by Matthew Gaetano Tertullian is famous for asking: “What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church?” He then declares: “Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus, no inquisition… Read More Post-Tridentine Scholasticism and Tertullian
We are pleased to feature a guest post by Andrew Kuiper Mainly poetry was chosen because the emotions of a young man can run deep in the river of poetry. Clyde Kilby was a giant in the lit department in those days, and his book Poetry and Life was lived in front of us in class.… Read More The Liturgical Significance of Pastor John
by Joshua C. Benjamins Tuomo Mannermaa and his followers in the New Finnish School have made a forceful case that Luther’s doctrine of justification has at its heart the idea of actual participation in the divine life through union with Christ. Mannermaa also argues that Lutheranism subsequent to Luther lost the Reformer’s emphasis on the… Read More The Rejuvenation of Theosis in Lutheran Scholasticism
by Matthew Gaetano The erudition of the Dutch Reformed theologian, Gisbertus Voetius, is often staggering. I’ve especially appreciated his disputations on creation because one can see his extensive knowledge not only of the whole Christian theological tradition but also his detailed grasp of the Greek, Arabic, and Latin philosophers. His views on creation, which take up… Read More Voetius on Creation, Death, and Human Nature
by Eric J. Demeuse In a rich and now classic work, Models of the Church 1 Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., outlines six conceptual tools or ‘models’ prevalent today which serve to explain and explore the mystery of the Church—the Church as institution, mystical communion, sacrament, herald, servant, and community of disciples. None are sufficient in… Read More The Ecclesiology of the Catechism of Trent: Some Observations
by Matthew Gaetano Gisbertus Voetius (1589-1676) was a major Dutch Reformed theologian whose works demonstrate mastery not only of Scripture, the Church Fathers, and medieval theology, but also a command of the works of contemporary Roman Catholic scholastic authors. He studied at Leiden, participated in the Synod of Dort, and then taught at Utrecht, where he confronted the… Read More Gisbertus Voetius and Reformed Catholicity
[This piece is meant as a companion to “New Calvinism and Scholarship.”] by Trevor Anderson The aspiration to competent, consistent thought is a defining mark of New Calvinism. Such thought (both within the movement and outside of it) is often referred to as ‘logic’. To take a few examples of this New Calvinist commitment: R.C. Sproul… Read More New Calvinism and Logical Thought
by Matthew Gaetano A friend of the Regensburg Forum, Darryl Hart, has undertaken a dialogue with me about the authority of the Council of Trent, among other things. This will certainly not be the last time that we address this topic here. But I thought that I could offer some more substantial evidence for my claims… Read More Trent’s Authority and Its Interpretation of Luther
We are pleased to share a recent piece at The Gospel Coalition by Chris Castaldo, with the permission of Castaldo and Dr. Ryan M. Reeves. Castaldo highlights some fundamental divisions among Protestants and Catholics by exploring the role of one Catholic cardinal at Regensburg. What is the fundamental difference between Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant faith? The… Read More Catholic or Protestant? The Story of Contarini and the Reformation
by Matthew Gaetano As I hope to discuss in future posts, one of the clearest differences between Roman Catholic and Protestant soteriologies is how each confession thinks about original sin in the justified. Roman Catholics hold that it is taken away, while confessional Protestants believe that it remains (though, of course, it is not imputed).… Read More Regensburg (1541) on Original Sin