Reformed Media Review

[http://reformedforum.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2010/12/Jonathan_Edwards-150x150.jpg] Jeff Waddington reviews Jonathan Edwards and the Immediacy of God by John Carrick. > Jonathan Edwards is one of the outstanding figures in the history of the Christian church—he was, quite simply, a man of towering intellect and towering spirituality. But it has been noted, even by his friends and admirers, that his thought is also marked at times by certain idiosyncrasies which inevitably introduce certain complexities into his philosophical-theological system. > > This study contends that the theme of divine immediacy is the controlling theme and the correlating principle within Edwards’s thought. It analyzes the theme of divine immediacy in the thought of Jonathan Edwards under four major heads: creation, the will, ecclesiology, and spiritual experience. Indeed, Dr. Carrick claims that the theme of the immediacy of God is the Ariadne’s thread, which runs with consistency through the multiple aspects of Edwards’s philosophical, theological, ecclesiological, experiential, and homiletical interests. > > But sometimes a man’s strength is also his weakness, and it would appear that Edwards’s profound commitment to the concept and the reality of the immediacy of God entails significant problems for his entire philosophical-theological system. Edwards’s concept of divine immediacy finds its supreme expression, surely, in his doctrine of continuous creation; but is it not the case that this doctrine of continuous creation is in conflict with his determinism, that its tendency is to destroy the moral responsibility of man, and that it makes God both the author and the actor of sin? In short, is it not the case that Edwards’s Ariadne’s thread is, in fact, also his Achilles’ heel? CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:45 Jonathan Edwards and the Immediacy of God 04:32 Occasionalism and Continuous Creationism 10:30 The Context of Edwards’ Theology 13:52 The Ariadnes Thread of Edwards’ Thought 17:33 Conclusion Participants: Camden Bucey [http://reformedforum.org/people/camden-bucey/], Jeff Waddington [http://reformedforum.org/people/jeff-waddington/]

[http://reformedforum.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2021/11/rmr141-150x150.jpg] Jeff Waddington reviews A Goodly Heritage: The Secession of 1834 [https://www.amazon.com/Goodly-Heritage-Secession-1834/dp/1601786646?tag=reforum-20] by Cornelis Pronk. > In A Goodly Heritage, Cornelis Pronk surveys the history of the Secession of 1834, beginning with the events leading up to this important spiritual movement and subsequently following its long journey through the Netherlands and North America until 1892. He then focuses on a small minority that decided to continue as the original Christian Reformed Church, considering its growth and how it formulated theological positions in relation to several other Reformed denominations. Throughout, special attention is given to the doctrines of covenant, baptism, and the Holy Spirit’s ministry in applying salvation. This work not only explains the concerns of De Cock and other fathers of the Secession. It presses beyond the early years of the reform movement to present a larger picture of the developments of Secession theology and the contributions made by its main representatives. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:29 Cornelis Pronk, A Goodly Heritage 01:41 The Secession of 1834 10:17 Identifying the True Church 12:33 Dutch Pietism 13:39 Dutch Settlement in Pella, Iowa 14:58 Summary and Conclusion Participants: Camden Bucey [http://reformedforum.org/people/camden-bucey/], Jeff Waddington [http://reformedforum.org/people/jeff-waddington/]

[http://reformedforum.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2021/07/rmr140-150x150.jpg] Jim Cassidy discusses Therefore the Truth I Speak: Scottish Theology, 1500–1700 by Donald Macleod. The Scottish church was forever altered by the arrival of the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Its legacy endured, and provoked a flurry of theological re–examinations which form the foundation for much of our modern understanding of Reformed Theology. In this informed and accessible historical study, Donald MacLeod, one of Scotland’s current leading theologians, looks to the past to assess the impact of prominent theologians of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, always with an eye to demonstrating how their writings speak to contemporary challenges facing the Church today. Participants: Camden Bucey [http://reformedforum.org/people/camden-bucey/], Jim Cassidy [http://reformedforum.org/people/jim-cassidy/]

[http://reformedforum.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2021/05/tipton_foundations_front_cover-150x150.jpg] Lane Tipton speaks about his new book, Foundations of Covenant Theology [https://reformedforum.org/product/foundations-of-covenant-theology-paperback/], available now through Reformed Forum. Drawing from Genesis 1:1 and subsequent biblical revelation, Lane Tipton argues that before creating the visible world, the immutable triune God created a heavenly temple dwelling, filled that heavenly dwelling with the unchanging glory of his Spirit, and sanctified that heavenly dwelling as the realm of everlasting Sabbath rest. Adam, as the created image of God and federal head of his posterity, could have advanced through perfect covenantal obedience beyond probation on the mountain of God in earthly Eden into the heavenly dwelling of God in Sabbath rest. This God-centered and heaven-focused theological backdrop enriches our understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ, as the second and last Adam in the covenant of grace, who in his humiliation and exaltation has opened the gates of heavenly paradise for his church. Copies are available now [https://reformedforum.org/product/foundations-of-covenant-theology-paperback/]. Participants: Camden Bucey [http://reformedforum.org/people/camden-bucey/], Lane G. Tipton [http://reformedforum.org/people/lane-g-tipton/]

[http://reformedforum.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/07/opc_assembly75-150x150.jpg] Camden Bucey speaks about Murray Forst Thompson’s tract, The Auburn Betrayal, which provides historical and theological context for the Auburn Affirmation, an important document in early twentieth-century American Presbyterianism. The tract was published in 1941 by the Committee on Christian Education for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Participants: Camden Bucey [http://reformedforum.org/people/camden-bucey/]