Unlike the case of Arminianism, there has been considerable debate about whether or not Amyraldianism is a legitimate expression of the Reformed faith. F.P. Van Stam in his book The Controversy over the Theology of Saumur, 1635–1650 (Amsterdam: Holland University Press, 1988), gives a very detailed account of the controversy that erupted in France among [...]
Archive for “Church history”
Understanding the Amyraldian Controversy
Thursday, December 15, 2011The Marrow Controversy
Monday, December 5, 2011Ever wonder how there came to be an Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church? O.K. Probably not, but it’s actually quite interesting. The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church is a member in NAPARC with the PCA. Sinclair Ferguson is the ARP minister you are most likely to know. He is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC. [...]
Post-Reformation Digital Library 2.0
Monday, October 31, 2011If you have any interest in studying Reformed theology, then you must see the new version of the Post-Reformation Digital Library. It has a huge upgrade from the first version. You can find it here. If you want to search for a particular Reformed author, go here. I’m just beginning to look through it, but [...]
Forced Conversions in the Muslim World
Friday, October 28, 2011We really can’t be thankful enough that we were born and live in the United States rather than a place like Pakistan or any of the other repressive Muslim nations that surround it. Here’s an update from World Vision on forced conversions in Pakistan: Dear Friends, Greetings from World Vision in Progress Foundation! We would [...]
Read About Other Reformers
Thursday, October 27, 2011I enjoyed hearing and meeting Pastor Steven Lawson this past week at the Reformation Worship Conference. Please take some time to read his article published today on The Aquila Report on the life of Heinrich Bullinger, one of the most important second generation Reformers but not as well-known as his colleague John Calvin.
Luther in His Own Words
Wednesday, October 26, 2011Christian Audio is offering Martin Luther in His Own Words as a free download this week. Download it here.
A Hymn by Toplady You Probably Won’t Sing
Thursday, September 22, 2011Augustus M. Toplady (1740–1778) was a minister in the Church of England, a famous opponent of John Wesley’s Arminianism, and is best known for his hymn “Rock of Ages.” Recently, I have been reading a biography of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia (1712–1786). Frederick is famous for his military victories in the War of [...]
A Model for Interchurch Relations
Wednesday, July 6, 2011The PCUS General Assembly of 1870 responded to the invitation to enter into correspondence with the newly united Northern New School and Old School Presbyterian Churches. Their response is very instructive: The union now consummated between the Old and New School Assemblies North was accomplished by methods, which, in our judgment, involved a total surrender [...]
The Myth of PCA Paedocommunion Permissibility
Friday, June 10, 2011One of the issues addressed at General Assembly this week was whether or not Pacific Northwest Presbytery erred in allowing a candidate to take an exception to the Westminster Standards on paedocommunion. As was noted in the byFaith article: The minority report [from the 39th General Assembly] also claimed that the difference in question [the [...]
One of the Greatest Polish Reformed Theologians
Saturday, May 21, 2011I know what you’re thinking. For someone to be one of the greatest Polish, Reformed theologians is not saying much since there are so few. That is in part true. However, in the 16th and 17th centuries, there was a Reformed Church in Poland. From this Church came several theologians who had a wide influence. [...]
The Immeasurable, Comforting Power of Predestination
Thursday, May 19, 2011A few weeks ago, I reported that this year is the 450th anniversary of the Belgic Confession, the confession of faith of several continental Reformed churches. Yesterday, Sean Gerety posted a letter written by Guido de Brès, the author of the Belgic Confession, to his wife Catherine just before he was martyred for the faith. [...]
Huguenot Theologian Peter Allix (1641–1717)
Saturday, May 14, 2011I am working on a translation of Peter Allix’s Maxims of the True Christian. I hope to publish it in a series of posts for my “Sabbath Meditations.” Here is an introduction to his life adapted from the Dictionary of National Biograph: Peter Allix (1641–1717), preacher and theologian, son of Pierre Allix, pastor of the [...]
The Presbyterian Church in America on Homosexuality
Saturday, May 14, 2011The Aquila Report has provided a summary of statements on homosexuality by the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) that provide a refreshing contrast to other news items we have seen this week. That the Fifth General Assembly (1977) of the Presbyterian Church in America affirms the biblical position for our denomination which states that: The [...]
Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism now available
Tuesday, April 26, 2011A couple of months ago, I announced that Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism was going to be released and that it would serve as a great introduction to Reformed theological history. It is now available for purchase here. I was going to let you know that it was available, but I wanted to wait until I [...]
What Can We Glean from Lewis?
Friday, April 15, 2011By Brian Carpenter A few days ago this blog published an article I wrote in which I attempted to show that C.S. Lewis, the Christian apologist beloved by so many, had a strong theological affinity to Anglo-Catholicism. As an orthodox Reformed Protestant, I naturally reject that position, and so I am critical of much of [...]
Some Guesses on the Origin of Lewis’ Anglo-Catholicism
Wednesday, April 6, 2011By Pastor Brian Carpenter C.S. Lewis, the well-known 20th century author and apologist has been beloved by many English-speaking people for over 70 years now. He burst on the scene with a full blown and intellectually defensible supernatural Christianity in the early days of World War II when liberal Protestantism was fumbling to have something [...]
Sacramentlism Yesterday and Today – Benjamin Schneck on Mercersburg’s Doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration
Monday, April 4, 2011The Federal Vision seeks to impose a ritualistic system upon a Confession that has so clearly rejected it. But this has been done before. The Tractarians in England sought to re-interpret the Thirty-Nine Articles in a Romanist direction. The Bishops of the Anglican Church in Scotland sought to re-interpret the Westminster Confession as a sacramentalist [...]
Breaking Down the “Bavinck vs. Nevin” Debate
Sunday, April 3, 2011This past week witnessed an interesting blogging debate between several important figures in today’s Reformed orthodox world. This debate is about the role of self-examination and personal piety in the Reformed faith. I think this is overly simplistic, but we may call it a debate between experiential Calvinism vs. high church Calvinism. Here’s how it [...]
Was C.S. Lewis an Anglo-Catholic?
Thursday, March 31, 2011By Pastor Brian Carpenter C.S. Lewis has certainly received a warm embrace by almost all sections of Christendom, and by people of all sorts of other stripes. When I was a student at St. Meinrad’s School of Theology and Benedictine Monastery (yes, you read that right) there was a whole section in the bookstore dedicated [...]
Why I Feel Closer to Reformed Baptists than Lutherans
Monday, March 14, 2011Dr. Hart has posed an interesting question this morning about Lutherans and Baptists. He writes: Are Lutherans different from Reformed Protestants? Duh! The odd aspect of the arguments that distinguish Lutheranism from Reformed Protestantism is that the arguers don’t seem to be so conscientious when it comes to Baptists. Are Baptists Calvinistic? Some are. Lots [...]