June 12, 2024 by John Fonville
Carl Trueman clarifies a common misconception that is popular among Evangelicals concerning the Protestant Reformation doctrine of sola scriptura....
July 26, 2023 by John Fonville
J.C. Ryle answers the common arguments in favor of “Baptismal Regeneration,” which are based on the Baptismal Service of the Prayer-book. ...
July 14, 2023 by John Fonville
J.V. Fesko on the sacraments as visible words- a visible proclamation of the gospel....
July 13, 2023 by John Fonville
J.V. Fesko on the Word of God as the chief means of grace. ...
July 7, 2023 by John Fonville
Martin Davie explains from the homily, ‘Of Prayer’ in the Second Book of Homilies, how the English Reformers taught that the only true purgatory is the death of Christ and no other purgation is either necessary or possible....
May 15, 2023 by John Fonville
Why Use Written Prayers?- Why does your church use prewritten prayers in your service? Isn't this a dry, rote, unthinking, way for the church to pray and worship? Don't pre-written prayers stifle the Spirit and hinder freedom and promote mechanical, vain repetition? Aren't spontaneous prayers more genuine and heartfelt than prewritten prayers? ...
May 5, 2023 by John Fonville
This writing of Martin Luther is from the introduction to his “Postils” (a group of model sermons which he wrote while at the Wartburg Castle). This brief foreword is full of comfort and good news. In it, Luther sets forth insightful instruction on how to read the Gospels (and the entirety of Scripture- the OT and NT)....
August 25, 2022 by John Fonville
My argument is this: By the year 1700, Protestant Christianity had begun developing significantly new practices and understandings of the Christian faith that focused upon Christian renewal, conversion, new birth and the coming millennial kingdom. These new practices and understandings were a dramatic departure not only from Roman Catholic Christianity, but also from the original Reformation convictions of Martin Luther and John Calvin some one hundred and fifty years earlier. Evangelical Christianity, of the free church variety especially, is the contemporary expression of this third form of Christianity. Probably most Evangelicals are unaware that their Christian experience and piety are far removed from Reformation Protestant beginnings. Evangelicals would do well to recover their lost heritage....
August 20, 2022 by John Fonville
Martin Luther's primary concern when constructing the German mass and order of the liturgy in 1526 was that the gospel be proclaimed for the people in their context....
July 28, 2022 by John Fonville
Martin Luther on the worthy reception of the Lord's Supper....
July 27, 2022 by John Fonville
Infant baptism sets Christian discipleship from birth within a covenant context, which means means to understand discipleship as something connected to the ordinary means of God’s grace and the routine work of the church....
June 27, 2021 by John Fonville
Richard Sibbes discussing the Christ-centered focus of all the Scriptures....
February 28, 2020 by John Fonville
Richard Sibbes: The Glory of God is Greatest in the Gospel...
February 25, 2020 by John Fonville
Michael Horton on what the third use of the law can and cannot do....
February 25, 2020 by John Fonville
Gerald Bray: "'What would Jesus do?’ seems like an innocent question to ask, but it is impossible to answer literally and does not reflect the teaching of the New Testament. ...
February 24, 2020 by John Fonville
The late 16th century Anglican pastor/theologian, William Perkins, on seven differences between the law and gospel....
February 21, 2020 by John Fonville
No Creed But The Bible?- Carl Trueman on the unbiblical creedal statement, "The bible is our only creed and our only confession."...
February 20, 2020 by John Fonville
Philip Schaff: The 39 Articles are found in every collection of Reformed confessions....
November 19, 2015 by John Fonville
A review of David Platt's book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream....
November 10, 2015 by John Fonville
George Hunsinger shows how Jonathan Edwards crosses the fine line laid down by the Reformation concerning justification sola fide. Edwards taught that works are not simply external evidence that faith exists. Rather, works are necessary to the efficacy of faith. Works, as the external expression of faith, play a role in justification....
January 7, 2026 by John Fonville | Category: Worship and Liturgy | Tags: gospel, worship, assurance, Liturgy, Reformation, Word of God, Thomas Cranmer, Book of Common Prayer, Word and Sacrament, reformed theology, scripture, Daily Office, 1662 Book of Common Prayer, Justification by Faith, Anglican Theology
The gospel is not learned by force, but received through Christ’s faithful giving of himself in worship. In the liturgy—especially as shaped by the 1662 Book of Common Prayer—Christ acts through his Word, addressing, forgiving, and nourishing his people as they hear, confess, and receive the gospel again and again, until it becomes second nature....
Keep ReadingJanuary 6, 2026 by John Fonville | Category: Worship and Liturgy | Tags: Biblical theology, worship, assurance, legalism, means of grace, Liturgy, Christology, Word and Sacrament, reformed theology, Anglican Theology, Psalm 22, Hebrews 2, Public Worship, Church Worship, Confession of Faith
The phrase “God inhabits the praises of His people” is widely used to suggest that singing brings God’s presence into worship. This article examines Psalm 22 in its biblical and Christ-centered context, showing that Scripture teaches something richer and more comforting: God reigns among His covenant people, and praise is the public confession of that reign. Drawing ...
Keep ReadingNovember 7, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Reformation Anglicanism | Tags: evangelicalism, Reformation, Nicene Creed, creeds, confessions, Word and Sacrament, Anglicanism, scripture, catholicity, Carl Trueman, The Creedal Imperative, Church History, theology, Apostles Creed, Reformation Anglican Identity, Confessional Anglicanism, Protestantism, Mission Statements, Church Culture, Reformation Anglicanism, The Center for Reformation Anglicanism
Many Evangelical churches replace historic creeds with corporate-style mission statements, valuing vision over confession. Drawing on Carl Trueman’s The Creedal Imperative, this post argues that every church has a creed—whether public and accountable or private and untested. Reformation Anglicans, by contrast, embrace the ancient creeds “proved by most certain warran...
Keep ReadingNovember 7, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Reformation Anglicanism | Tags: evangelicalism, tradition, Reformation, creeds, confessions, Word and Sacrament, Anglicanism, scripture, Carl Trueman, The Creedal Imperative, Church History, theology, Reformation Anglican Identity, Confessional Anglicanism, Protestantism
American Evangelicalism often chases after “the next big thing,” driven by novelty and personality rather than confession and continuity. In contrast, Reformation Anglicanism finds stability and joy in the “old paths” of Scripture, creed, and confession. Drawing on Carl Trueman’s The Creedal Imperative, this essay shows why creeds are not lifeless relics but livi...
Keep ReadingNovember 4, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Anglican Theology & Practice | Tags: Anglican, Anglicanism, Reformation, Thirty-Nine Articles, Eucharist, Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, sacraments, Eucharistic Adoration, transubstantiation, Book of Common Prayer, Cranmer, Gerald Bray, Anglican Theology, Word and Sacrament, Reformation Anglicanism, The Center for Reformation Anglicanism
This article examines whether the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion forbid Eucharistic adoration. Drawing on Articles 25 and 28 and Gerald Bray’s The Faith We Confess, it explains why Anglicans reject reservation, elevation, and adoration of the consecrated elements, and instead embrace Word and Sacrament as Christ’s appointed means of grace....
Keep ReadingNovember 4, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Anglican Worship and Liturgy | Tags: gospel, worship, assurance, evangelical, Prayer, Liturgy, Holy Communion, Discipleship, tradition, Reformation, Book of Common Prayer, Word and Sacrament, historic worship, church, scripture, Anglican, Cranmer, theology, repetition, formation, Reformation Anglicanism, The Center for Reformation Anglicanism
Many dismiss the Book of Common Prayer’s liturgy as “mere repetition,” but repetition is what forms us in Christ. Rooted in the Reformation, Anglican worship shapes our hearts, grounds us in Scripture, and offers deeper gospel fluency than the shallow novelties of modern Evangelical worship....
Keep ReadingSeptember 18, 2025 by John Fonville | Category: Ecclesiology | Tags: church, mission, marks, preaching, baptism, Lord’s Supper, means of grace, gospel, Reformation, Anglican, michael horton, Word and Sacrament, Discipleship, theology, evangelism, worship, sacraments, grace, Gratitude, Christ, ACNA, covenant theology, Visible Church, Holy Communion, Holy Eucharist, Means of Gratitude, Means of Obedience
This article explains how the mission of the Church is defined by its marks — preaching, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. These means of grace are God’s strategy for delivering Christ to His people and sending the Church into the world....
Keep ReadingAugust 20, 2022 by John Fonville | Category: Liturgy | Tags: gospel, worship, martin luther, Liturgy, German Mass 1526, Protestant Reformation, liturgical reformation, Word and Sacrament
Martin Luther's primary concern when constructing the German mass and order of the liturgy in 1526 was that the gospel be proclaimed for the people in their context....
Keep ReadingJanuary 21, 2020 by John Fonville | Tags: heidelberg catechism, means of grace, Prayer, Means of Gratitude, Word and Sacrament, Westminster Standards, Westminster Larger Catechism, Westminster Shorter Catechism, J.V. Fesko, Louis Berkhof, Charles Hodge, Wayne Grudem
J.V. Fesko, in his book, Word, Water and Spirit: A Reformed Perspective on Baptism, explains why the means of grace are restricted to Word and sacrament....
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