John Calvin – Pursuing Veritas

A Protestant Thinks About the Blessed Virgin Mary

Talking about Mary can feel dangerous, especially if you are a Protestant who adheres to Protestant orthodoxy. Sure, we sing about Mary at Christmas, feel her pain on Good Friday, and maybe even read a little about her in the gospels. But for most American Protestants, almost any other interaction with Mary is borderline Catholic.Continue reading “A Protestant Thinks About the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Ep21: What Is Communion?

In this episode of the Church Debates series, we look at the five Reformation-era views on communion.

Ep20: Predestination and Freewill Redux

In this episode of the Church Debates series, guest speaker Kyle Harbaugh leads a discussion of the Predestination and Freewill debates during the Reformation period, especially those surrounding TULIP.

Ep18: Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?

This episode of the Church Debates series looks at the questions, What is Salvation?, How does Salvation Work?, and Can Christians Lose Their Salvation?

Questions about Getting Saved in America

In “Getting Saved in America: Conversion Event in a Pluralistic Culture,” Bill Leonard outlines the history of the salvation conversion experience in the American context, more specifically the history of the eastern “evangelical protestant”[1] conversion experience. Tracing the event from its Puritan beginnings in the New World to its current usage among American church people,Continue reading “Questions about Getting Saved in America”

Reflections on Mary: Historically Informed Theology

One of the perils of being a graduate student is constant busyness. For me, this busyness often distracts me from writing about subjects which are interesting and important but which are (unfortunately) beyond my ability to find time to address. One such subject is the Blessed Virgin Mary. In my searching for answers, Mary hasContinue reading “Reflections on Mary: Historically Informed Theology”

A Protestant Reformation Without Martin Luther?

One of the more interesting thought-experiments that Reformation-era scholars embark upon is asking if there could have been a “Protestant Reformation” without Martin Luther. Understanding that we would likely need to reconceive our current notions of “Protestant” and “Reformation,” it seems likely that some form of theological reformation would have occurred in 16th centuryContinue reading “A Protestant Reformation Without Martin Luther?”

Book Review: The Institutes of Christian Religion (John Calvin)

In The Institutes of the Christian Religion, 16th century theologian John Calvin presented the systematic explanation of his reformation theology. In this modern edition, editors Tony Lane and Hilary Osborne seek to re-present Calvin’s Institutes in an easy-to-access book for non-specialist readers (Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, 1995.). In redacting portions of Calvin’s extensive work,Continue reading “Book Review: The Institutes of Christian Religion (John Calvin)”