Countless historians have gone to great lengths to explain the Reformation through social,...
Church History
Knowing Your Roots: The Place of Church History in the Christian Life
In recent weeks I’ve been asked a couple of questions that go along the lines of something like...
Bold Reformers Refuse to Compromise the Truth
My grandfather, the late Rev. V.W. Steele, used to say, “Never compromise the truth.” “Don’t ever...
A Short History of Catechisms and A Review of The New City Catechism
For the last year and a half I’ve had the privilege of using Tim Keller’s, New City Catechism. In this review I will give you the definition of catechesis, a brief history of catechisms in the Church, as well as a few thoughts on how New City Catechism would be...
Get Caught Up on Church History
Followers of Christ should know their church history, not so you can win trivia games at the church potluck, but to get a sense of the sweep of God’s work in building His church in the last 2,000 years. Furthermore, a sense of church history keeps us grounded in good...
Seven Reasons to Read the Puritans
The Puritans were the 16th century English Protestants and their successors in 16th-17th century New England, whose concern for church reform and spiritual renewal earned them the originally derogatory epithet, “puritan.” Unfortunately, when most people hear the word...
Albert Mohler – Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?
A statement made by a professor at a leading evangelical college has become a flashpoint in a controversy that really matters. In explaining why she intended to wear a traditional Muslim hijab over the holiday season in order to symbolize solidarity with her Muslim...
Tim Keller and Mark Dever – Why Lloyd-Jones Matters Today
Few preachers have impacted Reformed evangelicalism like Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981). Though he died 34 years ago, his writings and sermons continue to shape Christians today. Why does the ministry of this 20th-century British minister continue to resonate with us,...
The Split of 1054
Introduction Historians often pinpoint the fracture of the Christian Church to 1054 A.D. It is easy to apply such a label when members from the Eastern and Western churches were excommunicating each other. There is a definite act in a definite place at a definite time...
Is the Reformation Still Relevant Today?
Is Reformation theology still relevant today? Absolutely! It reminds us that we have a big God and that salvation is found in Him alone. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone. And we know this because Scripture alone...
Three Essentials of Discipleship According to Herman Bavinck
You probably haven’t read much, if anything, by Herman Bavinck. I hadn’t either, but after hearing what impact he had on some ministers that I deeply respected, I decided to take the plunge and purchase his seminal masterpiece, Reformed Dogmatics, a four-volume,...
John Calvin – One Who Rightly Handled the Word of God
2 Timothy 2:15 reads, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." This is a biblical text that is applicable to all students of the Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches that,...
Who was a “Puritan”?
I'm often asked questions about the Puritans and Puritanism. While the definitions are a bit elusive, I wanted to give you an article I wrote a few years ago for Churchman, helping navigate the waters of various definitions that have been offered. Here you go:...
John Owen on the Proper End and Design of Evangelical Truth
The gospel-centered movement may be new, but gospel-centeredness itself isn’t a novelty. Love for the gospel lies at the center of the rich heritage of evangelicalism, reaching back hundreds of years. I’m (very) slowly plodding through The Works of John Owen, the most...
Why Read the Puritans?
The Puritans were the 16th century English Protestants and their successors in 16th-17th century New England, whose concern for church reform and spiritual renewal earned them the originally derogatory epithet, “puritan.” Unfortunately, when most people hear the word...