It is difficult to argue against the claim that Princeton Theological Seminary of Princeton, New Jersey occupied a—if not the—principal position of influence in shaping American Reformed Christianity in the nineteenth century. The years between its founding in 1812 and…
On a recent visit to a bookstore in Gothenburg, I came across an early edition of Bonaventure’s commentary on Lombard’s Sentences. The following week in Copenhagen I bought a 1586 edition of Thomas’s Summa. Re-visiting those works caused me to…
The noisy gongs of acerbic and judgmental discernment bloggers, podcasters, vloggers and conference speakers are scattered throughout our social media feeds…and they’re here to stay. The uncharitableness with which such individuals speak online immediately ought to leave a bad taste…
As any poker player knows (and I am not a poker player–I tend to steer clear of competitions where the victor takes home a bracelet), the hand is over when all the cards have been dealt, all the bets have been…
As Reformed churches face an array of social challenges and pastoral concerns, I have found the idea spreading that we must “do” doctrine pastorally. That is, we must decide the Bible’s teaching based on how we think it will impact…
Some years ago, our friend Terry Johnson (senior pastor of Savannah’s Independent Presbyterian Church) wrote an article suggesting an opportunity for constructive dialogue in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Terry classified the two main PCA camps in positive terms,…
I’ve tried not to be, but I can’t help it…I’m a Baptist. I’ve read all I could about pedobaptism, I’ve talked to many friends, I’ve prayed for wisdom and clarity, and in the end, I’ve been all the more convinced…
God calls His people to be truth-loving and truth-speaking people–which is why it’s disheartening to see many self-professed Calvinistic and Reformed ministers downplay doctrinal teaching, preaching and transparency. Many years ago, a pastor of an Evangelical and Reformed Presbyterian Church…
“It pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning, to create, or make of nothing, the world, and all things therein, whether visible or…
“We keep our preaching basic because we have so many new believers. If we give them too much doctrine, they won’t be able to understand it.” I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard church planters and pastors say such things.…
