Providence and the Pilgrim
Among the records published by Nathaniel Morton in his New-England's Memorial (1669, considered the first history book published in the United States), is a poem by his uncle, the Pilgrim Father William Bradford, about his conversion and life. Morton prefaced the poem thus:Certain verses left by the honored William Bradford, Esq. governor of the jurisdiction of Plimouth, penned by his own hand, declaring the gracious dispensations of God's providence towards him in the time of his life, and his p

Geneva Gin
Some have wondered if Gin got its name somehow from Geneva. In fact, the name of this alcoholic beverage is derived from the French word for juniper, the key ingredient - genévrier. The Dutch ph

Validity of Roman Catholic Baptism
The question of the validity of Roman Catholic baptism has been a thorn in the American Presbyterian Church sinceJames Henley Thornwell in the 19th Century squared off against Charles Hodge in an extensive debate that started on the floor of the Presbyterian (Old School) General Assembly and spilled over later into the Princeton Review, the Watchman and Observer, and the Southern Presbyterian Review. Thornwell rejected Roman Baptism, while Charles Hodge accepted its validity.Before that time, the general consensus of the Reformed Church was that the Roman Catholic Church had indeed become apostate, but was in

The Huguenots
There is a rock band from my hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that caught my eye and ear some time ago. The Huguenots are now residents of Carrboro; their domicile is called "Château Huguenot." They are different than the punk rock band from Boston in the 1990's by the same name. I have not been to any of their concerts; but I like their song "Julia," in particular.The Daily Tar Heel interviewed them in 2008 and the question was asked about their name.Newspaper: Is the band’s naming a historical reference or does it have personal

Caspar Olevianus on the Apostles Creed
On the heels of the first volume of the Classic Reformed Theology series, published earlier this year -- sermons by William Ames based on the Heidelberg Catechism -- comes volume 2, the first-ever English translation of Caspar Olevianus' exposition of the Apostles' Creed, which is available for pre-order now and is expected to be released in January 2010. Thanks to editor R. Scott Clark, translator Lyle D. Bierma and publisher Reformation Heritage Books for making possible this valuable transl