Church History
Church History
Church History
The Reading of the Word
The Puritans believed that the Bible should be the Christian’s daily companion. The Scottish, puritan-minded Thomas Boston (1676–1732) said, “The reading of the word is an ordinance of God, and mean[s] of salvation, of God’s own appointment. The Bible is this word, and God has given it to us, and...
Church History
All of Scripture for All of Life
Sola Scriptura, one of the five “solas,” or watchwords of the Protestant Reformation, asserts that Scripture alone is the supreme, infallible authority for Christian faith and life. Known as the “formal principle” of the Protestant Reformation, this watchword summarizes the truth that Scripture is the ultimate criterion for all that...
Church History
William Perkins’ Impact
William Perkins’s impact on the Elizabethan Church and subsequent generations of Puritans and Reformed divines is incalculable. Through his ministry and later writings he directly or indirectly influenced some of the most notable divines in the history of the Puritan movement—including William Ames, Richard Sibbes, John Preston, John Cotton, and...
Church History
Practical Lessons from the Life of Idelette Calvin
John Calvin was devoted to Scripture and the church. He emphasized God’s sovereignty and Christian living in his preaching and writing, and he was surrounded by many loyal Christian friends. Not surprisingly, he also had a happy marriage. Yet finding a suitable marriage partner had proved to be a daunting...
Church History
The Ultimate Puritan Reading List
In the video below, Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley present their top choices for starting to read the Puritans. Below the video you’ll find a list personally prepared by Joel and Paul, with links to purchase from RHB. Joel and Paul discuss most of the books on this list...
Church History
A Christian Worldview Applied to Every Area of Life
The universal scope of God’s sovereignty teaches us that we must glorify Him with all of our being. There is no “must” to enjoying God; it is but the consequence of glorifying Him. Do the one, and you will have the other. The Puritans fervently practiced this conviction in seeking...
Church History
Grieving the Spirit
If the Spirit helps us commune with the Father and the Son, governs our spirits, defends us in spiritual conflict, leads us in faith, seals our souls, and comforts us till death, then what happens when we fail Him and succumb to our own sin and folly? At such times,...
Church History
Calvin The Educator
Reason #12: Calvin models for us a proper recognition of the importance of education—especially seminary training, which is the backbone of the Christian enterprise (2). David Hall provides an apt summary of this point: Calvin broke with medieval pedagogy that limited education primarily to an aristocratic elite. His academy, founded...
Church History
Definition of Puritanism
Just what is meant by the term Puritan? Many people today use the term to describe a morose and legalistic brand of Christianity that borders on fanaticism. Much of this stereotype was the product of nineteenth-century anti-Puritan sentiments. While subsequent cultures have expressed various opinions of the Puritans, it is...
