Calvin's Institutes: A Brief Introduction The Institutes of the Christian Religion (Christianae Religionis Institutio) was written by John Calvin (1509-64), the French Reformer who spent most of his life faithfully preaching and teaching God's Word in Geneva, Switzerland. First published in Latin in 1536 - its final major revision in 1559 - the Institutes became the most ...

Reformation Musings I love October. It's a month of welcome transitions. The cool weather is a long-anticipated break from a hot and muggy Charleston summer. Tree leaves of various types transform into a magnificent array of autumn colors. The holidays begin to make their approach. But for Protestants, October means more than just milder weather, college football, and the...

Sanctification the Heidelberg Catechism Exploring the Heidelberger's robust doctrine of progressive sanctification In the recent and engaging discussions on the doctrine of sanctification, I have found it interesting that some in my own denomination, The Presbyterian Church in America, are quicker to reference the Heidelberg Catechism (HC) than the Westminster Standar...

Fighting For the Truth The Apostle Paul exhorted his disciple Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith" (I Tim. 6:12a). Central to this "fight of faith" was defending the truth against those who "teach a different doctrine" and do not "agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness" (I Tim. 6:3). In some of his last writt...

In the Spiritual Ditch? Have you ever felt like you were in a spiritual ditch? Perhaps you feel that way right now. Your heart feels cold towards God, His Word, and His kingdom priorities. God seems distant. Your zeal for the Lord has waned. Your affections towards Christ have steadily declined. Your eyes are dry, and your love and concern for others feels strained and fo...

For centuries, Protestant and Reformed liturgies have included a substantial reading of Scripture. How is it, then, that a person can walk into most present-day evangelical worship services and hear so little of the reading of God's Word? Although congregations boast in the inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of God's Word, it is ironic that many church services are indi...

Recovering the Lost Treasure of Evening Worship I once heard of an elderly Christian woman who had much difficulty walking due to chronic arthritis. Despite her condition, she faithfully attended morning and evening worship every Lord's Day. When asked about how she always managed to come to both services, she responded by saying, "My heart gets there first, and my legs j...

Word-Centered Prayer Prayer is a sincere expression of our utter dependance upon God, an expression of our humble reliance upon God's immeasurable power, infinite wisdom, and sovereign mercy. It is a means by which we commune with God. Prayer is more than just talking with God, it is worship. We can understand, then, why the Apostle Paul exhorted the early Church to "pray...

Love God, Like Sports Growing up the son of a prominent sportswriter in Northern California, sports were a significant part of my upbringing. My dad wrote for the San Jose Mercury News for 33 years and covered a wide variety of sporting events during that time. He covered the San Francisco Forty Niners and the Oakland Raiders for several years, and later focused on profes...

Clemson the Love of God On Monday, after dropping off our oldest at Camp Ridgehaven in the highlands of North Carolina, we decided to visit my alma mater, Clemson University ('93). It had been almost 15 years since our last visit. So much has changed. The campus has undergone massive improvements. Beautiful new buildings, squares, plazas, and memorials are at every turn....