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 down the best volume on Reformed worship in print.…
Calvin on the Realities & Signs of the Sacraments
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 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that…
Baptism in the Didache
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 Didache teach us about the theology and practice of…
Hughes Oliphant Old Describes the Earliest Christian Hymnal
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 a Jewish Christian(s) in the region of Syria. The plural…
Ex-PCA Pastor Awards Calvin a Dunce Cap
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 Stellman’s post on The Biblical Basis of Man-Made Liturgy, he said,…
The Lord’s Prayer in Reformed Worship, Pt. 5
“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: God’s secret will (that is, his counsel or decrees by…
The Lord’s Prayer in Reformed Worship, Pt. 4
“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 were waiting for the kingdom of God, they prayed earnestly…
Hughes Oliphant Old on Worship
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 writings. What is worship? We worship God because God created…
The Didache
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 two ways.
The Lord’s Prayer in Reformed Worship, Pt. 3
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 petitions, our bread, our forgiveness and our deliverance.
