Listening to the Giants

Is it wrong that Charles Hodge loved being a Presbyterian? I don’t think so. Many great men have come from the ranks of Presbyterianism. The better question is, “What does it mean to be a Presbyterian?” Well, this may be too simplistic, but in my opinion, historic Presbyterianism is a blend of church polity , Reformed theology and a general adherence to the Westminster Confession of Faith. Church Polity It is likely that most Presbyterians would describe their polity (i.e. church government) as moderate, a middle ground between High church (Episcopalism) and Low Church (congregationalism). The governmental structure is typically broken up into four categories: 1) Sessions (elected leaders by the congregation, both lay and teaching elders); 2) Presbyteries (local Presbyterian churches in a certain region form this group); 3) Synods (an additional step of accountability for regions with an excessive amount of local churches); 4) General Assembly (this is the highest cour...

There is nothing new under the sun (Ecc. 1:9). This applies to the unfortunate conflict and subsequently separation of two “redwoods of the Christian faith”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and J.I. Packer. The issue that ignited the separation was important; this was NOT two Christians arguing about the “color of the carpet”. Yet the question I want to ask and answer in this blog post is: “Was this conflict avoidable?” The excerpt below will set the historical context and the issue of contention. “Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones had become increasingly concerned over the theological liberalism of the World Council of Churches. By 1965, he was convinced that it was impossible for an evangelical to belong to a denomination which was affiliated to the WCC. Evangelicals who were members of such churches would be contaminated by others within the denominations who openly denied or challenged key tenets of the Christian faith. Evangelicals who remained within doctrinally mixed churches—such as th...

Throughout the next few weeks, this blog will examine certain “snapshots” of George Whitefield, which I hope will bring a deeper appreciation for this servant and a greater love for the God whom he gave his life to. Here is a snapshot of a unique meeting Whitefield had during his life: “Whitefield met with the Associate Presbytery as planned. He spoke of them as “A set of grave venerable men”. They immediately began to present their doctrine of church government and the Solemn League and Covenant, but he told them they might save themselves the trouble, for he had no scruples on the subject. He asked them what they would have him do, and the answer was that he was to preach only for them till he had further light. He asked why only for them. To which Ralph Erskine replied that “they were the Lord’s people.” He stated that he was “determined to go out into the highways and hedges; and that if the Pope himself would lend him his pulpit, he would gladly “proclaim the righteousness of...

Throughout the next few weeks, this blog will examine certain “snapshots” of George Whitefield, which I hope will bring a deeper appreciation for this servant and a greater love for the God whom he gave his life to. Why should you care about the life and ministry of George Whitefield? 1)       He was one of the first in history to do open air preaching. 2)       He was part of the Holy Club (included John and Charles Wesley). 3)       He was arguably one of the greatest preachers in all of human history. 4)       His theological conflicts with John Wesley led to modern day Methodism. 5)       His perspective on denominational loyalty is balanced and refreshing. 6)       His choice of a spouse was unique and the events surrounding it even more noteworthy. 7)       His gifts as an evangelist d...