DOCSLIB.ORG

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church The Orthodox Presbyterian Church MINUTES OF THE TWENTY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY i MEETING AT WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CHESTNUT HILL, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA MAY 25-30, 1955 Published by The Orthodox Presbyterian Church 728 Schaff Building, 1505 Race Street, Philadelphia 2, Pennsylvania .* J TWENTY-SECONDGENERAL ASSEMBLY MINUTES OF THE TWENTY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY ot THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH I MEETING AT WESTMINSTERSEMINARY, CHESTNUTHILL, PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA I May 25 - 30, 1955 WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 25 I I The Rev. Robert K. Churchill, moderator of the Twenty-first General Assembly, opened the Communion Service preceding the Twenty-second General Assemlbly at 8 P.M., May 25, 1955, in the Cslvary Church of Glenside, Pa. Mr. Churchill delivered a sermon on the subject “The Gospel Invitation”, using as his text Isaiah 55:l. Following the sermon, the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered by Mr. Churchill, as- sisted <by the Rev. Francis E. Mahaffy and the Rev. Lawrence N. Manross, Ph.D., and Ruling Elders L. H. Barker, L. G. Brown, B. A. Cooky, and Charles H. Phillips. THURSDAY MORNING Following a devotional service led by the Rev. Lawrence R. Eyres, at 8.30, the Twenty-second General Assembly was called to order at 9 o’clock in the Calvary Church of Glenside and constituted with prayer by Mr. Churchill. I The roll of commissioners follows: Presbytery of California Ministers: Edwards E. Elliott, Edward L. Kellogg, E. Lynne Wade. Ruling Elder: L. M. Barker. Presbytery of New Jersey Ministers: Wm. Harllee Bordeaux, Ralph E. Clough, Edrnund P. Clowney, Jr., John Davies, Everett C. DeVelde, Leslie A. Dunn, Albert G. Edwards, 111, Charles H. Ellis, Theodore J. Georgian, John C. Hills, JL., Meredith G. Kline, LeRov B. Oliver, James W. Price, Carl J. Reitsma, Raymond 0. Zorn. Ruling Elders: Floyd C. Graf, Henry L. Griswold, Cooper Kirk, Willard E. Neel, John Pedersen, A. Boyce Spooner, Malcolm Woodruff. Presbytery of New York and New England Ministers: John J. de Waird. Herbert V. G. DuA‘Iont, Rflyinond M. Meiners, Jolii; Murray, John H. Skilton, Dale N. Snyder, Charles E. Stdntm. Ruling Elders: Buford A. Cooley, Arthur L. Comstock, Charles F. Remein. Presbytery of Ohio Ministers : Calvin Knox Cunimings. Wendell L. Rockcy, Jr., Ruling Elder: David H. I-Ienry. Presbytery of Philadelphia Ministers: Robert L. Atwell, Lester R. Bachman, John P. Clelland, Glenn R. Coie, Raymond E. Comineret, Robert W. Eckardt, F. Clarke Evans, David Frecinaii, John Y. Galbraith, Francis E. Mahaffy, Robley J. Johnston, Arthur W. Kuschke, Jr., Robert S. Marsden, Leslie W. Sloat, G. Travers Sloyer, Ned B. Stonehouse, Robert L. Thoburn, Cornelius Van Til, Robert L. Vining, Paul Woolley, Ed- ward J. Young. Ruling Elders: William A. Campbell, J. D. Faran, alternate, Thomas G. Kay, J. nichard Kreiner, Herman L. Steen, Howard A. Porter, alternate, M. F. Thomp- son, alternate, Harry Greiner, alternate, Richard C. Zebley, alternate, Leonard G. Brown, Wm. R. Ferguson, Clzarles W. Breuninger, alternate, Charles H. Phillips, Ralph Clouser, Albert Eiscntrdger, Robert H. George, 111. f tion was granted. Mr. Oliver was elected on the first ballot. The Clerk read the following overtures. OVERTURES OVERTURENo. 1. TWENTY-SECONDGENERAL ASSEMBLY 5 OVERTURENo. 3. From the Presbytery of California: . .that the Assembly heed the call extended by the Reformed Presbyterian Church to confer regarding the possibilities of union with certain other Reformed Churches. OVERTUR~No. 4. From the Presbytery of the Dakotas: . .that the Assembly adopt the following resolu- tion : Whereas the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has passed, with travail, through her for- mative years; and Whereas the business of the General Assembly has now become more or less routine; and Whereas the budget of the past few General Assemblies has not tbeen met; and Whereas the Travel Fund of nearly all the Assemblies has failed of its purpose; therefore Be it resolved that the General Assembly submit to the Presbyteries for their approval an amendment to Chapter XI, Paragraph 7 of the Form of Government, so thi?t the General Assembly be authorized to adopt a biennial plan of meeting; this amendment to bE handled in accordance with Chapter XXIV, Paragraph 1 of the Form oE Govern- ment; and Be it further resolved, that the General Asscmlbly instruct its permanent Committees to prepare to reincorporate in accordance with the biennial plan of meeting and effect whatever changes are necessary so that when approval of the Preesbyterics is indicated, the policy of meeting biennially may !be put into immediate operation. OVERTURENo. 5. From the Presbytery of the Dakotas: . .to propose to the Presbyteries to add to the Book of Discipline, Chapter VI, Article 2, the following: When a member removes from the bounds of the congregation, and does not unite with another particular church, and does not show any real interest in the local congregation of which he is a member for a period of one year, his name shall be erased from the roll and the fact recorded in the minutes of the session. OVERTURENo. 6. From the Presbytery of the Dakotas: . .to propose to the Presbyteries to add to the Book of Discipline, Chapter VI, Article 2, the following: When a memlber within the abounds of a congregation absents himself from the regu- lar worship service of that congregation for a period of six months, except for reasons of sickness or infirmity of age, he shall be notified of his absence by the session, and, if he continues to absent himself for an additional period of three months, his name shall be erased from the roll, and the fact recorded in the minutes of the session. OVERTURENo. 7. From the Presbytery of the Dakotas: . .to call the attention of the Presbyteries to the Form of Government, Chapter X, Article 2, Line 3, where the words “within a certain district” restrict memabership in each particular Presbytery to those whose legal residence is “within a certain district” geographically defining the bounds of Prl-sbytery; and, that particular Presbyteries violating this requirement by continuing on their rolls ministers not within the geographical district of Presbytery, ie., ministers whose legal residence is not within the geographical bounds of the Presbytery, be instructed to correct such violations, by either dismissing the ministers in violation to the proper Presbytery or erasing thzir names from the rolls. OVERTURENo. 8. From the Presbytery of the Dakotas: . .to instruct the Stated Clerk to record the amount given by each particular church to the Committees of the General Assembly in the Sta- tistical Report included in the appendix to the minutes of the General Assembly. 6 TWENTY-SECONDGENERAL ASSEMBLY OVERTURENo. 9. From the Presbytery of the Dakotas: . .to consider the matter of the (our) Church’s rc- lation to the Boy Scouts of America, and to give its decision after consultation with the representatives of the Boy Scouts of America. COMPLAINTS It was moved and carried that the complaints be recorded at this point in the Mi- nutes, but that the reading of them at this time be dispensed with. March 4, 1955 To the Twenty-second General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church : Fathers and Brethren: This letter presents two Complaints, on behalf of the signers thereof. The first complaint, that of July 8, 1954, charges the Presbytery of Philadelphia with doctrinal error in its decision of May 17, 1954 to ordain Mr. G. Travers Sloyer. It was rejected, in effect, by the ordination of Mr. Sloyer on July 25, 1954. The second complaint, that of October 15, 1954, charges the Presbytery of Philadel- phia with violations of Presbyterian order on July 19 and 25, 1954 in proceeding to ordain Mr. Sloycr. Since the presbytery has thus far failed to make amends in answer to either com- plaint, both complaints are herewith carried to the Twenty-second General Assemjbly for hearing and decision. Appropriate notice has been given to the Presbytery of Philadel- phia, in accordancc with Chapter X, Section 3 of the Book of Discipline. AETHURw. Kuscir~~JI;. To the Twenty-second General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church: And now, this 8th day of July, A.D. 1954, come the undersigned and complain against the action of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, on May 17, 1954, in determining to ordain Mr. G. Travers Sloyer; and in support of this complaint set forth the following reasons : 1. The burden of proof being upon Mr. Sloyer, he has failed to show that he safe- guards the sole authority of Scripture in the following contentions as to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which he has held before the presbytery for several years and with respect to which he has refused to change his position: a. He regards Luke 4:l and Acts 16:6-7as normative for that type of guidance which we receive today. (Transcript of the examination of Nov. 17, 1952. 44:4-27, 12: 35-14: 2 1, 24:3-25 : 3, 32:8-1 5, 45;13-22) b. He acknowledges an “illogical jump” between the Word and that guidance of the Spirit which he claims. (,Complaint signed by Mr. Sloyer, Minutes of the 20th General Assembly, 1953, pages 9-10,no. 5). Such guidance is neither expressly set down in Scripture nor deduced from Scripture by good and necessary consequence, and is therefore contrary to the Westminister Confession, Chapter I, Section 6. c. He relies upon his recognition of the work of the Holy Spirit as a means of identifying the guidance of the Spirit. (Transcript, 29: 16-30:23, 38:6-28) d. He relies upon such recognition even when the alternatives before him are good according to Scripture and he knows of no reason derived from Scripture which determines the choice of one alternative rather than another.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Volume 13 Number 14
    .~ ~ JU!!".~I.ol!44 1!~"~'it,lJt:~.....';a11 3f. 8rt;bam :Matbtn ~l:JitOt 1936~1937 l:t tift One Year-$2.00 Published Twenty-threeil1!t1iTimes a Year Ten Cents a Copy EDITORIAL COUNCIL 1505 Race Street John P. Clelland John Patton Galbraith Edwin H. Rlan Thomas R. Birch PhiladelphIa 2. Pa. Leslie W. Sloat Ned B. Stonehouse Managing Edl,for Discontent! By the REV. PAUL WOOLLEY Professor of Church History in Westminster Theological Seminary EIGHT years have passed-it seems longer-since The years that have followed since 1937 have seen a those glorious days in 1936 when The Orthodox slow and constant growth.of The Orthodox Presby­ Presbyterian Church was born. It is not difficult to terian Church. Its stability has been tested and proved. recapture in spirit the great enthusiasms of that June Its love of the Word has become manifest. Its steady day in Philadelphia when the church was first consti­ attention to the privilege of preaching the gospel and" tuted. The fervor was high and it rose ever higher be­ ministering to the saints has been demonstrated. cause the church was committing itself to an ideal that But there is, in this year 1944, discontent within the had been tested and proved through centuries-s-the church. Now discontent can be of two kinds-healthy' ideal of a Biblical church, its divinely ordained princi­ or malignant. This discontent is of the second kind .as ples drawn directly from the Bible and its modes of well as of the first. ' operation in' matters not Biblically prescribed based An American writer has recently pointed out that upon the experience of the Reformed churches through sooner or later any organization or entity in human so­ the ages.
    [Show full text]
  • The League of Evangelical Students HEADQUARTERS ·Whea Ton Illinois
    The League of Evangelical Students HEADQUARTERS ·Whea ton Illinois EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President, CALVIN K. CUMMINGS, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Westminster Theological Seminary Vice-President, NICHOLAS J . BURGGRAAl~F, Holland, Michigan Western Theological Seminary Secretary, MISS MARJORIE W. ERDMAN, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania Bea ver College ISSAC M. BRUBACHER, Dallas, Texas Evangelical Theological College WILLIAM ONCKEN, Princeton, New Jersey Princeton University BOARD OF TRUSTEES R. B. KUIPER, M. A., B. D., President, LEANDER S. KEYSER, M. A., D. D., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Springfield, Ohio. LEWIS SPERRY CHAFER, D. D., Vice- J. GRESHAM MACHEN, D. D., Litt. D., President, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dallas, Texas. HERBERT MACKENZIE, D.D. ALBERTUS PIETERS, D. D., Secreta1'y, Cleveland, Ohio. Holland, Michigan. WILLIAM CHILDS ROBINSON, M. A., Th. D. 1. H. LINTON, B. A., LL. B., Treasurer, Decatur, Georgia. Kellogg Building, Washington, D. C. ROBERT K. RUDOLPH, B. A., MRS. WILLIAM BORDEN (deceased), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. New York, New York. HAROLD PAUL SLOAN, D. D., CLARENCE Bou MA, Th. D., Haddonfield, New Jersey. Grand Rapids, Michigan. H. FRAMER SMITH, Ph. D., Th. D., MILO F. JAMISON, M. A., B. Th., Chicago, Illinois. Los Angeles, California. PAUL WOOLLEY, M. Th., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ------ WILLIAM J. JONES, M. A., B. -Th., General Secretary, Columbia, South Carolina. Men's Colleges W. HARLLEE BORDEAUX, B. A., New England Regional Secretary, Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Women's Colleges MARGARET HUNT, B. A., Central Regional S ecretm'y, Chicago, Illinois. MARJORIE MYER, B. A., Southern Regional Secretary, Louisville, Kentucky. "By the word of truth, by the power of God."-II Corinthians 6 :7. The League of Evangelical Students is a continent-wide organization of students, tounded in 1925 by a student group.
    [Show full text]
  • Redeeming Philosophy: a God-Centered Approach to the Big Questions Copyright © 2014 by Vern S
    REDEEMING PHILOSOPHY REDEEMING WHO AM I? WHY AM I HERE? WHERE DO I FIND MEANING? Life is full of big questions. The study of philosophy seeks to answer such questions. In his latest book, prolific author Vern Poythress investigates the foundations and limitations of Western philosophy, sketching a distinctly Christian approach to A God-Centered Approach answering basic questions about the nature of humanity, the existence of God, the search for meaning, and the basis for morality. to the Big Questions For Christians eager to engage with the timeless philosophical issues that have perplexed men and women for millennia, this is the place to begin. “This volume makes a timely and welcome contribution to the age-old debate on the relationship between Christian theology and philosophy. I commend Redeeming Philosophy to all concerned with ‘taking every thought captive to obey Christ.’” RICHARD B. GAFFIN JR., Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Emeritus, Westminster Theological Seminary “Poythress has again gotten it right. This book contains a great deal of fresh thinking and REDEEMING careful Christian philosophical work.” JOHN M. FRAME, J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando “Matters of philosophy are often complex and laden with challenging issues. Poythress has written a PHILOSOPHY useful introductory exploration of the relationship between philosophy and the teachings of Scripture.” J. V. FESKO, Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Westminster Seminary California POYTHRESS \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ VERN S. POYTHRESS (PhD, Harvard University; ThD, Stellenbosch University) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he has taught for over 35 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today Peter A
    Cedarville University DigitalCommons@Cedarville Alumni Book Gallery 10-28-2013 Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today Peter A. Lillback Richard B. Gaffinr J . Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/alum_books Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Lillback, Peter A. and Gaffin, Richard B. Jr., "Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today" (2013). Alumni Book Gallery. 305. https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/alum_books/305 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Cedarville, a service of the Centennial Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Alumni Book Gallery by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Cedarville. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today Keywords Bible, doctrine Disciplines Biblical Studies | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Publisher P & R Publishing Publisher's Note Reprinted from Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today edited by Peter A. Lillback and Richard B. Gaffinr J ., copyright 2013, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ. ISBN 9781596384477 This book is available at DigitalCommons@Cedarville: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/alum_books/305
    [Show full text]
  • A Half Century of Reformed Scholarship
    WTJ 50 (1988) 247-256 A HALF-CENTURY OF REFORMED SCHOLARSHIP MOÏSES SILVA ELEBRATING fifty years of anything invites reflection, Cand we will, I hope, be pardoned for indulging ourselves upon completing the fiftieth volume of a scholarly journal. The character and purpose of our publication were clearly set forth by its initial editors. Readers who have no access to the first issue may appreciate my quoting the introductory statement in full: If we are not mistaken (and editors, like others, sometimes make mis­ takes), more periodicals are dying than are being born at the present time. The Westminster Theological Journal in sending out its first issue is, therefore, going against the current of the times. It is doing that in a more important sense, however, than merely by the fact of publication. The Journal is founded upon the conviction that the Holy Scriptures are the word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and of practice, and that the system of belief commonly designated the Reformed Faith is the purest and most consistent formulation and expression of the system of truth set forth in the Holy Scriptures. This position is the position of the Faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary, and the Journal is edited by two members of that Faculty on behalf of the entire body. We stand today in the Christian Church as debtors to nineteen centuries of Christian history, thought, and experience. It would not only be futile but wrong to try to dissociate ourselves from the great stream of Christian tradition. Other men laboured and we have entered into their labours.
    [Show full text]
  • The Princeton Seminary Bulletin
    Catalogue of Princeton Theological Seminary 1923-1924 ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR The Princeton Seminary Bulletin Volume XVII, No. 4, January, 1924 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https://archive.org/details/princetonsemina1741prin_0 4. President Stevenson, 86 Mercer St 15. Dr. Wilson, 73 Stockton St. 5. Dr. Loetscher, 98 Mercer St. 17. Dr. Dulles, 27 Boudinot St. 6. Dr. Hodge, 80 Mercer St 18. Dr. Machen, 39 Alexander Hall. 7. Dr. Armstrong, 74 Mercer St 19. Dr. Allis, 26 Alexander Hall. 8. Dr Davis, 58 Mercer St. 20. Missionary Apartment, 29 Alexander St. 9. Dr. Vos, 52 Mercer St. 21. Calvin Payne Hall. 10. Dr. J. R. Smith, 31 Alexander St. Mr. Jenkins, 309 Hodge Hall. 11. Mr. H. W. Smith, 16 Dickinson St. Mr. McCulloch, Calvin Payne Hall, Al. Catalogue of The Theological Seminary of The Presbyterian Church at Princeton, N. J. 1923-1924 One Hundred and Twelfth Year The Princeton Seminary Bulletin Vol. XVII, January, 1924, No. 4 Published quarterly by the Trustees of the Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church. Entered as second class matter. May. 1907, at the post^'office at Princeton, N. J. under the Act of Congress of July 16, 1894. 3 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MAITLAND ALEXANDER, D.D., LL.D., President Pittsburgh JOHN B. LAIRD, D.D., First Vice-President Philadelphia ELISHA H. PERKINS, Esq., Second Vice-President Baltimore SYLVESTER W. BEACH, D.D., Secretary Princeton J. ROSS STEVENSON, D.D., LL.D., ex-officio Princeton Term to Expire May, 1924 HOW.\RD DUFFIELD, D.D New York City WILLIAM L.
    [Show full text]
  • Ronald T. Clutter, "The Reorganization of Princeton
    Grace Theological Journal 7.2 (1986) 179- 201 THE REORGANIZATION OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY RECONSIDERED RONALD T. CLUTTER The reorganization of Princeton Theological Seminary, leading to the withdrawal of J. Gresham Machen, Oswald T. Allis, Cornelius Van Til, and Robert Dick Wilson, is identified often as a triumph of modernism in its conflict with fundamentalism in the churches in the 1920s. However, a consideration of the situation at Princeton and of the events which took place within and outside the institution leads to a different conclusion. The controversy at Princeton involved evangelical Presbyterians, all claiming loyalty to the tradition of the seminary. The conflict arose due to competing philosophies of seminary education and differing solutions for dealing with liberalism in the denomination. In this confrontation, pitting one evangelical faction against another, Prince­ ton Seminary suffered privately and publicly. The denomination was called upon to assist in resolving the problem. The solution enacted by the denomination resulted in the departure from the seminary ofsome of the most capable defenders of the evangelicalfaith. * * * INTRODUCTION T the centennial celebration of Princeton Theological Seminary in A 1912, institution president, Francis Landey Patton, declared that "the theological position of Princeton Seminary has remained un­ changed.'" At the sesquicentennial celebration, H~gh T. Kerr stated: "It is no secret that many contemporary professors at the seminary feel completely out of touch theologically with their predecessors of a generation or more ago on such issues as Biblical criticism, apolo­ getics, the sacraments, and the interpretation of the Westminster IFrancis Landey Patton. "Princeton Seminary and the Faith," in The Centennial Celebration of the Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (n.p., n.d.) 354.
    [Show full text]
  • The Scope and Limits of Van Til's Transcendental Argument
    http://www.christianciv.com/The_Scope_and_Limits_of_VTAG.pdf THE SCOPE AND LIMITS OF VAN TIL’S TRANSCENDENTAL ARGUMENT: A RESPONSE TO JOHN FRAME Michael H. Warren, Jr. Last revised 9/19/2015 Table of Contents Page I. The Whole of Christian Theism by a Single Argument 2 II. Christian Theism as a Unit (CTU) 19 III. TAG as Natural Revelation 27 IV. The Legitimate Role of Empirical Evidence in Van Til’s Approach 43 V. Intersystemic and Intrasystemic Responses to False Faiths 57 The questions that I address in this essay have been asked by a number of people, but the main source is John Frame, who was a student under Cornelius Van Til before succeeding him as professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary. Frame is sympathetic to Van Til’s approach to apologetics, but he has published a number of criticisms of Van Til which have been found persuasive by many other Christians interested in apologetics – Christians both anti-Van Til and sympathetic to Van Til’s approach to apologetics. Frame says that he rejects Van Til’s claim of a single transcendental argument to prove the Biblical God. Instead, he calls for a “presuppositionalism of the heart” that involves using a number of different arguments, including the traditional ones that Van Til rejects, all with the transcendental goal of honoring the sovereignty of God. In this essay I address one of his main arguments for his position: Proving every element of Christian theism with one argument is unrealistic, so multiple arguments should be allowed.1 1 See John Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1994), 72-73, 85-88; and John Frame, Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1995), 315-17.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lordship of Christ: Serving Our Savior All of the Time, in All of Life, with All of Our Heart Copyright © 2016 by Vern S
    “Vern Poythress’s fine book argues a truly radical thesis: that Jesus’s lordship is as wide as creation and therefore as wide as our everyday activities. He shows how Jesus’s saving works and Word apply to absolutely every sphere of life—to art and science, business and entrepreneurship, scholarship and education, politics and economics. Any Christian who wishes to honor the Lord Christ in the totality of his or her life should buy this book and read it immediately.” Bruce Riley Ashford, Provost and Associate Professor of Theology and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary “Vern Poythress is one of the few writers today who combines rigorous schol- arship and biblical theology with deep, practical spirituality. This volume is a defense of the notion, so powerfully expressed in the Reformed tradition in general and by Abraham Kuyper in particular, that Christ is Lord over every area of life. Building on this heritage, Poythress brings important clarifica- tions along with practical applications not always found in the pioneers. Readers should not be deceived by the enviable simplicity of the arguments; they pack a wallop.” William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary “My good friend Vern Poythress has written Redeeming Science, Redeeming Sociology, Redeeming Mathematics, and Redeeming Philosophy, as well as excellent books on linguistics and logic. The Lordship of Christ expounds the foundation beneath all these other studies—namely, the fact that Christ rules over every area of human life. This is the principle rediscovered by Abraham Kuyper, that every square inch in the universe belongs to Jesus. Poythress’s book contains a strong biblical defense of this principle.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Westminster Theology and South African Evangelicalism
    THE NEW WESTMINSTER THEOLOGY AND SOUTH AFRICAN EVANGELICALISM A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF JOHN FRAME'S METHODOLOGY AND EPISTEMOLOGY WITH A VIEW TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONTEXTUAL EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY. Town Cape A Dissertation submitted ofin partial fulfilment of the requirements for Master of Arts in the Department of Religious Studies. University By David Nugent Field Supervisor Prof. John W. De Gruchy Department of Religious Studies University of Cape Town March 1992 The Ulli·.-t;r~it·/ ·)\ Cnp~ ·ro"'r' h:::s.bc:.en given the rtnht to reproduce this thesiS m whole or ill part. Copyright is held by the author. The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgementTown of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Cape Published by the University ofof Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University ABSTRACT. This dissertation attempts to answer the question "Do the methodological and epistemological proposals of John M. Frame have anything to contribute to the construction of a contextual evangelical theology in South Africa - a theology which is both faithful to its evangelical roots and yet radically engaged with the contemporary context?" This question is dealt with in four stages. Firstly, Frame's theology is expounded against the background of its context in America~ Secondly, four aspects of Frame's theology are critically evaluated. They are perspectivalism, theology as application, hermeneutics, and the relationship between theology and praxis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Necessity of Scripture
    TMSJ 15/2 (Fall 2004) 151-164 THE NECESSITY OF SCRIPTURE William D. Barrick Professor of Old Testament Scripture is necessary because God willed to provide it and because mankind’s condition required it. The image of God in man requires communication between God and human beings. God’s incomprehensibility is another reason for the necessity of Scripture. Natural revelation’s insufficiency to teach the nature of God makes Scripture indispensable. The complexity of divine truth would have eventually required a written revelation even for Adam had he remained in his unfallen state. The fall of man made comprehension of divine truth in an oral form impossible, because corrupt mankind is always prone to distort what is oral. God’s special revelation had to be in written form. The work of God also makes written Scripture a necessity, since Scripture is the means that God has chosen to do His work in human lives. Without Scripture much would be left undone. There can be no question that Scripture is necessary. * * * * * Introduction Lord Byron (1788-1824), the great British Romantic poet, presented his publisher John Murray with a handsomely bound Bible containing a flattering inscription. Understandably, Murray was favorably impressed and placed it on a table where his guests would see it. Eventually a visitor admired the book enough to pick it up and thumb through it. While doing so, he noted an alteration of the text at John 18:40. In the sentence “Now Barabbas was a robber,” Lord Byron had deleted “robber” and substituted the word “publisher.” Byron’s purpose in giving the Bible had finally come to light.
    [Show full text]
  • Westminster Seminary California on Covenant of Works and Natural Law Submitted to Dr
    Westminster Seminary California On Covenant of Works and Natural Law Submitted to Dr. Michael S. Horton For the course of ST605 Doctrine of Man by Yi Wang Dec. 8, 2016 Covenant of works, one of the commonly embraced doctrines in the history of Reformed churches, has endured perennial misconceptions, prejudices and objections even among the Reformed.1 Though its legitimacy has been recovered in recent years, there are still many controversies on the particulars. One of the issues debated over years is that whether the covenant of works is intrinsically embedded in man’s nature or superadded to it. The answer to this question has decisive effects on various doctrines. The proposed thesis of this paper is: covenant of works is intrinsically embedded to man’s nature in creation. A Reformed novelty? This position is nothing new to the Reformed tradition. Robert Rollock indicates that the covenant of works is found in nature, and its ground is “the nature of man in the first creation holy and perfect.”2 As Letham mentions, Franciscus Junius defines the order of creation as covenantal. 3 Francis Turretin says that this covenant is called natural, 1 The rejection has started as early as the second half of the seventeenth century. See Geerhardus Vos, “Doctrine of the Covenant in Reformed Theology,” in Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos, ed. Richard B. Gaffin Jr (Phillipsburg, N.J: P & R Publishing, 2001), 237. 2 Robert Rollock, Select Works of Robert Rollock, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: Wodrow Society, 1849), 34. 3 Robert Letham, “The Foedus Operum: Some Factors,” The Sixteenth Century Journal XIV, no.
    [Show full text]