Proverbs 22:6 is a familiar Bible verse for many Christians—Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it, and it is the locus classicus, the key passage, cited by churches to...
Archive - 2017
bwaughThe Reformation, the Bible, and You
As the anniversary of the five-hundredth year of Martin Luther’s theses comes to an end, what can be learned from the Reformation and applied to the lives of Christians today? The study of history should result in the...
Reforming Worship Music, Wittenberg and Geneva
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing are the familiar opening words written by Martin Luther in his great hymn, A Mighty Fortress. It was composed...
Martin Luther, 500 Years of Protestant Printing
The significantly faster duplication available through printing as compared with a scribe and quill gave Luther and others the means to quickly present their views and respond to critics. As the 500th anniversary of...
A Copy of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses
October 31, 2017 marks the quincentennial of the event considered the beginning of the Reformation. Even though some historians contend that it was not Luther that posted the theses but rather one of his students while...
J. H. Merle D’Aubigné, 1794-1872
For anyone familiar with books published about the history of the Reformation the mention of D’Aubigné is likely to be associated with his historical studies of the era. The first of five volumes appeared in French in...
John Knox, 1514-1572
It might be thought that one as important to the history of Presbyterians and Scotland as John Knox would have a distinguished place of burial. It would hopefully be a pleasant statue, or a nice monument with some...
Review,
Martin Bucer: A Reformer and His Times,
Martin Greschat
My first encounter with the work of Martin Bucer occurred through reading De Regno Christi (The Reign of Christ). The book was written for young King Edward VI of England to guide him through the use of Scripture to...
The City of God, Augustine
Bishop of Hippo Augustine created a massive body of works which is often appealed to by Roman Catholics and Protestants alike. The thinking behind the Reformation was seeded by the ad fontes principle of the Renaissance...
Review,
Knowing God and Ourselves,
David B. Calhoun
As has been noted often on Presbyterians of the Past, this year is the five-hundredth anniversary of Martin Luther posting his theses regarding some of the practices of Roman Catholicism, but those of us with...