With this issue, Modern Reformation celebrates twenty years in print. The publication has changed considerably since its emergence as a magazine in 1992, and even more since 1986 when our editor-in-chief Michael Horton, then a student, began with a newsletter. Through the years, however, our goal has remained unchanged: we want to see the modern […]
Ever since Jesus delivered his parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee and Paul wrote his stinging Epistle to the Galatians, the doctrine of grace has filled hearts with praise and has provoked sharp controversy. What does it mean to be saved by grace? In the history of the church, two broad traditions emerged. […]
The debate is as old as Christianity itself: what is the relationship between the fallen state of humanity in sin and the work of divine grace, or between God's initiative and human willing in salvation? Identifying the historical theological structure of this complicated debate will bring clarity and precision to our own reflections on the […]
So what do Lutherans think of the "doctrines of grace"? Are they "grace alone" people? Are they predestinarian? Do they believe in teaching the whole counsel of God? Many might be surprised to discover that "grace alone" is not solely a distinctive of Reformed churches. It has been a subject of great importance in the […]
What does it mean that the church is always being reformed? This question is integrally related to other questions about sin and grace, and authority and Scripture. To reflect on these issues that are relevant to faith and spiritual life, we must consider the Protestant Reformation and its continuing ramifications. Understanding the Reformation What was […]
On the first day of class, my seminary English Bible professor announced that he was a "Calminian." As he explained, there are certain passages in the Bible that are "Calvinistic" and others that are "Arminian." Throughout the semester he peppered his lectures with phrases such as "this is a Cal passage" or "this is a […]
We all know the saying, "iron sharpens iron," and Modern Reformation roundtable discussions provide just such an opportunity. For this discussion we asked three serious students of Scripture’one Reformed, one Arminian, and one Lutheran’to put their toughest questions to each other on the topic of sin and grace. The following is a record of their […]
As Luther climbed the Santa Scala in 1510 on his knees in Rome, the principal thing on his mind was the possibility of salvation. The farthest thing from his mind was the certainty of salvation, and this was because, to that point, the only theology of salvation Luther knew taught him to count on two […]
In describing his conversion, Charles Finney wrote that he "wept aloud with joy and love" and "literally bellowed out unutterable gushings of [his] heart…. [W]aves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, 'I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.'" […]
Recently spotted on a teenager: a Nike T-shirt sporting the slogan, "There is no finish line." The phrase comes from the headline off a poster seen in the background of one of Nike's earliest "Just Do It" commercials, circa 1991. The poster itself was very popular at the time, functioning as a marketing manifesto celebrating […]
Participation is one of the hottest buzzwords in theology today. Theologians from virtually every church tradition have begun speaking of human participation in the divine life or divine nature, and they have employed this kind of language by drawing frequently from patristic and Eastern resources. While the legal and forensic language so often employed in […]
T David Gordon (PhD, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia) is professor of religion and Greek at Grove City College, where he also teaches courses in the humanities and in media ecology. As a media ecologist, Gordon approaches the subject of this present volume intentionally as a sequel to his similarly titled Why Johnny Can't Preach: […]
The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." This quote and ones similar to it have been attributed to Mark Twain, but may just as well be a quote from book publishers and libraries today. That is, at least, the contention of Robert Darnton in his book, The Case for Books: Past, Present, and […]
A term I have found to be in more and more regular use in Reformed circles is "Amyraldianism." I have a suspicion that it is one of those terms, like "supra-" or "infra-lapsarian" or "realized eschatology," that sounds hip to the ears of a certain type of theological geek, even though its exact meaning may […]
Just as Luther’s followers preferred to be called “evangelicals” but were labeled “Lutherans” by Rome, around 1558 Lutherans coined the term “Calvinist” for those who held Calvin’s view of the Supper over against both Zwingli and Luther. Despite self-chosen labels such as “evangelical” and “Reformed” (preferred because the aim was always to reform the catholic […]
