‘To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.’ So wrote John Henry Newman in his famous essay on doctrinal development. I have critiqued this comment from a confessional Reformed perspective in First Things and will do so…
For some, John Calvin seems to be at his most feisty when he writes on the sacraments. Against those who complain that infant baptism is a travesty of the Gospel, in the Institutes he stoutly insists, “these darts are aimed more at…
In this short series, I have explored some of the special challenges that come in interpreting the Psalms of lament as Christian scripture. We have seen how this is not an easy task, particularly if we insist upon praying the…
It has happened a few times before. It happened again recently. Someone without a good church gets in touch, referred by a mutual friend. Or someone drops an email asking for advice. Or there is a conversation at a conference…
When ministers and elders gather together, it is usual for them share their ministry burdens with each other. The calling of a minister of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is high and hard; the weightiness of the calling…
Christmas is a time of mystery and wonder. The Virgin Mary was told by the angel that she would conceive and bear a son: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow…
My favourite church history book of 2016 is Bruce Gordon’s John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. I confess to being a little partisan: Bruce is my oldest scholarly friend since we were both postgraduates in Scotland in the late…
My favourite church history book of 2016 is Bruce Gordon’s John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion. I confess to being a little partisan: Bruce is my oldest scholarly friend since we were both postgraduates in Scotland in the late…
Kevin Giles was kind enough to send me the paper he presented at the 2016 meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. While I disagree with Dr. Giles view of women as office-bearers in the church I very much appreciate his…
I’ve spent the last few months finishing up a book with Bob Kolb, the Luther scholar, entitled Between Wittenberg and Geneva: Lutheran and Reformed Theology in Conversation. It is due from Baker later next year. Bob is, for my money,…
