Meet the Puritans

Meet the Puritans

W hile his Works fill six large volumes, John Knox wrote only one lengthy explicitly theological work. Its subject is encapsulated in its title, “An Answer to the Cavillations of Adversary Respecting the Doctrine of Predestination” ( The Works of John Knox , 5:7-468). It is, in short, a sustained...
“J esus Christ is the sum and quintessence of the gospel; the wonder of angels; the joy and triumph of saints” (Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity , 161). He is, as we saw in Q...
Last time I began a series of short posts on Owen’s teaching on communion with the Trinity under the analogy of building an iPad. This second post presents the basic building blocks of his teaching. What the Owen iPad Does: The Trinity, Covenant Theology, and Union with Christ Three components make...
Q uick. What should be the two constituent parts of a Reformed theological education? Theology and exegesis? Philosophy and theology? Systematic and practical theology? Good guesses. Having just participated in examinations for seminary graduates who seek entrance into the ministry, this question...
I n 1995, I took a doctoral seminar class with Dr. Richard Gaffin in historical theology. Like the other students, I had to present my term paper in class. With great trepidation, I delivered my work on John Calvin’s position on saving faith and its connection to assurance. His definition of saving...
A lthough the Westminster Assembly did not choose to use the text of the Apostles’ Creed and to exposit its individual articles within its two catechisms, the Larger Catechism still follows the structure of the Creed. Having dealt with the Triune nature of God (Q...
I f a theological debate has been infected with personal animosity and filled with over the top accusations and charges, then you will mostly likely find a party spirit, which will only further enflame the controversy. Like everyone else, theologians do not tend to denounce their friends in public...
S ince you're reading this online post, you're no doubt aware that in the broader Reformed theological world there has been discussion of the issue of holiness in the recent past. The links are too numerous so I'll leave it to you to search for them yourself. In particular, one issue in this...
T he winner of Theodore Beza's A Clear and Simple Treatise on the Lord's Supper is Ike H. of Ronceverte, WV. Congrats! And now our next giveaway comes from our friends at Crossway, who have given us one (1) copy of To the Ends of the Earth: Calvin's Missional Legacy and Legacy by Michael A.G...
F or many of us who have discovered the Reformed expression of the Christian faith after years in other traditions, “covenant theology” was one of the most eye-opening facets of it. It was more than just another part of theology, though. It was like getting a new pair of glasses. The old way we saw...