31 May 2017
Posted by Mark Jones 
So, what do you know of Puritan hymnody? Did the Puritans sing hymns? If so, what was the nature of the hymns they sang? Earlier Reformed theologians debated this question and the evidence shows that no firm consensus existed on exclusive Psalmody in corporate worship. For example, the influential...
Read more → 07 May 2017
Posted by Steven Wedgeworth 
Though it triggers some Presbyterians to say so out loud, John Calvin was not a Sabbatarian. He did have a strict Sunday practice (and thus he most likely did not go lawn bowling on that day...), but this was always explained as a matter of human and not divine law. In fact, Calvin argues that the early...
Read more → 03 Apr 2017
Posted by Steven Wedgeworth 
The question of whether Protestants should regard Roman Catholic churches as "true churches" is very important to all ecumenical endeavors. Usually in reaction to those hardened Protestants who simply say that Rome is apostate and thus "no church at all," the ecumenically-minded Protestants, who usually...
Read more → 08 Feb 2017
Posted by Steven Wedgeworth 
Here are some important passages from Calvin to add to the two kingdoms files. In his commentary on 1 Cor. 14, especially having to do with order, he raises the question of uniformity when it comes to ecclesiastical polity, tradition, and external forms. He writes: The design of the admonition is this...
Read more → 18 Jan 2017
Posted by Steven Wedgeworth 
The continuing fallout from Pope Francis's Amoris Laetitia appears to be reaching a decisive moment. The bishops of Malta have released an interpretation of Amoris Laetitia which supports and applies what might be called the "progressive" interpretation. It allows for those people who have been divorced...
Read more → 22 Nov 2016
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson 
It is well known that the Magisterial Reformers treated the Decalogue as a summary of the moral law, that is, as teaching the precepts of the law of nature. In that way, "divine law"--the moral law as revealed--was to serve as a standard for public life in concord with natural law, since the two are the same...
Read more → 07 Nov 2016
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson 
What follows could be called a Reformed Irenic case for keeping a church calendar. A couple of weeks ago, in a post on Protestantism and institutional unity, I made the following comment: Mutatis mutandis, the same is true in the case of liturgy (also foregrounded by Dr. Leithart) as in the case of administration–which...
Read more → 19 Oct 2016
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson
I’ve been following with some interest the recent exchange between Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart on his “End of Protestantism” post at First Things, in conjunction with the publication of his book of the same title (here, here, and here). I’m not going to comment on the whole exchange, in which...
Read more → 21 Jun 2016
Posted by Ruben Alvarado 
A. A. van Ruler Address delivered in Hilversum, the Netherlands, on June 3rd, 1941, to the convention of emeritus and officiating clergymen. Translated by Ruben Alvarado The question of the relationship of the kingdom of God to the church is of major significance for the ecumenical question in the broad...
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Ursinus’ Theses Concerning Baptism
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In his Heidelberg Catechism lectures, Zacharias Ursinus lists 17 "theses" on baptism. These form a section of their own, and they appear after his commentary and exposition of Heidelberg Lord's Day 27. For those who have the hard-cover version of the P&R reprint titled Commentary on the Heidelberg...
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