Was Calvin A Homosexual Convict?

Recently a correspondent wrote to ask about the following: “An interesting story: in 1527, the year he was 18, Calvin was arrested, tried, and convicted of homosexual activity. Instead of being executed (per French law at the time), he was branded with . . . Continue reading →

Unintended Reformulation?

Brad Gregory is a well-respected Reformation historian. He has taught at Stanford and now teaches at Notre Dame. His study of martyrdom in the Reformation period is highly regarded. He has produced a new work which is receiving a good deal of . . . 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 →

Children Can Memorize But Are The Adults Willing?

Parents and other catechists have sometimes said or implied to me that children just aren’t able to memorize in the modern age and therefore we shouldn’t insist that they memorize Scripture or catechism. This morning I had reason to doubt that. I . . . Continue reading →

Malthus or Althusius? An Introduction To A Pioneering Reformed Social Theorist

We seem to live in a Malthusian age, i.e., an age of increasing scarcity or perhaps fear of scarcity, where concern over how to divide an economic (and environmental) pie of limited size (called a “zero sum game”) has replaced the idea . . . Continue reading →

In Case You’re Still Debating Whether to Attend the Conference

San Diego County inland is a series of hills, ridges, and canyons. This view is about 15 minutes north of the seminary. People who haven’t visited North San Diego County may imagine it to be much more urban than it is. There are . . . Continue reading →

The Gift of Confessional Elders (2)

Part 1 Before we can see how and why our elders need to be confessional we needed to understand, in the first place, what an elder is. Next, we need to understand what it means to be “confessional” and then, in the . . . Continue reading →

2013 Faculty Conference-The Whole Armor of God: The Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism for Today

2012 was the 450th anniversary of the Belgic Confession. The Belgic was written by Guy (or Guido) de Bres (1522–67), a French-speaking Reformed from the southern Netherlands who was martyred for the gospel. He modeled the Belgic after the French (Gallic) Confession . . . Continue reading →

The Gift of Confessional Elders

Usually in a conference there is a period of time set aside for questions and answers (Q&A). It’s a good practice because it gives an indication of what people heard and indicates where things might need to be clarified. It also gives . . . Continue reading →

Audio Available Now: Is the Reformation Over?

The audio from the Central Valley Conference on Reformed Theology at Zion Reformed Church in Ripon, California is online now (below). Thanks to Pastors Kevin Efflandt and Angelo Contreras and to everyone at Zion for their hard work in preparing for the . . . Continue reading →