John Calvin Quincentenary Papers 2009

AVAILABLE FROM JANUARY 2012.

The John Calvin Quincentenary (1509-2009) proved to be an event of immense importance and fascination. All who admire the Genevan reformer clearly welcomed every opportunity to express their acknowledgment of his greatness as a man of God and Christian leader. Recognising the tendencies to either ‘adore’ or ‘abhor’ Calvin, even the most determined detractors of the protestant reformer par excellence cannot deny his impact on sacred and secular history. It is doubtful if the most vehement enemies are able entirely to ignore him, however hard they might try. In which case, unavoidable bad publicity—as opposed to ‘no publicity’—has probably stimulated even the most ignorant to explore the legacy of the godly genius of Geneva.

Of course, Calvin’s memory continues to be lamented by the vast majority of Roman Catholics whose medieval monopoly on religious truth was so comprehensively assaulted by his magisterial contribution. Liberals of all traditions doubtless respond with a mixture of admiration and scorn, unable as they are convincingly to re-write history to their satisfaction. Conservative Protestants of all hues—in varying degrees—welcomed the Calvin celebration insofar as his emphases appear to vindicate their own. Reformed, Presbyterian and other Christians unashamed to be known as ‘Calvinists’—including Amyraldians—doubtless rejoiced in the opportunity to highlight their doctrinal distinctives at a time when biblical truth is increasingly held in contempt across great swathes of religious as well as secular opinion. This book consists of papers presented at the 2009 Amyraldian Association Conference.

JOHN CALVIN QUINCENTENARY 1509-2009

JOHN CALVIN 500
A Reformation Affirmation
AMYRALDIAN ASSOCIATION
2009 CONFERENCE REPORT
Edited by Alan C. Clifford

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Calvin 500

The long-awaited book, Calvin 500, being the lecturers delivered at the Amyraldian Association conference in 2009 and to be available very soon.  This event marked the 500th anniversary of the reformer's birth, and examined various aspects of Calvin's thinking.

To secure your copy, please get in touch with me ASAP.  When details of price are available, you can then decide if you want to get your copy.  This will be a tremendous read; it will teach and enlighten you, challenge and inspire you.

So don't lose out - order your copy on this site today

Amyraldianism is just Calvin's Calvinism!

Reflecting on the views of some concerning my orthodoxy, I reckon that those same men would not have DMLJ, JCRyle, McCheyne, John or Chas Wesley, Philip Doddridge, J. Edwards, Joseph Bellamy, Richard Baxter, Jean Daille, Moise Amyraut, or even the great John Calvin, to preach in their pulpits. How sad!  But, I trust they will come to see that my theological position, according to Macleod and Muller, is an integral part of our cherished reformed tradition; more importantly it is biblical because it takes the doctrine of the perspicuity of Scripture with utmost seriousness.  How Owen can exegete "world" in John 3:16 to men "the world of the elect" defies comprehension!  This is to prostitute Scripture.  

The rush by reformed men to squeeze the texts of Scripture into the WCF, or any other, mould, is a denial of the supremacy of Scripture in the life and witness of the Christian and of the church.  It is surely a cardinal aspect of Romanism that Scripture alone (sola Scriptura) is not enough, having to be supplemented by the magisterium. Is the WCF in the minds of many reformed men not their equivalent of the Roman magisterium?  How would they answer that?  It is no good their saying that it is a 'subordinate standard' when they elevate it in practice above Scripture!  Does it not smack of Rome's elevation of Mary above Christ?  I think so.  Oh, I hope wiser counsels prevail.

How dangerous a thing it is for men to defer in everything to any man-made document, however good it is deemed to be, while not granting to Scripture its rightful place!  What does God think of that, I wonder?  Is He pleased that a subordinate standard has been elevated over His infallible Word?  Has the church prospered when this has happened in the past?  I don't think so.  

Sin is...

“Sin is a daring rebellion against the Majesty of heaven; and would if it were possible, pluck the Eternal God from His throne! Every particle of sin contains an infinity of evil, and deserves everlasting damnation! Sin transformed the angels of light into demons of darkness. Sin rendered the happy pair in Eden wretched outcasts in a world of woe. Sin was the cause of the universal deluge, and the fiery overthrow of the cities of the plain. Sin has ever marked its steps by misery and blood. Pride,malice, envy, murmuring, uncleanness, and every abomination hateful to a holy God, and destructive to our wretched race, spring from this poisonous root.”

Thomas Reade

Don't let them see eternity!

The church today is holding her hands over the eyes of her members who are going into a Christless eternity by keeping them pre-occupied with doing insignificant tasks around the life of the church.  Ministers know full well the awful and frightening eternity that awaits those who do not know Christ personally and Saviour and Lord, and worse, for those who die rejecting the only Saviour of the world. This is a fact that the church, in many places, does not want her members to see. 

But this only demonstrates just how callous and unloving and uncaring these ministers are.  If individuals do not care about their souls, some ministers do!  How critically important it is for ministers to tell their people plainly the whole Gospel, including what awaits all who die without the Saviour!  How desirous it is that they are impelled to seek Christ before it is forever too late, to seek Him urgently, and to seek Him in faith! If we do not tell them of their pending perdition, who will?  If the church fails to urge them to trust Christ alone for eternal salvation, no one else will!  And sadly the church has effectively placed a blindfold over their eyes so that they can sit in the church week by week as they journey to a lost eternity.

Why isn't the church in many places failing to do this Christ-commanded work?  Because they prefer their own peace long before they prefer the eternal peace of those who listen to them.  Also, when the church elders accept people as Christians on profession of faith, why ought they to be concerned about their soul's salvation? The church says they are Christian; how dare any Gospel preacher even suggest that some of them might not be! 

No, it is not the Gospel preacher who is in the wrong, but the church elders who accept into membership those who are not regenerate.  And why do the elder accept such people?  Because they know that many of them are unregenerate themselves. 

Unless and until the church gets back to biblical standards for church membership, she will continue to cannabolise Christ's ministers, the prophets of God/