Beeke on the Puritan Family

Worth every minute...

The Puritan Reformed Family from Covenant Reformed Church on Vimeo.

The Meaning of "Reformed"

San Diego Conference on Theology 2011 - Part I from Oceanside URC on Vimeo.


(HT:Meet The Puritans)

Reformed?

The problem with the way `Reformed' is often used today is that it divorces certain things (typically the five, or more often, four points of Calvinism) from the overall Reformation vision of pastoral care, church worship, Christian nurture and all-round approach to ministry. The Bible becomes sufficient for the doctrines of grace; but what works, what pulls in the punters, becomes the criterion for everything else, especially ecclesiology and pastoral practice. - Carl Trueman

How we need to return to the true meaning of "Reformed" and how are pastors need to re-think, re-work and revise their ministries.

In part, he concludes

Maybe the Reformation is nearly over; and maybe it is not Benedictine Catholicism but actually the new reformation, with its multi-sites and its virtual pastors, that is finishing it off.  May it not be.

Read Trueman's whole article here.

Presbyterian and Reformed Family Trees

Great stuff from the guys at Christ the Center and D.G. Hart on Presbyterian and Reformed Family Trees. Certainly worth a listen. Hart refers to his book, Seeking a Better Country which you can find here.

Lig Duncan on Reformed Theology

I thought this video was great. Clear, concise and to the point, it opens the door to understand the Reformed faith.

Catch The Vision

I just finished reading Catch The Vision, Roots of the Reformed Recovery by John J. Murray. It was a great read. Short and concise, it offered a good overview of the reformed recovery in the 20th century. The author highlights the people and events, often unrelated to one another, that gave rise to the recovery. Perhaps the most important chapter is the final chapter where the author transitions from tracing the history to offering some practical insights of where the recovery succeeded and where it fell short. And perhaps, what are response today should be to those shortfalls. Without giving away too much, Murray cites how the recovery succeeded in three areas:

1. We have a record of what God can do through a leader in the most difficult times [referring to Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones]
2. We have an abiding armoury of Reformed truth
3. We have witnessed a worldwide spread of Reformed theology

Conversely, as the recovery fell short of the vision, he lists three areas of focus so that we may charge ahead :

1. It is vital to maintian a full-orbed witness to the Reformed faith
2. It is vital to maintian zeal for church reform
3. It is vital to recover the creation and covenant view of the family

Here he cites such notables as B.B. Warfield, C.H. Spurgeon and Carl Trueman as testimonies of where our emphasis should be and how movement forward should be initiated and maintained.

At only 12 bucks this is a great Summer read. Don't let this pass you by.