This Day in Presbyterian History

Just launched yesterday, a promising new blog will endeavor to share with its readers nuggets of Presbyterian church history day by day throughout 2012. Host and contributor Dr. Wayne Sparkman of the PCA Historical Center has teamed up with author Dr. David T. Myers to produce an historical devotional in blog format called This Day in Presbyterian History (subtitled "Daily devotional readings in Scripture, the Westminster Standards, and Presbyterian history"). The first entry marks the 75th anniversary of the passing of J. Gresham Machen on January 1, 1937. It should be an edifying read for the year ahead. Be sure to check it out.

MHCC 30: Six-Month Progress Report

Since I commenced the Matthew Henry Commentary Challenge on January 1, 2010, I thought it would be useful to give a little personal progress report six months later. I must frankly admit that I began well, and read much and often. It was a daunting task to read the entire commentary of Matthew Henry along with the Bible itself, and I have slowed down after a quick start out of the gate, especially for a period in which my schedule became quite busy. I was not able to stick with the reading plan kindly prepared by Wayne Sparkman; I am now at Number 21. I am currently reading usually one chapter per day, and that seems to be the right speed for me, as it allows me to meditate upon the text appropriately, which was my initial goal. I am coming to better understand both the mind of God, by his grace, and the mind of Matthew Henry, as I read along.

I have both on my blog and on the Matthew Henry Commentary Challenge Facebook page endeavored to share some of the special gems I have found along the way in this masterpiece. Others have too on the Facebook page, for which I am very grateful. I know that some have discontinued the Challenge, and that is just fine with me. My goal was to encourage people to pick up his commentary and read, tolle lege, and regardless of how far along readers are, or whether the reading has been laid aside, I am glad if others have been exposed to his devotional wisdom. I have found thus far four daily devotionals based on his commentary, and if any wish to even now take up Matthew Henry and read, these devotionals are a good way to begin. I know that it has been a rich blessing for me, and will continue to be so. God grant me the grace to persevere, and indeed God bless all who have taken up the Challenge, for I think that we are all the better for it.

The Covenanter Encyclopedia

Dane Love, author of Scottish Covenanter Stories: Tales From the Killing Times, which is a fascinating book, has recently published The Covenanter Encyclopedia, "one of the most comprehensive books ever published on the Covenanters, written by one of the leading authorities in the field." Read Iain Campbell's blog post about it here (HT: Wayne Sparkman). I look forward to reading this myself.

MHCC: Reading Plan Available

Thanks to Wayne Sparkman (creator) and my wife (who figured out how to publish the document on this blog) the reading plan for the Matthew Henry Commentary Challenge is now available for viewing or download here. Remember it is created for one year but can be utilized for longer periods as required by taking additional time for each reading portion. Blessings!

Reading Plan for Matthew Henry Commentary Challenge

Thanks to Wayne Sparkman, a one-year reading plan for the 2010 Matthew Henry Commentary Challenge has been created. One may use as it a two- or three-year plan as well by taking two or three days to read each section. If you are interested in receiving this pdf document by email, just let me know and I will be happy to forward it to you.

Finding TULIPs

Some time ago, I blogged about the Five Points of Calvinism, commonly referred to today as TULIP. At the time, I wrote that:

It is generally believed that Loraine Boettner was the first to coin the TULIP acrostic as a mnemonic device for easier memorization in his 1932 book, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination.

Recently, however, Wayne Sparkman, Director of the PCA Historical Center, has uncovered documentation which shows that the mnemonic device was used before Boettner, although in a slightly different form.

William H. Vail, "The Five Points of Calvinism Historically Considered," The New Outlook, Vol. 104 (May-August 1913), p. 394:

Some eight years ago [ie., 1905] I had the privilege of hearing a popular lecture, by Dr. [Cleland Boyd] McAfee (1866-1944), of Brooklyn, upon the Five Points of Calvinism, given before the Presbyterian Union of Newark, New Jersey, which was most interesting as well as instructive. To aid the mind in remembering the Five Points, Dr. McAfee made use of the word Tulip, which, possessing five letters, lends itself nicely to the subject in hand, especially as it ends with the letter P, as will be seen later.

Taking the five letters, Dr. McAfee used them as follows:

1st, T stands for Total Depravity.
2d, U " " Universal Sovereignty.
3d, L " " Limited Atonement.
4th, I " " Irresistable Grace.
5th, P " " Perseverance of the Saints.

It will be noticed that McAfee's acrostic employs "U" to represent "Universal Sovereignty," while Loraine Boetter's "U" represents "Unconditional Election." Boetter also refers to "Total Inability" rather than "Total Depravity." Nevertheless, it appears, based on this research, that credit should go to Dr. McAfee for the earliest usage of the TULIP acrostic to convey the Five Points of Calvinism, and to Mr. Sparkman for bringing this fascinating bit of history to our attention.