This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. On Oct 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. We typically
History of Knox Liturgy[1] By Bard Thompson[2] Edited by Glen Clary Upon the death of Edward VI in 1553, Mary Tudor brought back the Roman religion to England; and a
History of the Genevan Liturgy1 By Bard Thompson2 Edited by Glen Clary The first Reformer to arrive on the Genevan scene was the fiery Frenchman, William Farel, a fearless campaigner
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul compares and contrasts Adam and Christ. “In Adam all die … in Christ all will be made alive” (v. 22). Paul also refers to Christ
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. Since this was the last in a series of meals he shared with them during his ministry,
In the Gospels, Jesus is frequently criticized by his enemies for eating with sinners. For example, Luke tells us that when “tax collectors and sinners” were drawing near to hear
Paul’s aim in 1 Cor. 11:17–34 is to correct an error in the church at Corinth. In vv. 17–22, he states the error, and in vv. 23–34, he provides the
Reformed theologians have regularly underscored the relationship between Word and sacraments. The sacraments are appended to the Word for the purpose of confirming or sealing it. The sacraments do not
If you’ve ever studied the letters of Paul, you know how difficult they are to understand. Christians in the New Testament era and apparently even the apostle Peter found Paul’s
Oscar Cullmann wrote several treatises on the subject of Christian worship. His treatise entitled Baptism in the New Testament was originally published in 1950 and was intended as a rebuttal of Karl Barth’s
In his “Summary of Doctrine Concerning the Ministry of the Word and the Sacraments,” Calvin articulates the idea of union and communion with Christ through the means of grace. The
What was the Communion service like in Calvin’s Geneva? One Catholic who attended a service gave the following description. Three or four times a year, according to the will of
According to some Pauline scholars, 1 Corinthians 10:14–22 “has been remarkably underused in most churches’ theology and liturgy of the Lord’s Supper.”[1] Theologians and liturgiologists tend to focus on what
Hughes Oliphant Old has been publishing articles and books on the subject of worship since the 1970s. [See select bibliography below.] His book entitled Worship Reformed According to Scripture is hands
In Calvin’s thinking, the signs of the sacraments should be distinguished from the realities which they signify, but they should not be separated from them. First Corinthians 10:1-4 says, For
Here’s my very brief introduction to baptism in the Didache. This topic deserves several articles, and I plan on following up with it in later posts. Stay tuned! What does
The Odes of Solomon is the earliest collection of Christian hymns. The forty-two odes in the collection were most likely composed in the late first or early second century by
Rumor has it that when Pope Leo X read Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, he said, “What drunken German wrote this?” It is also rumored that when Martin Luther read Jason
“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” is the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer. The will of God is used in two senses in scripture:
“Thy kingdom come.” The second petition of the Lord’s Prayer is about the ultimate hope of God’s people—the coming of the kingdom of God. As devout Jews in the first century
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my teacher Dr. Hughes Oliphant Old and reflecting on his insights into Reformed worship. Here are some of my favorite quotes from his
The teaching of the Lord through the twelve apostles to the Gentiles:[1] 1:1There are two ways, one of life and one of death. And there is a great difference between
The Lord’s Prayer has six petitions: three thy petitions and three us petitions. The first three petitions have in view God’s name, God’s kingdom and God’s will; the last three
The Lord’s Prayer may be divided into three sections (cf. LC 188). It begins with an invocation, “Our Father in heaven.” The middle section consists of six petitions. It ends
Since the beginning of the Christian church, the Lord’s Prayer has been used as a guide for daily prayer. The treatises of Tertullian, Cyprian, and Origen on the Lord’s Prayer
Now that Easter is over, this is a good opportunity to reflect on what just happened yesterday and to share some thoughts on the origin of the church calendar. As
The oldest extant Easter sermon from the ancient church is a sermon preached by Melito, the bishop of Sardis in Asia Minor at the end of the second century. This sermon
Having seven children, I’ve seen a lot of cartoons. Every now and then, I’ll take them to the theater to see a new release that they’re dying to see. Since
Infant baptism is forbidden unless it is commanded. Now, that may seem obvious to most Christians, but there are some who believe that infant baptism is lawful even if it
The term “liturgical theology” refers both to theology of worship and theology from worship: the former meaning doctrines about worship; the latter, doctrines derived from liturgical texts. More recently, however,
Why are Presbyterians worshiping like Anglicans? Why do some PCA churches have Ash Wednesday services? Why are they preaching the lectionary and following the church calendar? An Episcoterian (the term
In 1550, the Scottish Reformer John Knox wrote a brief summary of the Reformed doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Knox entitled his document Here is briefly declared in a summary, according
What would it have been like to worship with the saints at Rome in the middle of the second century? One can only imagine how thrilling it must have been
In 1873, “Archbishop Philotheos Bryennios was browsing in the library of the Greek Convent of the Holy Sepulchre in Istanbul when, by chance, he noticed the text of the Didache
Most students of the Reformation recognize that Martin Luther discovered (more accurately re-discovered) the doctrine of justification by faith alone and that Ulrich Zwingli discovered the symbolic interpretation of the Lord’s
I’ve often heard that while the classical Reformers such as Martin Bucer, John Calvin and John Knox favored weekly Communion, their spiritual heirs (particularly, the Reformed experientialists of the seventeenth
In recent years, weekly Communion has become increasingly popular in Reformed worship. There are many advocates and also critics of weekly Communion within the Reformed church. I consider myself an
One of the primary goals of the Protestant Reformation was to reform the worship of the church according to Scripture, the only infallible authority. The Reformers gave careful attention to
In St. Peter’s Cathedral in Geneva there is a plaque commemorating the life and ministry of John Calvin, which simply describes him as “servant of the Word of God.”[1] Truly,
In this article, we will briefly survey the history of the public reading of Scripture in worship from Moses to the apostles with a view toward developing a biblical model
When Ulrich Zwingli began his ministry in Zurich on 1 January 1519, he announced from the pulpit that he intended to preach “the entire Gospel of Matthew, one passage after
This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. On Oct 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. We typically
History of Knox Liturgy[1] By Bard Thompson[2] Edited by Glen Clary Upon the death of Edward VI in 1553, Mary Tudor brought back the Roman religion to England; and a
History of the Genevan Liturgy1 By Bard Thompson2 Edited by Glen Clary The first Reformer to arrive on the Genevan scene was the fiery Frenchman, William Farel, a fearless campaigner
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul compares and contrasts Adam and Christ. “In Adam all die … in Christ all will be made alive” (v. 22). Paul also refers to Christ
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. Since this was the last in a series of meals he shared with them during his ministry,
In the Gospels, Jesus is frequently criticized by his enemies for eating with sinners. For example, Luke tells us that when “tax collectors and sinners” were drawing near to hear
Paul’s aim in 1 Cor. 11:17–34 is to correct an error in the church at Corinth. In vv. 17–22, he states the error, and in vv. 23–34, he provides the
Reformed theologians have regularly underscored the relationship between Word and sacraments. The sacraments are appended to the Word for the purpose of confirming or sealing it. The sacraments do not
If you’ve ever studied the letters of Paul, you know how difficult they are to understand. Christians in the New Testament era and apparently even the apostle Peter found Paul’s
Oscar Cullmann wrote several treatises on the subject of Christian worship. His treatise entitled Baptism in the New Testament was originally published in 1950 and was intended as a rebuttal of Karl Barth’s
In his “Summary of Doctrine Concerning the Ministry of the Word and the Sacraments,” Calvin articulates the idea of union and communion with Christ through the means of grace. The
What was the Communion service like in Calvin’s Geneva? One Catholic who attended a service gave the following description. Three or four times a year, according to the will of
According to some Pauline scholars, 1 Corinthians 10:14–22 “has been remarkably underused in most churches’ theology and liturgy of the Lord’s Supper.”[1] Theologians and liturgiologists tend to focus on what
Hughes Oliphant Old has been publishing articles and books on the subject of worship since the 1970s. [See select bibliography below.] His book entitled Worship Reformed According to Scripture is hands
In Calvin’s thinking, the signs of the sacraments should be distinguished from the realities which they signify, but they should not be separated from them. First Corinthians 10:1-4 says, For
Here’s my very brief introduction to baptism in the Didache. This topic deserves several articles, and I plan on following up with it in later posts. Stay tuned! What does
The Odes of Solomon is the earliest collection of Christian hymns. The forty-two odes in the collection were most likely composed in the late first or early second century by
Rumor has it that when Pope Leo X read Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, he said, “What drunken German wrote this?” It is also rumored that when Martin Luther read Jason
“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” is the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer. The will of God is used in two senses in scripture:
“Thy kingdom come.” The second petition of the Lord’s Prayer is about the ultimate hope of God’s people—the coming of the kingdom of God. As devout Jews in the first century
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my teacher Dr. Hughes Oliphant Old and reflecting on his insights into Reformed worship. Here are some of my favorite quotes from his
The teaching of the Lord through the twelve apostles to the Gentiles:[1] 1:1There are two ways, one of life and one of death. And there is a great difference between
The Lord’s Prayer has six petitions: three thy petitions and three us petitions. The first three petitions have in view God’s name, God’s kingdom and God’s will; the last three
The Lord’s Prayer may be divided into three sections (cf. LC 188). It begins with an invocation, “Our Father in heaven.” The middle section consists of six petitions. It ends
Since the beginning of the Christian church, the Lord’s Prayer has been used as a guide for daily prayer. The treatises of Tertullian, Cyprian, and Origen on the Lord’s Prayer
Now that Easter is over, this is a good opportunity to reflect on what just happened yesterday and to share some thoughts on the origin of the church calendar. As
The oldest extant Easter sermon from the ancient church is a sermon preached by Melito, the bishop of Sardis in Asia Minor at the end of the second century. This sermon
Having seven children, I’ve seen a lot of cartoons. Every now and then, I’ll take them to the theater to see a new release that they’re dying to see. Since
Infant baptism is forbidden unless it is commanded. Now, that may seem obvious to most Christians, but there are some who believe that infant baptism is lawful even if it
The term “liturgical theology” refers both to theology of worship and theology from worship: the former meaning doctrines about worship; the latter, doctrines derived from liturgical texts. More recently, however,
Why are Presbyterians worshiping like Anglicans? Why do some PCA churches have Ash Wednesday services? Why are they preaching the lectionary and following the church calendar? An Episcoterian (the term
In 1550, the Scottish Reformer John Knox wrote a brief summary of the Reformed doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Knox entitled his document Here is briefly declared in a summary, according
What would it have been like to worship with the saints at Rome in the middle of the second century? One can only imagine how thrilling it must have been
In 1873, “Archbishop Philotheos Bryennios was browsing in the library of the Greek Convent of the Holy Sepulchre in Istanbul when, by chance, he noticed the text of the Didache
Most students of the Reformation recognize that Martin Luther discovered (more accurately re-discovered) the doctrine of justification by faith alone and that Ulrich Zwingli discovered the symbolic interpretation of the Lord’s
I’ve often heard that while the classical Reformers such as Martin Bucer, John Calvin and John Knox favored weekly Communion, their spiritual heirs (particularly, the Reformed experientialists of the seventeenth
In recent years, weekly Communion has become increasingly popular in Reformed worship. There are many advocates and also critics of weekly Communion within the Reformed church. I consider myself an
One of the primary goals of the Protestant Reformation was to reform the worship of the church according to Scripture, the only infallible authority. The Reformers gave careful attention to
In St. Peter’s Cathedral in Geneva there is a plaque commemorating the life and ministry of John Calvin, which simply describes him as “servant of the Word of God.”[1] Truly,
In this article, we will briefly survey the history of the public reading of Scripture in worship from Moses to the apostles with a view toward developing a biblical model
When Ulrich Zwingli began his ministry in Zurich on 1 January 1519, he announced from the pulpit that he intended to preach “the entire Gospel of Matthew, one passage after
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Miracle of Spring A strange thing has taken placeA labor overnight—That by the thousands apaceNew births brought forth to light.Till now my yard was winter,The wind turns south, I wingBack
Summer By Geerhardus Vos Translated by Daniel Ragusa Though thousands of signs do brimThat he the land has graced,How shall I ever find him?Where do his footsteps haste?What tidings, O
Autumn By Geerhardus Vos Translated by Daniel Ragusa Still lingers golden autumn, still stand harvest colors,Ripening in field, still roams through woods and gardensA lovely postlude of summer’s most pleasant
I had the privilege of participating in a panel discussion on Danny Olinger’s excellent biography of Geerhardus Vos at the Presbyterian Scholars Conference, held at Harbor House, Wheaton College, on
