The 200th anniversary of the birth of America’s greatest writer of fiction just passed.

I mean Herman Melville,...

InInstitutes3.3.19, John Calvin gives a “summary of the gospel” (cf. 3.3.1), in which he makes the important point that “the gospel,” the good news that Scripture and the church proclaim, includes not only the forgiveness or remission of sins (justification), but also...

On August 1, 1537, Philip Melanchthon wrote a letter to the Lutheran poet Eobanus Hessus intended to serve as prefatory material for his versification of the Psalter, thePsalterium Davidis carmine redditum (David’s Psalter Rendered in Verse), in which Hessus put all 150 Psalms into Latin...

InSermon 162C (Dolbeau 10), on Paul’s rebuke of Peter in Galatians 2 (on the history of the exegesis of this passage, cf. my essayhere), ¹ Augustine gives a helpful sketch of the various “levels” on which one can speak of the genesis and authorship or “voice” of...

George Buchanan was perhaps the finest Latin poet to write after the close of antiquity. I’ve discussed him previouslyhere,here, andhere. 

One of his most-loved works in verse is hisPoetic paraphrase of the Psalms of David (Psalmorum Davidis paraphrasis poetica), the first complete...

We’ve treated the Protestant educational legacy at various times here in the past: see, for example,this; orthis; orthis.

One aspect we haven’t touched on is the premium that Presbyterians in particular placed on the education of women. This is arguably a legacy of the Ulster...

Those who honor Christ only as their Mediator are easily tempted to call in his help as the physician for one’s sin-sick soul, but then, once that soul is conscious of its salvation and healing, to treat the Savior as we often do our earthly physicians — once healed, we let them go and...

In his famous “Third Theological Oration,” Gregory of Nazianzus gives this rule for interpreting biblical passages about Christ:

To give you the explanation in one sentence.  What is lofty you are to apply to the Godhead, and to that Nature in Him which is superior to sufferings and...

Martin Luther’sLarge Catechism, ¹ the current text for Reformed Theological Seminary’sPaideia Center reading groups,is a wonderful source of simple, practical, straightforward exposition of the essentials of the Christian faith, covering the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’...

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s characters, like Fyodor Dostoevsky himself (surprise!), often betray a hostility to Protestantism, and to Western Christendom in general.

One can see this inThe Brothers Karamazov. For instance, in “The Grand Inquisitor” Ivan refers to “a terrible new...

“Article 36 of the Belgic Confession Vindicated against Dr. Abraham Kuyper”.by P. J. Hoedemaker Ruben Alvarado (Translator) Pantocrator Press (2019)

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) rightly stands as a towering figure in late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Moreover, he is known for key...

Augustine is well known for the degree to which he was influenced by Neoplatonism in the first phase of his career. (It is sometimes assumed–incorrectly–that this makes his early works insufficiently “Christian.”) In the preface to his first completed extant work, for...

This year marks the 400^th anniversary of the Synod of Dort. Thus, I was not surprised to come across another article on its Canons. I am always one who is encouraged to find popular Reformed authors defending the Reformed confessions of the 16^th and 17^th centuries. In fact, if there is one document...

Anyone familiar with the Simpsons’ Groundskeeper Willie, knows that old-fashioned Presbyterians did not celebrate holidays. Even Christmas was seen as illegitimate, and Christmas was not celebrated in early Puritan America. This stance has given way pretty decisively, and in the present day,...

In Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, the Pequod‘s journey gets underway on Christmas Day. Captains Peleg and Bildad accompany the ship out of harbor.

Bildad takes the first watch. As he does so, he sings. Ishmael, the narrator, describes it, in Chapter 22 (“Merry...

John Calvin was what you might call “a fan, bigly” of the proper use of the motif of the imitation of Christ. He mentions it in various places; but one that is particularly illuminating is found in his comments on 1 Corinthians 11.1, where Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am...

I’ve been pastoring in Vancouver for roughly twelve years now, preaching close to 1000 sermons, to over 50 nationalities, with people of various backgrounds and theological understanding in the pews. And 100s of children (ages 0-13) have been present.

We are a Presbyterian church and, as such,...

One of the dangers inherent in “complementarianism” is the perception that ordination to ecclesiastical office is a matter of semi-arbitrary positive law and private zones of jurisdiction, that male leadership in church is only a question of ordination or specific church polity and only...

On Social Media, I came across this article on Frank Reich, the former President at RTS Charlotte and now head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The article was promoted by several men I know and respect. I do, however, have some questions I’d like to ask about how we are to view Frank...

A little over a year ago, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, I commented in ashort piece on the salutary effect that event had on education. The general historical picture is clear enough without detailed statistical analysis; but statistical evidence can help...

Philip Melanchthon is nothing if not consistent in the way in which he handles the appropriation of classical, and particularly Aristotelian, thinking about virtue for the benefit of Christians (a topic treated recently at Mere Orthodoxy). Melanchthon finds Aristotle (or an eclectically re...

This paper was originally delivered as a lecture to All Saints Church in Lancaster Pennsylvania on Feb. 18, 2017 as a part of a conference on church history and education. The audio from the entire conference is available here.

Like all catechisms, the Heidelberg Catechism has a section...

Talk of the supposed “disenchantment” of the world of “modernity” continues apace, providing (as it has always done) a cottage industry for academics and connoisseurs of Angst–and little else.

I thought it might be useful to have a quick look at the history of the word,...

I’m reading Alan Jacobs’ recent book The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis. I’m more persuaded by some aspects of it, less so by others, and stimulated by all. I likely will not have time to write up a full review, which would in any case probably...

I grew up with a very normal American view of Halloween. It was a day where I dressed up like cartoon characters or cartoonish or campy monsters in order to have a few laughs and get some candy. There really was no weighty “significance” behind it. It was just good clean fun.

As I got...