Ditzel’s disagreement on Scriptural and Church History In his first website essay allegedly rebutting my doctrine of justification, Peter Ditzel promised to challenge my view of Scripture in a following article which he subsequently entitled ‘The Debate as Based on Scripture’. However, now in his second part, he ignores my Scriptural evidence on justification from eternity, centering rather on my Scriptural evidence given to show that God justifies those at enmity with Him and begins by also rejecting my evidence concerning Biblical scholars and Reformers of the past. Once again, in his second paper, I find that Ditzel has fully misunderstood my position and chastises me quite unfoundedly for advocating beliefs… Full Article
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How things began Starting around 1996 and continuing for some ten years, I wrote several books and a number of articles on the question of the timing of justification in its relation to faith, conversion, adoption, reconciliation, the forgiveness of sins and indeed all the blessings that God gives to His own in Christ which is our Heavenly inheritance and our lot for all eternity. There was no great reaction to my writings as the topic did not appear to have been of great interest and, anyway, I was hardly known at the time. Indeed one of the few leading evangelical writers who thought it worthwhile to disagree with me, a man of little learning but with quite a large following, quite misrepresented my views and told his… Full Article
PROTESTANT REFORMATION SOCIETY JOHNSTON ESSAY PRIZE COMPETITION 2015 Subject: Justification by faith – The article of faith by which the church stands or falls The British Society for promoting the Religious Principles of the Reformation was founded in 1827. GENERAL REGULATIONS 1. The object of this competition is to encourage students who are committed to the doctrine of the 39 Articles and who are in training for full-time Christian ministry to study thoroughly particular aspects of Reformed doctrine and history in relation to the situation of the Christian Church today. 2. Candidates are expected to be genuinely committed to… Full Article
How things began In the nineteen fifties it was customary for young undergraduates to share rooms, go on hiking holidays together and plan their future careers together. I am thinking of my own experience at college. No one challenged this social cooperation and display of friendship in any way. It was healthy and good in itself. Nowadays, owing to what is now called ‘queer-bashing’ fingers of suspicion are pointed to any two men or two women who share digs or plan holidays together. Just as MacCarthy feared there were Reds under all beds, we now are to suspect homosexuals or lesbians taking their imaginary place. During the sixties, the tabloids began to write of sexual confusion amongst people as if it were the norm. Usual… Full Article
Having been of quite another opinion than The Founders Journal so often about what I believe and disbelieve and having met their ill-founded and quite misleading arguments to a large extent in various articles and books, I was surprised to read an online article today (20.10. 2014) by Tom Nettles, originally published in Issue 53 of the Founders Journal for 2003 and entitled ‘Jonathan Edwards: An Appreciation’, containing a doubly mistaken report appertaining both to myself and Andrew Fuller. I had obviously missed this at the time it was written. In Nettles’ article, the author creates an effigy of wax to stick pins into which he gives my name in order to create an Andrew Fuller after his own heart. Bad as I believe… Full Article
Dear Friends, The two letters copied below were written in response to charges of Antinomianism, Hyper-Calvinism and false analyses of Fullerism coming from the Founders Journal and their supporters. These accusations were never justified and made by people who did not know me from Adam and had not read my books. One particular person, now long departed from the Reformed faith he professed then to hold, was giving an after-dinner jocular speech in which I was mentioned disdainfully when he was asked by an unamused table-guest why he condemned me so violently and joked about me so unbrotherly yet did not appear to know what I taught. He received the answer that the speaker did not have to read me to denounce me. The brother who… Full Article
John Brine (1703-1765) and his Contemporaries as Seen by Modern Revisionists Part I. Brine’s Life
May 1
John Brine (1703-1765) and his Contemporaries as Seen by Modern Revisionists Part I. Brine’s Life First, a few words of explanation. You might think there is more George Ella and our present contemporaries in this lecture than John Brine and his. This is because there is a good deal of John Brine in George Ella and most of our contemporaries positively hate John Brine so we must deal with them firmly but fairly or Brine has taught us in vain. So I am very blunt and particular in my evaluation of Brine’s reception today amongst our self-styled ‘Moderate Calvinists’. Nowadays, these moderately Reformed ministers who strive immoderately to muzzle us are rejecting every single doctrine of the Reformation, ridiculing and… Full Article
John Brine (1703-1765), and his Contemporaries as Seen by Modern Revisionists Part II: Brine’s Theology In his Treatise on Various Subjects Brine says his calling is to defend the doctrines and principles of our religion, and to vindicate the sacred Word of God. As time is less than our subject craves, I shall select a few of his defences and vindications relevant to today’s debate and deal with justification, duty-faith, redemption, regeneration and sanctification. Justification Biblical justification involves the full salvation of sinners, including election, union with Christ, adoption, forgiveness of sins, imputation, redemption, regeneration and sanctification. Today’s Pseudo- Reformed claim that… Full Article
Debates on government and discipline have often caused controversy and dissent in church-life. Our present fragmented Church is largely due to disagreement over church order with the added quarrels over the ordinances and eschatology. Doctrines rarely come into these debates unless it is argued that church orders are savingly relevant. Rather controversy often arises from arbitrary principles of organisation and administration. The first efforts to split the Reformed Church in England centred around whether one should kneel, stand, sit or walk by in procession at the communion service, or whether the minister should pray before or after the sermon, or whether one regarded baptism as a symbolic pointer to God’s mercies in Christ… Full Article
