Offer Of The Gospel
- Synod Of Dort (1578): Psalms Only To Be Sung In Worship
Commentaries and Articles
- Redeemed From Every People, Tribe, Tongue, And Nation: A Commentary On The Canons Of Dort
- “Keeping Venom From the Lips Of Children:” An Introduction to the Synod of Dort
- W. Robert Godfrey, Saving the Reformation: The Pastoral Theology of the Canons of Dort (2019)
- Joel Beeke, ed. The Synod of Dort in Historical, Theological, and Experiential Perspectives (2020)
- W. Robert Godfrey, “Who Was Arminius?”
- Richard Muller On the Problem of TULIP
- Why the Heidelblog: Pews, Profs, and Plancius
- Richard Muller, God, Creation, and Providence in the Thought of Jacob Arminius: Sources and Directions of Scholastic Protestantism in the Era of Early Orthodoxy
- P. Y. DeJong, ed. Crisis in the Reformed Churches (Granville, MI: Reformed Fellowship, 2008).
- Keith D. Stanglin and Thomas H. McCall, Jacob Arminius: Theologian of Grace (Oxford, 2012).
- Arminius Did Not Marry Calvin’s Daughter
- One Practical Benefit Of Remembering The Synod Of Dort
- Riddlebarger on Dort
- Do the Canons of Dort Reject Natural Law?
- Dort for Kids
- Boom! Canons Of Dort Day
- Canons Of Dort Day 2016: Growing Beyond The TULIP
- Canons Of Dort Day 2018: Their Churchly Context
- Synod of Dort Day: Arminius Brought Out of Hell
- Good’s Brutal Assessment Of Two Delegates To Dort
- Are The Remonstrants Heretics?
- Packer: Owen Wrote Death Of Death Against Amyraut, Arminius, And An Anglican
- Arminius’ Claims About The Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism On Predestination
- The Arminius Paradigm
- For Elders Thinking Of Inviting Arminius Into Their Pulpit
- The Arminius Paradigm (The Basement Tapes)
- On Arminius, Confessional Subscription, and the Limits of Tolerance
- Turretin: We Affirm The Unity Of The Covenant Of Grace Against The Socinians, Remonstrants, And Anabaptists
- “Baptism and the Benefits of Christ: The Double Mode of Communion in the Covenant of Grace,” The Confessional Presbyterian Journal 2 (2006): 3–19.
Podcasts
- Heidelcast Series: Every Tribe, Tongue, And Nation
- With Echo Zoe: Introducing The Canons Of Dort
- Office Hours: Remembering The Canons Of Dort With W. Robert Godfrey
- Office Hours On The Canons Of Dort With Herman Selderhuis
- Office Hours: Saving The Reformation With Bob Godfrey
- AGR: With Chis Gordon On The Free Offer Of The Gospel
Audio/Video
Translations Into Other Languages
- OS CÂNONES DE DORT (1): INTRODUÇíO E CONTEXTO
- Os Cânones de Dort (2): A Crise Intensifica
- Os Cânones de Dort (3): Abordagem do Sínodo
- Os Cânones de Dort (4): Graça Incondicional
- Os Cânones de Dort (5): Chamado dos Eleitos
- Os Cânones de Dort (6): O Problema do Mal
- Os Cânones de Dort (7): A Doutrina da Trindade
- Os Cânones de Dort (8): A Suficiência da Graça de Deus
- Os Cânones de Dort (9): A Doutrina da Predestinação
- Os Cânones de Dort (10): Aplicações da Doutrina da Eleição