A lecture given at a conference on “Contending for the Faith” at Seventh Reformed Church (RCA) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on February 18, 1995, by William s. Barker, Vice President for Academic Affairs Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

Richard Burnett, Machen’s Hope: The Transformation of a Modernist in the New Princeton. Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s, 2024 Pp. x + 591.  $45.99, cloth. A Review by Dr. Samuel Logan 

The early Reformers, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox, faced persecution. Luther went into hiding, Calvin fled France, and Knox’s opposition imprisoned him. Hundreds of other Protestants and church leaders also faced the same fate as English Reformer Thomas Cranmer, being burned at the stake.

Everyone, it seems, has something to say about something – or someone. And what they have to say isn’t pretty. But must it all be said?

 “Mom!”

Following that shrieked exclamation, many a fault (real, fabricated, or imagined) has been charged to a sibling or a friend or a puzzled pet. It is inherent in the sinful nature of man – seen most cutely, if not most acutely, in children – to point out the shortcomings of others.

The teenager listens while his teacher [re]affirms Nietzsche’s position regarding religious convictions: “every conviction is a prison…” The young man then asks if statements of convictions such as this one, or the one about God being dead would also be considered prisons.  “See, according to the philosopher, you must doubt every opinion, even this one,” the teacher replies at once.

In this video, Dr. Davi Charles Gomes (International Director of the World Reformed Fellowship) interviews mathematician and writer Dr. John Lennox, about his book Can Science Explain Everything? In their conversation, Dr. Gomes and Dr. Lennox discuss science, faith, apologetics and  evangelism.

Christmas is a time of joy, colorful lights, carols, Christmas trees and fellowship with family and friends. It’s time to look back at the year has gone and get ready for the year to come. Particularly, this is the time of the year I love the most. At home, we already set up the tree, turned the lights on, and the joy is all around. 

Virtually Alone? by WRF Member Leah Farish, MA, JD

Occasionally I have the privilege of surveying church congregations to find out how to improve ministry.  In surveying the women of a PCA church recently, I felt the most intriguing response was the answer to this question:

The foundation of the Protestant Reformation laid upon the inerrancy and the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. Historian J.H. Merle D’Aubigne wrote, “If there is no Word of God in the world, there is no salvation,”[1] adding, “Without this holy, this living Biblicism, there cannot be a saving communication of eternal truth.”[2]

If the qualifications for the office of elder essentially cluster around his knowledge, character, skill, and heart, we will focus in this material on the last: the disposition of the shepherd’s heart. Mike Sharrett is a Teaching Elder in The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and an individual member of the WRF. He has developed a program for workshops to be used by Churches in the training of Elders. Mike has graciously offered the program guide for the use of members of the WRF.

On May 3, 2023, Manipur State in North Eastern India, witnessed the beginning of a spate of violence and destruction including murder, arson, rape, and indiscriminate brutality.  The perpetrators were the dominant community, the Meiteis, supported by the State government and the police;  the victims were the Kukis, a tribal group that lives in the hills of the state. 

While all believers acknowledge God is omnipotent and omnipresent, the Lord’s involvement in the spiritual regeneration of Christians separates those in the Reformed faith from Arminians.

The doctrine of election is frequently criticized, with people often attacking those in the Reformed circle for denouncing free will, the need for evangelism, or providing a sense of superiority.