Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 3): Historical Background

The American Presbyterian Church was formed on the soil of the New World and the conflicts it experienced were the growing pains of a young church. At the time of the first presbytery, the three main branches of Scottish Presbyterianism in the . . . Continue reading →

She Is Not A Pastor

In this space I have written several essays attempting to help Christians think biblically, in light of the Reformed confession of the faith, about the institution of the church and about the office of pastor. Easy Cases, Hard Cases Some of the . . . Continue reading →

They Are Not Pastors

In the course of catching up with goings on in the evangelical world, there was a striking confluence of news stories about men who are no longer pastors, if they ever were. As we scan and digest these stories we should draw . . . Continue reading →

Vidu On His Divine Missions: A Response To Perkins

It is an honor to respond to Harrison Perkins’ careful engagement with my latest book, The Divine Missions: An Introduction. His critique explores the compatibility of my work with confessional Reformed theology, concluding that there are a number of adjustments that may . . . Continue reading →

Peace And Purity Provided By Authority: John Thomson’s Defense Of Presbyterian Church Polity (Part 2): Secondary Literature

Much of the scholarship of the period focuses on the ethnic divisions and ecclesiastical backgrounds of each of the members of the church. Scholars attribute the various conflicts to the diversity of convictions that each group of ministers brought to the table.19 . . . Continue reading →