Reformed Heroes

[EnglishPuritan]

Who are your heroes of the reformed faith? Mine are:

1. John Calvin
2. George Whitefield
3. John Owen
4. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

Who are your heroes of the reformed faith? Mine are:

1. John Calvin
2. George Whitefield
3. John Owen
4. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

That is a hard list to top. I will claim those as well and add a few more:
Martin Bucer
Hugh Latimer
Nicholas Ridley
J.C. Ryle
Robert Lewis Dabney
Ron Davis (who discipled me into the Reformed faith)

 

[reformedfan]

Van Til

BB Warfield

 

[edie19]

My Presbyterian roots are showing - John Knox

I might take some heat for this one, but - Augustine

Some of the obvious ones - Calvin, Spurgeon, Bunyan

Contemporary theologians - Michael Horton, James Montogomery Boice, Iain Murray

While I've never heard either one referred to as Calvinist, two men I believe to be in the reformer's tradition - John Stott, Francis Schaeffer

 

[edie19]

Who are your heroes of the reformed faith? Mine are:
3. John Owen

The Death of Death is one of the best books I've ever read.

 

[Defcon]

The Death of Death is one of the best books I've ever read.

Currently reading it - it's not an easy read, but I'm enjoying it. Right now I'm in his discussion on the oblatian and intercession of Christ.

By the way - no Luther? I think he would have to be on the list somewhere. His Bondage of the Will is an excellent work.

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

By the way - no Luther? I think he would have to be on the list somewhere. His Bondage of the Will is an excellent work.

Bondage of the Will is great, but Luther is not of the Reformed tradition.

Frances Schaeffer was Presbyterian and a PCA minister. I love him and have all his works!!!

John Stott is an Anglican. I read one of his books and found it to be very good., but I don't know if he is a Calvinist or not. His fellow Anglican/Evangelicals JI Packer and Alister McGrath are both Calvinists.

In Christ,
Kenith

 

[Defcon]

Bondage of the Will is great, but Luther is not of the Reformed tradition.

Didn't Luther start the Reformation? That's why I thought he should be included even though he's not totally in line with the "Reformed Tradition".

 

[edie19]

Frances Schaeffer was Presbyterian and a PCA minister. I love him and have all his works!!!

John Stott is an Anglican. I read one of his books and found it to be very good., but I don't know if he is a Calvinist or not. His fellow Anglican/Evangelicals JI Packer and Alister McGrath are both Calvinists.

In Christ,
Kenith

I always have a soft spot for Presbyterians. When I read Boice or Schaffer, I realize that while the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA in particular as opposed to PCA) has become very liberal, there are still strong men out there with their feet firmly grounded in the gospel. Funny thing - while I haven't attended a Presbyterian church in well over 20 years, I often think of myself as one. Seriously, they are very close to Reformed Baptist which is what I belong to currently - their major difference: infant vs believer baptism.

Should have mentioned Packer on my list and didn't. I would argue that his "Knowing God" is one of the best theology books of the past 50 years. He wrote the introduction to the previously mentioned "The Death of Death", one of the things that made the book worthwhile.

 

[Received]

Luther, emphatically, forever and ever, amen. He, more than any other person, lived his faith -- his faith was not annulled by failing to act, thus becoming unfaith, sin; no, his faith compelled him to get in one's face and tell it like it is. And even though there is a lot to the "it" that I disagree with, his faith itself that transcended this "it" is what I hold as eternally noble, not the "it" itself.

He also inspired Kierkegaard. I can't imagine a world without Kierkegaard; he, too, was one who lived his faith, until he literally passed out on the street, burned himself out, after attacking the corruption of the Lutheran Church. You want a good story, read about Kierkeegard; and, of course, you want some good thinking, enough to make you insane, read Kierkegaard.

 

[Received]

One becomes a hero not by what he is given, but by how he uses what he is given. To conclude that one is a hero by virtue of the gifts he has with an unutterably small voluntary using of these gifts, such as writing a book, is something very unheroic, to my eyes. People conclude, as Kierkegaard as said, that a matter of being great is something like winning the lottery. But it is quite the opposite: greatness is constituted in spirit, is the human being's free striving; gifts or intelligence or what have you are givens, inevitabilities, which exist in most part without such spirit.

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

One becomes a hero not by what he is given, but by how he uses what he is given. To conclude that one is a hero by virtue of the gifts he has with an unutterably small voluntary using of these gifts, such as writing a book, is something very unheroic, to my eyes. People conclude, as Kierkegaard as said, that a matter of being great is something like winning the lottery. But it is quite the opposite: greatness is constituted in spirit, is the human being's free striving; gifts or intelligence or what have you are givens, inevitabilities, which exist in most part without such spirit.

Most, if not all, of our heros mentioned above did a lot more than write books. Some of them were martyrs for the cause of Christ. Many suffered and struggled all their lives for the sake of the Gospel.

Kierkegaard wrote books. I read Fear and Trembling a few years ago. It was ok.

In Christ,
Kenith

 

[Received]

Kierkegaard wrote books, and infinitely more. He was a martyr within his own community. He deviated from social norms, and vehemently and publicly opposed any Christianity that entailed cheap grace; even children held contempt for him. He even broke off his engagement in large part due to his sense of calling of faith; and this tormented him for the rest of his life.

Fear and Trembling was amazing, beautiful. I love it. Though, it was pretty tough. But its point is eternally important: the person of faith is and should be an individual, must relate to God in a way that doesn't depend on anyone or anything else. Have you tried Practice in Christianity?

 

[JJB]

Nobody's mentioned Jonathan Edwards? I'll throw him in the fray as well for consideration.

Also, I love missionary biographies: Gladys Aylward's story being one of my all-time favorites. Don't know what her theology was, but what a woman! Was told she couldn't be a missionary to China because: too old, not educated enough, should remain in England to do what God called her to do there (maidservant to others). Boy, did she prove those "in the know" wrong!

Francis Schaeffer

 

[Jon_]

John Calvin - But of course!
Jonathan Edwards - Christian philosophy really begins to come into its own
B. B. Warfield - The most masterful doctrinal analyist since Calvin (tough read, though)
Gordon H. Clark - The greatest Christian philospher since Edwards and altogether exceptionally strong on doctrine; currently my favorite author

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

 

[reformedfan]

isn't stott leaning more toward open theism these days, or is there some other theologian named stott running around spouting heresies?

 

[reformedfan]

B. B. Warfield - The most masterful doctrinal analyist since Calvin (tough read, though)

ya read Van Til first, then ya don't find this so.

AW Pink is great & EZ even if ya skip the Van Til first

 

[Received]

You guys trip me out. Bonhoeffer pwns both, in theology and philosophy (see his Ethics).

 

[Jon_]

ya read Van Til first, then ya don't find this so.

AW Pink is great & EZ even if ya skip the Van Til first

Yeah, I just can't stomach Van Til for the life of me, though. Too many doctrinal errors.

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

 

[HiredGoon]

John Winthrop is one of my reformed heroes, for his strong leadership and inspiring example of christian charity.