The Confessional Presbyterian

The Confessional Presbyterian’s New Editors: C. N. Willborn and James J. Cassidy

Publisher — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:08:24 +0000

News Update. We are pleased to announce that The Confessional Presbyterian has two new editors. The Rev. James J. Cassidy and the Rev. Dr. C. N. Willborn have agreed to take on the task of overseeing the large Articles section of the journal. Both have been enthusiastic contributors since the journal’s inception, and join the Rev. Lane Keister who took up the editor duties of the Reviews section in 2009. We believe the assembling of this fine team of editors will ensure this publication continues offering quality material on issues of concern and interest from a confessional Presbyterian and Reformed point of view. Chris Coldwell continues in the capacity of general editor and publisher.

James J. Cassidy. Jim is a pastor of Calvary Church (OPC), Ringoes, N. J., and is currently in the Ph.D. program at Westminster Theological Seminary, focusing on the study of Systematic Theology. He is a contributor at the Reformed Forum. Jim provided the following articles for past issues of The Confessional Presbyterian: “Critical-Realism & the Relation of Redemptive Act to Revelatory Word” (2006); “Francis Turretin and Barthianism: The Covenant of Works in Historical Perspective” (2009).

C. N. “Nick” Willborn. Nick is Senior Pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA), Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Adjunct Professor of Historical Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Dr. Willborn has written for many books and journals. His writings include: “Adoption: A Historical Perspective with Evangelical Implications,” in Sanctification: Growing in Grace (2002); “The Diaconate: God’s Office of Temporal Affairs,” in Confessing Our Hope (2004); “The ‘Ministerial and Declarative’ Powers of the Church and In Thesi Deliverances,” in The Confessional Presbyterian (2005); “Presbyterians in the South and the Slave: A Study in Benevolence,” in The Confessional Presbyterian (2007); “Gilbert Tennent” in Colonial Presbyterianism (2007); “Biblical Theology in Southern Presbyterianism” in The Hope Fulfilled (2008); “Eschatology and the Westminster Standards in The Confessional Presbyterian (2008); and “The Deacon: A Divine Right Office with Divine Uses,” in The Confessional Presbyterian (2009). Nick is currently writing a critical biography (the first) of the Southern Presbyterian theologian, John L. Girardeau.

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We are still accepting article and review submissions for 2010. If you would like to make a submission for publication please review the submissions page.

2009 issue well received; Special offer to expire; 2010 submissions; Individual articles available for purchase

Publisher — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:21:46 +0000

News Update. I would like to thank all the subscribers who have made these now five volumes of The Confessional Presbyterian journal possible. The 2009 issue should be in the hands of all subscribers by this point, and I am very grateful for the positive reception it has received thus far, and look forward to putting together a 2010 issue. If you subscribed more than a few weeks ago and have yet to receive your 2009 issue, please let us know.

The special offer to obtain the five volumes of the journal now in print for only $55 USA ($76 foreign) expires at the first of the year (see the online store). A kind underwriter made this offer possible which has been very successful with many taking advantage to pick up full sets.

We are accepting article and review submissions for 2010. If you would like to make a submission for publication please review the submissions page.

Also at this time we are making a select number of articles available for purchase in PDF format from older issues. The first entry available is Matthew Winzer’s review of Nick Needham’s Westminster & Worship (from The Westminster Confession into the 21st Century, 2, ed. J. Ligon Duncan [Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2005]), which appeared in the 2008 issue. See Articles Available for Purchase. We will continue to offer some older material for free as well.

The 2009 fifth volume of The Confessional Presbyterian journal is at the printer

Publisher — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:15:15 +0000

The 2009 issue is now at the book maker and we hope to get it out to subscribers in early December (D.V) if not sooner. The issue is full at 328 pages and the final table of contents is below. To subscribe to the issue see the online store.

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The Confessional Presbyterian volume 5 (2009)
2. Editorial
Articles
3. The Westminster Assembly & the Judicial Law: A Chronological Compilation and Analysis. Part One: Chronology
By Chris Coldwell

56. The Westminster Assembly & the Judicial Law: A Chronological Compilation and Analysis. Part Two: Analysis
By Matthew Winzer

89. John Calvin on the Doctrine of Divine Revelation
By W. Gary Crampton. Th.D.

115. Samuel Rutherford’s Contribution to Covenant Theology in Scotland
By D. Patrick Ramsey

127. Presbyterian Quintessence: The Five ‘Heads’ of Church Government
By Frank J. Smith, Ph.D., D.D.

161. Johannes Megapolensis: Pioneer Reformed Missionary to the Mohawks
By Wes Bredenhof

170. An Answer to the Challenge of Preaching the Old Testament: An Historical & Theological Examination of the Redemptive-Historical Approach
By Rev. Anthony T. Selvaggio, J.D., M. Div.

185. The Deacon: A Divine Right Office with Divine Uses
By C. N. Willborn

199. Francis Turretin and Barthianism: The Covenant of Works in Historical Perspective
By James J. Cassidy

214. Pictures of Jesus and the Sovereignty of Divine Revelation: Recent Literature and a Defense of the Confessional Reformed View
By David VanDrunen

229. The Sabbath Day and Recreations on the Sabbath: An Examination of the Sabbath and the Biblical Basis for the “No Recreation” Clause in Westminster Confession of Faith 21.8 and Westminster Larger Catechism 117
By Lane Keister

239. “So Great a Love”—James Durham on Christ and His Church in the Song of Solomon
By Donald John MacLean

Table of Contents Continued
256 Reviews & Responses:
■ J. Todd Billings, Union with Christ: A Doctrine in Contention; Michael Horton, Covenant and Salvation: Union with Christ; Mark A. Garcia, Life in Christ: Union with Christ and the Twofold Grace in Calvin’s Theology (Jeff Waddington) 256
■ Cornelius P. Venema, Accepted and Renewed in Christ. The “Twofold Grace of God” and the Interpretation of Calvin’s Theology (Richard B. Gaffin) 269
■ Michael S. Horton, People and Place: A Covenant Ecclesiology (Wes Bredenhof) 274
■ Daniel R. Hyde, In Living Color: Images of Christ and the Means of Grace (Ryan M. McGraw) 276
■ J. van Genderen and W. H. Velema, Concise Reformed Dogmatics (James E. Dolezal) 278
■ Charles E. Hill, From the Lost Teaching of Polycarp: Identifying Irenaeus’ Apostolic Presbyter and the Author of ad Diognetum (R. Scott Clark) 283
■ Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Guy Prentiss Waters) 286
■ Sinclair Ferguson, In Christ Alone: Living the Christ Centered Life (Christopher A. Hutchinson) 290
■ Edward T. Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest (Daniel F. Patterson) 292 ■

296 Psallo: Psalm 42

298 In Translatiōne: Part II. John Brown of Wamphray: Singing of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs in the Public Worship of God

305 Antiquary: The James Durham MSS Held by Glasgow University Library

308 Bibliography

324 Author Index, The Confessional Presbyterian, volumes 1–5 (2005–2009).

328 The Editor and Contributing Editors

In Brief: James Walker’s Assessment of Samuel Rutherford (126) ■ “The Office of Deacon:” Extracts from The Presbyterian Quarterly {April, 1896} (198) ■ The Intent of Larger Catechism 109 Regarding Pictures of Christ’s Humanity (227) ■

Reviews editor Lane Keister Interviewed

Publisher — Sat, 23 May 2009 22:06:06 +0000

Recently Lane Keister, the Reviews editor for The Confessional Presbyterian journal, was interviewed by Covenant Radio. Lane discussed the journal and theological journals in general, and mentioned some of the contents to be expected in the 2009 issue of the CPJ coming this Fall.

The archive of the interview is here.

ATLA Accepts CPJ for Indexing

Publisher — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:45:21 +0000

The Confessional Presbyterian journal has been accepted for indexing in the American Theological Library Association Religion database (ATLA).

The 2009 issue is expect to go to press in the Fall and we anticpate a fine collection of material that should be of great interest to the Reformed community. You may subscribe to receive the issue when it comes out at the online store. Back issues are available as well.

The 2008 Issue is shipping to subscribers beginning Monday, December 8, 2008

Publisher — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 02:53:50 +0000

The fourth installment of The Confessional Presbyterian journal is finally completed and will begin going out to subscribers beginning this coming week. I apologize for the long delay. As previously noted, work is underway for on the 2009 issue. To obtain the 2008 and back issues see the online store.

Accepting Submissions; Significant material taking shape for 2009

Publisher — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:54:30 +0000

With the 2008 issue at the printer, journal staff are already at work on the fifth outing of The Confessional Presbyterian for 2009, and so far the issue looks to be very promising. Two things worth noting at this time which are in the works are what we trust will be a significant article on Larger Catechism 109 by Dr. David VanDrunen of Westminster Seminary in California, and perhaps a watershed entry on the Westminster Assembly and the Judicial Law. Regarding the former, it is very common for there to be exception taken to the Larger Catechism’s prohibitions of artistic renderings and/or mental images of Christ, and we have been interested in obtaining a significant entry on this topic for the journal since its founding. As to the latter, your editor has completed the source material section which runs a lengthy 50 pages in journal format, and the analytical half will be undertaken by the Rev. Matthew Winzer of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. Mr. Winzer has a significant Review/rebuttal to Nick Needham’s work on Westminster and “Singing of Psalms” in the 2008 issue and has shown himself to be a deft handler of matters involved in ascertaining the “Intent” of Westminster.

Other items of interest that should appear include material on John Calvin (appropriately, given 2009 is the quincentenary of his birth), and an article regarding common exceptions taken to the Westminster Standards’ Sabbatarianism. Other interesting items are planned; and we look forward to what else may materialize via submission this year. The Confessional Presbyterian subsists for material on the willing and much appreciated endeavors of others. To submit an article for consideration for 2009, please contact the editor; if you have a review of material that you think would be of interest, please contact the journal’s review editor, Mr. Lane Keister. Before attempting to contact us or submitting any material, please do read the Submissions page.

The Confessional Presbyterian began and remains an ambitious publication endeavor. It began in 2005 with a ‘modest’ issue of 184 pages, and has grown in size each year and the 2008 issue will be 312 pages. The contents for 2005-2008 would fill four 500 page standard size books. It is a large and expensive journal to produce and we rely on our subscribers’ ongoing interest and support to continue. If you have yet to subscribe, or to renew your subscription, you may do so online at the Subscription Store. There are currently several special pricing offers on back issues.

Lane Keister to be Reviews Editor

Publisher — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:10:51 +0000

We are pleased to announce that the Rev. Lane Keister has joined the staff of The Confessional Presbyterian as the editor of the Reviews & Responses section of the journal. Mr. Keister is a PCA pastor laboring out of bounds serving RCA and CRC churches in rural North Dakota, and his sermons, book reviews, critiques of the Federal Vision, and other items of interest, appear on his blog, Green Baggin s. His “Should Women Teach or Have Authority Over Men in the Church? An Exegesis of 1 Timothy 2:8–15,” will appear in the 2008 issue due out in December. The considerable talent and broad literary interests Lane brings to this work, we trust will ensure that the journal will meet its goal of providing fine scholarly reviews of material of concern to the Presbyterian and Reformed reader.

The 2008 Issue is Due in Early December

Publisher — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:13:38 +0000

The 2008 issue of The Confessional Presbyterian is at the printer and Lord willing, should be ready to mail to subscribers in early December. The following is the opening editorial.

The space required to detail the wonderful and varied contents of this the fourth and largest installment yet of The Confessional Presbyterian journal, has not left much room for editorial comment! We commend all of it, and particularly note with thanks permission to reprint Guy Richard’s Samuel Rutherford’s Supralapsarianism Revealed, which appeared some years ago in the Scottish Journal of Theology, and note as well that the T. & J. Swords series in Antiquary, is concluded in this issue. Unhappily, the John Brown of Wamphray on Psalmody must wait to complete in a future volume under a new translator; meantime, Dr. Richard was also most kind in providing an extract from Samuel Rutherford’s Examen Arminianismi on the subject of the civil magistrate as an In Translatiōne entry for this issue. Dr. Frank J. Smith’s work reviewing material on Reformed worship will continue as the Lord wills in the Reviews section, where he has covered a number of works this year. Speaking of which, amongst the several fine reviews we single out and commend the important research and argumentation in Matthew Winzer’s somewhat lengthy critic of Nick Needham’s work on the Westminster Assembly and Psalmody (253–266). It is true the position of exclusive psalmody is a minority view in the Reformed churches today, and perhaps this question about what the assembly meant is simply an arcane matter to many. Be that as it may, we believe Mr. Winzer rather soundly shows that Mr. Needham missed the mark in his analysis of what the Westminster divines meant by “singing of psalms.” And finally, in closing, the editor hopes to continue the critical text work on the Larger Catechism in subsequent issues (D.V.); space and time did not afford covering a set of questions for this volume of The Confessional Presbyterian. ■