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Ian Clary

Colorado Christian University, School of Theology, Faculty Member

University of the Free State, Theology, Alumnus

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I am Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Colorado Christian University where I focus on the High Middle Ages to the 21st century. I also teach courses in theology, New Testament, World Religions, philosophical theology, and the history of philosophy.
I am also an Associate Research Fellow at the Theological University of Apeldoorn in The Netherlands.
I have a PhD in historical theology from the Jonathan Edwards Center Africa at the University of the Free State (Bloemfontein). My dissertation is titled "Reformed Evangelicalism and the Search for a Usable Past: the Case-study of Arnold Dallimore, pastor-historian" and was published in the Reformed Historical Theology series with Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. In it, I look at the role that faith and theology plays in religious historiography.
I recently published "God Crowns His Own Gifts" Augustine, Grace, and the Monks of Hadrument" (H&E Academic).
I also have master of divinity and master of theology degrees from Toronto Baptist Seminary where I studied under Michael Haykin. My ThM thesis was on the reception history of the patristic period in James Ussher's (1581-1656) christology and sections were published in the "Scottish Journal of Evangelical Theology." I also reproduced a critical edition of his tract, "Immanuel."
Supervisors: Adriaan C. Neele and Michael A. G. Haykin
Address: Lakewood, CO

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Johannes Zachhuber

University of Oxford

Australian Catholic University

Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle

Alejandra B Osorio

Wellesley College

Christ College

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

Ucla

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

University of Florida

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

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Books and Chapters by Ian Clary

The Integration of Faith and Learning

The Integration of Faith and Learning, 2024

This is a contribution that I made to a series of books published ty Colorado Christian Universit... more This is a contribution that I made to a series of books published ty Colorado Christian University's School of Education. I co-authored the book "The Integration of Faith and Learning"; my contribution formed the first half of the book and deals specifically with faith integration in Christian higher education. I look at what both education and faith are, and then spent some time thinking through the way that the student, as a human person, learns reality.

Remembering Revival: Evangelical Historians and the Great Awakening

The Gospel in the Past: Essays on the Historiography of the Evangelical Movement, 2025

This chapter surveys Evangelical interpretations of the Great Awakening, focusing on representive... more This chapter surveys Evangelical interpretations of the Great Awakening, focusing on representive historical interpretations beginning with Jonathan Edwards in the 18th century and concluding with the late Canadian historian, George Rawlyk. It assesses the various approaches and notes the change from more denominational histories to those of academic historians. What is posted is only a sample of the entire chapter.

“Wider Than This One Church” The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada, 1953–1970

Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism, 1878–1978, 2022

Chapter in a book on Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism. I look at the precursor to the founding of ... more Chapter in a book on Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism. I look at the precursor to the founding of the Fellowship Baptist denomination, particularly the debates involving TT Shields. The Fellowship was founded after a number of splinter groups, disenfranchised with Shields' rhetoric, opted to pursue church unity. Published in association with the Canadian Baptist Historical Society. Book edited by Paul R. Wilson and Taylor Murray.

God Crowns His Own Gifts: Augustine, Grace, and the Monks of Hadrumetum

H&E Academic, 2021

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was the model pastor-theologian who both defended orthodox theology ... more Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was the model pastor-theologian who both defended orthodox theology from heresy and shepherded those under his care as bishop. During the Pelagian controversy we see this clearly illustrated in his defense of predestination against radical affirmations of the freedom of the will. However, during the so-called “semi-Pelagian” controversy Augustine demonstrated his pastoral sensitivity wherein he articulated a view of the will that did not absolve humans of their moral responsibility before God. Late in his ministry he was led to address the concerns of a group of unwitting monks in Hadrumetum who feared that his earlier view of grace and predestination made humans mere automatons. With great care he showed that humans were indeed free moral agents, even if their wills were bound by sin and requiring of saving grace. With this balance we see Augustine, without contradiction, strenuously defend predestination against the Pelagians and affirm the freedom of the will in dialogue with the monks of Hadrumetum. This is well illustrated in a selection of his anti-Pelagian writings, namely his Letter 194 to Pope Sixtus and in the series of writings to the monks of Hadrumetum. In this book Ian Clary relates these works with the aim of elucidating the twofold role of Augustine as pastor-theologian: a fierce defender of orthodoxy and a humble teacher of the faith.

"The Centre of Christianity--The Doctrine of the Cross": Andrew Fuller as a Reformed Theologian

Understanding Andrew Fuller Volume 1: Life, Thought, and Legacies (H&E Publishing), 2021

I re-revaluate the eighteenth-century Baptist theologian Andrew Fuller's doctrine of the atonemen... more

Reformed Evangelicalism and the Search for a Usable Past: The Historiography of Arnold Dallimore, Pastor-Historian

Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020

The question of how theology shapes a Christian historian’s reading of the past has been debated ... more The question of how theology shapes a Christian historian’s reading of the past has been debated thoroughly in various academic periodicals. Should historians recognise the role of providence in their accounts of past events? Should they sympathise with their subject’s theology? Can objectivity be lost due to theological bias? And, last but not least, is there a compromise of faith if one writes “natural” instead of “supernatural” history? Such questions are important for understanding the historian’s profession. Arnold Dallimore, who trained and specialised in pastoral ministry in Canada, wrote an influential biography of the revivalist George Whitefield, as well as others on Charles and Susanna Wesley, Edward Irving, and Charles Spurgeon. How did his Reformed theological perspective impact his historiography? How does his work fit into larger historiographical debates concerning the nature of Christian history? While other books look at Christian historiography using abstract and methodological approaches, this book examines the subject precisely by looking at the life and work of an individual historian. It does so by placing Dallimore in the context of being a minister in twentieth-century Canada as well as his role in the development of Reformed Theology in the Anglosphere. It also examines the quality of his various biographies focusing on key issues such as the nature of religious revival, the problem of Christianity and slavery, and the question of charismatic religious experience. His study concludes by examining the relationship between the discipline and profession of church history and asking what is required for one to be considered a church historian.

Arnold Dallimore: Whitefield's Champion

Making Evangelical History: Faith, Scholarship and the Evangelical Past (Routledge Studies in Evangelicalism), 2019

I explore the historiography of Arnold Dallimore, famous biographer of George Whitefield, Charles... more

Once For All Delivered to the Saints: Essays on the History of the Christian Faith in Honor of Gerald L. Priest

Festschrift for Dr. Gerald Priest that I co-edited with Michael Haykin and Allen Mickle. In the M... more

"A catholic spirit": George Whitefield's Dispute with the Erskines in Scotland

"A New Divinity: Transatlantic Reformed Debates During the Long Eighteenth Century," Mark Jones and Michael A. G. Haykin, eds., Sep 2018

Controversy often followed the itinerant ministry of the transatlantic revivalist George Whitefie... more Controversy often followed the itinerant ministry of the transatlantic revivalist George Whitefield. Whether it involved his dispute with Wesleyan Methodists over predestination, or his challenges to what he termed “unconverted ministers,” Whitefield, especially in his youth, courted controversy and even welcomed it. However, after his first preaching trip to Scotland Whitefield found himself on the receiving end of serious criticism by ministers of the Associate Presbytery, many of whom, like the brothers Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine, he once counted as friends. As their dispute over ecclesiology grew more heated, Whitefield himself cooled in his taste for debate – it was at this time that he began to negotiate a truce with John Wesley, and softened in his critiques of Anglican clergy. Clary’s chapter outlines the nature of Whitefield’s relationship to the Associate Presbytery, his own developing ecclesiological convictions, and the resulting controversy that ensued upon his refusal to limit his preaching to their churches only, in neglect of
Church of Scotland pulpits.

“Melting the Ice of a Long Winter”: Revival and Irish Dissent

Pentecostal Outpourings: Revival and the Reformed Tradition, 2016

Chapter on the history of revival in Ireland and its relationship with Irish Dissent from a book ... more

Otis Robinson - 1764-1835

Draft of a chapter on New Hampshire Baptist Otis Robinson (1764-1835) for the series in American ... more

"O God of Battles": The Canadian Baptist Experience of the Great War

Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2014

Chapter co-written with Michael Haykin that looks at Canadian Baptist responses to World War I.

The Pure Flame of Devotion: The History of Christian Spirituality: Essays in Honour of Michael A. G. Haykin

H&E Publishing, 2013

A Festschrift that I co-edited in honour of Michael A. G. Haykin. Chapters deal with the history ... more

"Rivers of Living Water": Celebrating 125 Years of Hughson Street Baptist Church, Hamilton, Ontario, 1887-2012

"O Lord, Thy Word is Settled in Heaven": A Celebration of the History of Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 1920-2013

Journal Articles by Ian Clary

'Newgating' Scrupulous Conscienses: Thomas Delaune (d. 1685), the First Irish Baptist

Reformation Today , Oct 2024

This brief article looks at the life and sufferings of the 17th century Irish Baptist Thomas Dela... more

'The First Care of Government': John Gill on the Magistrate and the Church

The Hanover Review, Mar 2024

In this article I examine the political theology of the eighteenth-century English Particular Bap... more In this article I examine the political theology of the eighteenth-century English Particular Baptist theologian John Gill, showing that he had a higher view of the role civil magistrate in relation to the church than the standard 'separation of church and state' narrative amongst American Baptists might allow. I set Gill in relation to the major Baptist confessions and show his basic congruity with them.

John Gill on Theonomy

9Marks Journal, Apr 28, 2023

This brief article looks at the claims of theonomists like Greg Bahnsen, Gary North, and Joe Boot... more This brief article looks at the claims of theonomists like Greg Bahnsen, Gary North, and Joe Boot about the supposed "neutrality" of Christian natural law theory. I respond by looking at the eighteenth-century Baptist theologian John Gill and his use of natural law to show that theonomists have seriously misunderstood natural law theory as it is used in the Reformed tradition.

John Gill (1697-1771) on the Magistrate and the Church

Reformation Today, Oct 2022

This essay situates the eighteenth-century English Baptist stalwart John Gill and his political t... more

‘Not the Same God’: Alexander Carson (1776-1844) and the Ulster Trinitarian Controversy

Perichoresis: The Theological Journal of Emanuel University, 2022

The impact of the Salters' Hall Synod went beyond its immediate context in England and spread thr... more The impact of the Salters' Hall Synod went beyond its immediate context in England and spread throughout the British Isles and into Ireland. Ulster Presbyterianism was wracked with debate over confessional subscriptionism and Unitarianism. Two key interlocutors in this debate were the Unitarian theologian William Hamilton Drummond and his orthodox counterpart, Alexander Carson. This essay traces the debate with a particular emphasis on their use of Scottish Common Sense philosophy as a way into or out of heterodox views of the Trinity.

The Integration of Faith and Learning

The Integration of Faith and Learning, 2024

This is a contribution that I made to a series of books published ty Colorado Christian Universit... more This is a contribution that I made to a series of books published ty Colorado Christian University's School of Education. I co-authored the book "The Integration of Faith and Learning"; my contribution formed the first half of the book and deals specifically with faith integration in Christian higher education. I look at what both education and faith are, and then spent some time thinking through the way that the student, as a human person, learns reality.

Remembering Revival: Evangelical Historians and the Great Awakening

The Gospel in the Past: Essays on the Historiography of the Evangelical Movement, 2025

This chapter surveys Evangelical interpretations of the Great Awakening, focusing on representive... more This chapter surveys Evangelical interpretations of the Great Awakening, focusing on representive historical interpretations beginning with Jonathan Edwards in the 18th century and concluding with the late Canadian historian, George Rawlyk. It assesses the various approaches and notes the change from more denominational histories to those of academic historians. What is posted is only a sample of the entire chapter.

“Wider Than This One Church” The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada, 1953–1970

Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism, 1878–1978, 2022

Chapter in a book on Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism. I look at the precursor to the founding of ... more Chapter in a book on Canadian Baptist Fundamentalism. I look at the precursor to the founding of the Fellowship Baptist denomination, particularly the debates involving TT Shields. The Fellowship was founded after a number of splinter groups, disenfranchised with Shields' rhetoric, opted to pursue church unity. Published in association with the Canadian Baptist Historical Society. Book edited by Paul R. Wilson and Taylor Murray.

God Crowns His Own Gifts: Augustine, Grace, and the Monks of Hadrumetum

H&E Academic, 2021

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was the model pastor-theologian who both defended orthodox theology ... more Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was the model pastor-theologian who both defended orthodox theology from heresy and shepherded those under his care as bishop. During the Pelagian controversy we see this clearly illustrated in his defense of predestination against radical affirmations of the freedom of the will. However, during the so-called “semi-Pelagian” controversy Augustine demonstrated his pastoral sensitivity wherein he articulated a view of the will that did not absolve humans of their moral responsibility before God. Late in his ministry he was led to address the concerns of a group of unwitting monks in Hadrumetum who feared that his earlier view of grace and predestination made humans mere automatons. With great care he showed that humans were indeed free moral agents, even if their wills were bound by sin and requiring of saving grace. With this balance we see Augustine, without contradiction, strenuously defend predestination against the Pelagians and affirm the freedom of the will in dialogue with the monks of Hadrumetum. This is well illustrated in a selection of his anti-Pelagian writings, namely his Letter 194 to Pope Sixtus and in the series of writings to the monks of Hadrumetum. In this book Ian Clary relates these works with the aim of elucidating the twofold role of Augustine as pastor-theologian: a fierce defender of orthodoxy and a humble teacher of the faith.

"The Centre of Christianity--The Doctrine of the Cross": Andrew Fuller as a Reformed Theologian

Understanding Andrew Fuller Volume 1: Life, Thought, and Legacies (H&E Publishing), 2021

I re-revaluate the eighteenth-century Baptist theologian Andrew Fuller's doctrine of the atonemen... more

Reformed Evangelicalism and the Search for a Usable Past: The Historiography of Arnold Dallimore, Pastor-Historian

Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020

The question of how theology shapes a Christian historian’s reading of the past has been debated ... more The question of how theology shapes a Christian historian’s reading of the past has been debated thoroughly in various academic periodicals. Should historians recognise the role of providence in their accounts of past events? Should they sympathise with their subject’s theology? Can objectivity be lost due to theological bias? And, last but not least, is there a compromise of faith if one writes “natural” instead of “supernatural” history? Such questions are important for understanding the historian’s profession. Arnold Dallimore, who trained and specialised in pastoral ministry in Canada, wrote an influential biography of the revivalist George Whitefield, as well as others on Charles and Susanna Wesley, Edward Irving, and Charles Spurgeon. How did his Reformed theological perspective impact his historiography? How does his work fit into larger historiographical debates concerning the nature of Christian history? While other books look at Christian historiography using abstract and methodological approaches, this book examines the subject precisely by looking at the life and work of an individual historian. It does so by placing Dallimore in the context of being a minister in twentieth-century Canada as well as his role in the development of Reformed Theology in the Anglosphere. It also examines the quality of his various biographies focusing on key issues such as the nature of religious revival, the problem of Christianity and slavery, and the question of charismatic religious experience. His study concludes by examining the relationship between the discipline and profession of church history and asking what is required for one to be considered a church historian.

Arnold Dallimore: Whitefield's Champion

Making Evangelical History: Faith, Scholarship and the Evangelical Past (Routledge Studies in Evangelicalism), 2019

I explore the historiography of Arnold Dallimore, famous biographer of George Whitefield, Charles... more

Once For All Delivered to the Saints: Essays on the History of the Christian Faith in Honor of Gerald L. Priest

Festschrift for Dr. Gerald Priest that I co-edited with Michael Haykin and Allen Mickle. In the M... more

"A catholic spirit": George Whitefield's Dispute with the Erskines in Scotland

"A New Divinity: Transatlantic Reformed Debates During the Long Eighteenth Century," Mark Jones and Michael A. G. Haykin, eds., Sep 2018

Controversy often followed the itinerant ministry of the transatlantic revivalist George Whitefie... more Controversy often followed the itinerant ministry of the transatlantic revivalist George Whitefield. Whether it involved his dispute with Wesleyan Methodists over predestination, or his challenges to what he termed “unconverted ministers,” Whitefield, especially in his youth, courted controversy and even welcomed it. However, after his first preaching trip to Scotland Whitefield found himself on the receiving end of serious criticism by ministers of the Associate Presbytery, many of whom, like the brothers Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine, he once counted as friends. As their dispute over ecclesiology grew more heated, Whitefield himself cooled in his taste for debate – it was at this time that he began to negotiate a truce with John Wesley, and softened in his critiques of Anglican clergy. Clary’s chapter outlines the nature of Whitefield’s relationship to the Associate Presbytery, his own developing ecclesiological convictions, and the resulting controversy that ensued upon his refusal to limit his preaching to their churches only, in neglect of
Church of Scotland pulpits.

“Melting the Ice of a Long Winter”: Revival and Irish Dissent

Pentecostal Outpourings: Revival and the Reformed Tradition, 2016

Chapter on the history of revival in Ireland and its relationship with Irish Dissent from a book ... more

Otis Robinson - 1764-1835

Draft of a chapter on New Hampshire Baptist Otis Robinson (1764-1835) for the series in American ... more

"O God of Battles": The Canadian Baptist Experience of the Great War

Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2014

Chapter co-written with Michael Haykin that looks at Canadian Baptist responses to World War I.

The Pure Flame of Devotion: The History of Christian Spirituality: Essays in Honour of Michael A. G. Haykin

H&E Publishing, 2013

A Festschrift that I co-edited in honour of Michael A. G. Haykin. Chapters deal with the history ... more

"Rivers of Living Water": Celebrating 125 Years of Hughson Street Baptist Church, Hamilton, Ontario, 1887-2012

"O Lord, Thy Word is Settled in Heaven": A Celebration of the History of Mount Pleasant Road Baptist Church, 1920-2013

'Newgating' Scrupulous Conscienses: Thomas Delaune (d. 1685), the First Irish Baptist

Reformation Today , Oct 2024

This brief article looks at the life and sufferings of the 17th century Irish Baptist Thomas Dela... more

'The First Care of Government': John Gill on the Magistrate and the Church

The Hanover Review, Mar 2024

In this article I examine the political theology of the eighteenth-century English Particular Bap... more In this article I examine the political theology of the eighteenth-century English Particular Baptist theologian John Gill, showing that he had a higher view of the role civil magistrate in relation to the church than the standard 'separation of church and state' narrative amongst American Baptists might allow. I set Gill in relation to the major Baptist confessions and show his basic congruity with them.

John Gill on Theonomy

9Marks Journal, Apr 28, 2023

This brief article looks at the claims of theonomists like Greg Bahnsen, Gary North, and Joe Boot... more This brief article looks at the claims of theonomists like Greg Bahnsen, Gary North, and Joe Boot about the supposed "neutrality" of Christian natural law theory. I respond by looking at the eighteenth-century Baptist theologian John Gill and his use of natural law to show that theonomists have seriously misunderstood natural law theory as it is used in the Reformed tradition.

John Gill (1697-1771) on the Magistrate and the Church

Reformation Today, Oct 2022

This essay situates the eighteenth-century English Baptist stalwart John Gill and his political t... more

‘Not the Same God’: Alexander Carson (1776-1844) and the Ulster Trinitarian Controversy

Perichoresis: The Theological Journal of Emanuel University, 2022

The impact of the Salters' Hall Synod went beyond its immediate context in England and spread thr... more The impact of the Salters' Hall Synod went beyond its immediate context in England and spread throughout the British Isles and into Ireland. Ulster Presbyterianism was wracked with debate over confessional subscriptionism and Unitarianism. Two key interlocutors in this debate were the Unitarian theologian William Hamilton Drummond and his orthodox counterpart, Alexander Carson. This essay traces the debate with a particular emphasis on their use of Scottish Common Sense philosophy as a way into or out of heterodox views of the Trinity.

"Conjugal Union": John Gill on Christian Marriage

Southern Baptist Journal of Theology , 2021

A survey of the 18th century English Particular Baptist John Gill (1697-1771) and his view of Chr... more A survey of the 18th century English Particular Baptist John Gill (1697-1771) and his view of Christian marriage. The essay starts by briefly surveying Gill's life before it turns to his view of marriage, drawn predominantly from "Body of Divinity," though with an eye to relevant biblical commentary. To illustrate his teaching, the study relates Gill's views on marriage to his own to Elizabeth. Though Gill is often thought of as a stern Calvinist, he is remarkably balanced and kind in his treatment of this important topic.

"The Centre of Christianity -- The Doctrine of the Cross": Andrew Fuller as a Reformed Theologian

Evangelical Quarterly, 2019

Studies of Andrew Fuller on the atonement typically focus on the question of whether or not he wa... more Studies of Andrew Fuller on the atonement typically focus on the question of whether or not he was influenced by the New Divinity of the followers of Jonathan Edwards in America. With the recent scholarly interest focusing on hypothetical universalism as a common view of the atonement amongst the Reformed Orthodox, evaluations of Reformed theologians like Fuller are appropriate. This article examines whether or not Fuller's view of the atonement fits within the diverse views of the Reformed on this subject in light of growing understanding of the movement’s diversity. It concludes that though Fuller made some changes in his language between editions of The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, his theology of the atonement is within the bounds of Reformed Orthodoxy on the atonement as expressed at the Synod of Dordt.

"By Piety in Prayer": Augustine and the Preaching of Scripture

Reformation Today, 2018

Draws from Augustine's thoughts on preaching from Book 4 of his De Doctrina. Article is written f... more

Ancient Evangelism: Lessons on Sharing the Faith from Basil of Caesarea

A look at Basil of Caesarea's work "Exhortation to Holy Baptism" and the lessons for evangelism i... more

Ignatius of Antioch: Bishop, Theologian, and the Apologist of Life and Death

Fides et Humilitas: The Journal of the Center for Ancient Christian Studies, Feb 2016

Biographical introduction to the life and thought of Ignatius of Antioch.

Evangelical Historiography: The Debate Over Christian History

Evangelical Quarterly , 2015

Traces the history of the debate over how to write history from a Christian perspective. It offer... more

Remembering Arnold and May Dallimore

Banner of Truth Magazine, 2015

Looking at the life of historian Arnold Dallimore and his wife May Dallimore upon her death.

Throwing Away the Guns: Andrew Fuller, William Ward and the Communion Controversy in the Baptist Missionary Society

Foundations: An International Journal of Evangelical Theology, Jul 2015

Since the Baptists first emerged in seventeenth-century England the question of open vs. closed c... more Since the Baptists first emerged in seventeenth-century England the question of open vs. closed communion has been strongly debated. The majority of Baptists in history were closed communion, believing that only those who have been baptised by immersion on profession of faith should be admitted to the table. This debate had the potential to ruin the Baptist Missionary Society in the eighteenth century. Were it not for the friendship of men like Andrew Fuller and William Ward, who were on opposing ends of the controversy, and their shared sense of mission, the society may have been derailed. This essay traces the history of the debate in early Baptist history and pays particular attention to the BMS. It concludes with brief thoughts on how differences over important doctrines can be handled in the church today.

Arnold Dallimore on George Whitefield (SBJT Forum)

Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 18.2, 2014

Forum section of Southern Baptist Journal of Theology dedicated to the subject of "George Whitefi... more

Pastor-Historian: Arnold Dallimore and the Writing of Whitefield

Reformed Theological Review 73.2, 2014

Arnold Dallimore is well-known for his two-volume biography of evangelist George Whitefield. This... more Arnold Dallimore is well-known for his two-volume biography of evangelist George Whitefield. This essay explores Dallimore's own personal biography, his growing up in impoverished conditions in Depression-era Canada, his education at Toronto Baptist Seminary, his various ministerial challenges, and the factors involved in writing his magnum opus. It is written towards encouraging other "ordinary pastors" to be used of God in their own life situation, whether or not to do something extraordinary, in Dallimore's case, but to always be faithful to their calling.

The Born Again Preacher: George Whitefield on the New Birth

Credo Magazine 4.3, Jul 2014

Part of Credo's celebration of the tercentenary of George Whitefield's birth. Examines Whitefield... more

"Celebrate the Perfections of Our Common Standard": Alexander Carson (1776-1844) and the Supremacy of Scripture

Journal of Baptist Studies, Jun 2, 2014

Explores how Alexander Carson of Tobermore, Northern Ireland, defended the inspiration of Scriptu... more

Andrew Fuller and Closed Communion (SBJT Forum)

Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 17.1, 2013

Answers the question: "Where did Andrew Fuller stand on the issue of closed communion?"

"The Conduit to Conveigh Life": James Ussher's Immanuel and Patristic Christology

Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 30.2, 2012

This article is a summary of the thesis on the same subject that I completed under the supervisio... more

Visiting Mrs. May Dallimore

Grace Magazine, Feb 2012

An article I published on 2012, after I interviewed Mrs. Dallimore about her late husband, Arnold... more

The Jonathan Edwards Encyclopedia

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2017

Contributed entries on Francis Turretin, John Flavel, Samuel Buell, etc.

Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States

Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, 2016

I contributed almost 30 entries to this 5 volume encyclopedia on subjects such as Bishop John Str... more I contributed almost 30 entries to this 5 volume encyclopedia on subjects such as Bishop John Strachan, James Edwin Orr, Perry Miller, presuppositionalism, Philip Schaff, Joseph Addison Alexander, Donald Grey Barnhouse, Albert C. Outler, etc. Entries on "Burton, Ernest DeWitt" and "Dooyeweerd, Herman," posted as examples.

Five Biographies

The CCU Review of Books, Culture, Media, Life, 2023

This is a review essay that I published where I describe my five favourite Christian biographies ... more This is a review essay that I published where I describe my five favourite Christian biographies and why I think they are important. These are: Peter Brown's biography of Augustine; Faith Cook's biography of Lady Jane Grey; George Marsden's biography of Jonathan Edwards; Michael Haykin's biography of John Sutfliff; and Arnold Dallimore's two volume biography of George Whitefield.

After Humanity (Michael Ward)

The CCU Review, 2023

My popular review of Michael Ward's helpful book "After Humanity," his commentary on C. S. Lewis'... more

The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope for Society (Joseph Boot)

Mere Orthodoxy, Jan 2022

I offer a critical review taking issue with Boot's claim that the Theonomists/Christian Reconstru... more

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (Carl Trueman)

The CCU Review, 2021

My popular-level review of Carl Trueman's helpful book "The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self."

Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan)

The CCU Review, 2020

A brief, popular review of John Bunyan's classic work of allegory, Pilgrim's Progress.

Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father (Thomas Kidd)

Religious Studies Review, 2019

Review of Kidd's excellent spiritual biography of Franklin.

Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography (Herman Selderhuis)

My review of Herman Selderhuis' excellent biography of Martin Luther.

Christian Historiography: Five Rival Versions (Jay D. Green)

Themelios, 2016

My review of Jay D. Green's helpful book on Christian historiography.

Christian Reconstruction: R. J. Rushdoony and American Religious Conservatism (Michael J. McVicar)

My review of Michael J. McVicar's excellent book on Rousas John Rushdoony.

Review: Princeton Seminary (1812-1929): Its Leaders, Lives, and Works (Gary Steward)

Churchman

Review of Gary Steward's helpful introduction to the life and spirituality of the figures involve... more

Anne Steele and her Spiritual Vision (Priscilla Wong)

My review of Priscilla Wong's study of the Baptist poetess Anne Steele's (1717-1778) poetry and h... more

Review: Christology Ancient and Modern (Oliver Crisp and Fred Sanders)

Review of a recent book on Christology taken from papers from the Los Angeles Theology Conference.

Review: George Whitefield: America's Spiritual Founding Father (Thomas S. Kidd)

A review of Thomas S. Kidd's biography of the eighteenth-century revivalist George Whitefield.

Love Wins (Rob Bell)

Credo Magazine, 2011

A short, popular review that I wrote in Credo Magazine of Rob Bell's controversial book "Love Wins."

Through Western Eyes (Robert Letham)

Review of Robert Letham's book on Eastern Orthodoxy from a Reformed Christian perspective.

Review: Paradox in Christian Theology by James Anderson

Hope's Reason: A Journal of Apologetics 3.1, 2012

Why Catholics Are Right (Michael Coren)

Credo Magazine Online, 2012

Review of Michael Coren's apologetic for Roman Catholicism. I show why he does not make a good case.

The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith (Peter Hitchens)

Hope's Reason: A Journal of Apologetics, Aug 2011

My review of Peter Hitchens' excellent book on atheism. Published in "Hope's Reason: A Journal of... more

Christology: A Guide for the Perplexed (Alan Spence)

DiscerningReader.com, 2010

Review of Alan Spence's introduction to Christology.

The Fracture of Faith (Douglas Vickers)

Eusebeia: The Bulletin of the Jonathan Edwards Centre for Biblical Spirituality, Nov 2004

A review I wrote as I was just getting into theological writing. This is of Douglas Vickers' intr... more

Thoughts on Genesis 9:6 and the First Table of the Law

The London Lyceum, Nov 28, 2022

After the debate on political theology between Jonathan Leeman and Brad Littlejohn co-hosted by t... more After the debate on political theology between Jonathan Leeman and Brad Littlejohn co-hosted by the Davenant Institute and Colorado Christian University I had a number of questions. One had to do with Dr. Leeman's argument, from Genesis 9:6, and the magistrates' duty to only police the second table of the decalogue. It seemed to me that this text actually argues that the entire decalogue should inform a magistrate's political agenda. I use the English Baptist John Gill for help in thinking this question through.

"Ill-Advised Zeal for Righteousness": Calvin and the Awfully Divisive Person in Your Church

TGC Canada, 2020

In Book Four of the Institutes of the Christian Religion the Reformer John Calvin discusses the n... more In Book Four of the Institutes of the Christian Religion the Reformer John Calvin discusses the nature of the church. In it, he gets into the nature of church unity and focuses in on divisive people who are never satisfied with their churches. This blogpost is written to encourage pastors who are dealing with this issue.

Biographers of Whitefield: Arnold Dallimore (AFCBS Audio)

Talk on Arnold Dallimore as a biographer of Whitefield for the annual Andrew Fuller Center for Ba... more

Interview on The Confessing Baptist about "Pure Flame of Devotion" book

Interview with Mark Jones

Throwing Away the Guns: Andrew Fuller, William Ward, and the Communion Controversy in the Baptist Missionary Society

Alexander Carson: Jonathan Edwards of the Nineteenth Century

Remembering Revival, Evangelicals and Their Past

Ian Clary (PhD, University of the Free State) lectures for Baylor University's Institute for Stud... more

Interview with Steve Weaver about Dallimore

Conversations with Friends About Church History, 2020

Steve Weaver interviews me on his podcast "Conversations with Friends about Church History" about... more

Martin Luther and the German Reformation

Lecture delivered at Munster Bible College, Cork, Ireland, as the first annual Thomas Delaune Lec... more

Apologetics Lecture 2 - Apologetics: What Is It?

Munster Bible College, Jan 2014

Lecture I gave at Munster Bible College, Cork, Ireland, on the nature of Christian apologetics.

Church History 2 - Reformation to Present.pdf

My syllabus for Church History 2 - Reformation to Present for Redeemer University College, Ancast... more

SPF510-A – Spiritual Disciplines for Great Tradition Christians

Syllabus for Spiritual Disciplines course taught at Heritage College and Seminary, Cambridge, ON.

HIS/REL 315 - Early and Medieval Church History

Syllabus for Early and Medieval Church History at Redeemer University College, Ancaster, ON.

Apologetics - Munster Bible College, Cork, Ireland - 2014

Syllabus for intensive course in apologetics taught at Munster Bible College, Cork, Ireland, in 2... more

Church History II - 1300 to the Present

Syllabus for Church History II - 1300 to the Present for Aletheia Bible Institute, Vancouver, BC ... more

I Clary Van Den Brink Common Descent ASA

Gijsbert van den Brink's forthcoming book "Reformed Theology and Evolutionary Theory" (Eerdmans, ... more

O God of Battles

3. “A catholic spirit”: George Whitefield’s Dispute with the Erskines in Scotland

Arnold Dallimore (1911-1996): Reformed Evangeliscalism and the search for a usable past

Pastor-Historian: Arnold Dallimore and the Writing of Whitefield

Reformed theological review, 2014

Arnold Dallimore is well-known for his two-volume biography of evangelist George Whitefield. This... more Arnold Dallimore is well-known for his two-volume biography of evangelist George Whitefield. This essay explores Dallimore's own personal biography, his growing up in impoverished conditions in Depression-era Canada, his education at Toronto Baptist Seminary, his various ministerial challenges, and the factors involved in writing his magnum opus. It is written towards encouraging other "ordinary pastors" to be used of God in their own life situation, whether or not to do something extraordinary, in Dallimore's case, but to always be faithful to their calling.

Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States

I contributed almost 30 entries to this 5 volume encyclopedia on subjects such as Bishop John Str... more I contributed almost 30 entries to this 5 volume encyclopedia on subjects such as Bishop John Strachan, James Edwin Orr, Perry Miller, presuppositionalism, Philip Schaff, Joseph Addison Alexander, Donald Grey Barnhouse, Albert C. Outler, etc. Entries on &quot;Burton, Ernest DeWitt&quot; and &quot;Dooyeweerd, Herman,&quot; posted as examples.

Reformed Evangelicalism and the Search for a Usable Past

‘The centre of Christianity—the doctrine of the cross’: Andrew Fuller as a Reformed Theologian

Evangelical Quarterly, 2019

Studies of Andrew Fuller on the atonement typically focus on the question of whether or not he wa... more Studies of Andrew Fuller on the atonement typically focus on the question of whether or not he was influenced by the New Divinity of the followers of Jonathan Edwards in America. With the recent scholarly interest focusing on hypothetical universalism as a common view of the atonement amongst the Reformed Orthodox, evaluations of Reformed theologians like Fuller are appropriate. This article examines whether or not Fuller’s view of the atonement fits within the diverse views of the Reformed on this subject in light of growing understanding of the movement’s diversity. It concludes that though Fuller made some changes in his language between editions of The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, his theology of the atonement is within the bounds of Reformed Orthodoxy on the atonement as expressed at the Synod of Dordt.

Evangelical Historiography: The Debate over Christian History

Evangelical Quarterly, 2015

The debate over Christian history has at times been acrimonious with those advocating the ‘supern... more The debate over Christian history has at times been acrimonious with those advocating the ‘supernaturalist’ approach accusing profession historians of compromise, and the ‘naturalist’ historians accusing the providential historians of sub-academic standards. Is there an approach that can appropriate the best of both without pointing accusatory fingers? This essay traces this debate in detail and offers a third way to approach history as a Christian that is grounded in Scripture and takes into account the audience an historian writes for.

Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father. By Thomas S. Kidd. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2018. Pp. 278; plates. N.p

Religious Studies Review, 2019

Review of Kidd&#39;s excellent spiritual biography of Franklin.

Christian historiography. Five rival versions. By Jay D. Green. Pp. xv + 236. Waco: Baylor University, 2015. $34.95 (paper). 978 1 4813 0263 0

The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 2017

Christian Reconstruction: R.J. Rushdoony and American Religious Conservatism, written by Michael J. McVicar

Church History and Religious Culture, 2015

to make an impact on policy. Holman demonstrates that this is not the case and that women's issue... more

‘Not the Same God’: Alexander Carson (1776-1844) and the Ulster Trinitarian Controversy

Perichoresis

The impact of the Salters’ Hall Synod went beyond its immediate context in England and spread thr... more The impact of the Salters’ Hall Synod went beyond its immediate context in England and spread throughout the British Isles and into Ireland. Ulster Presbyterianism was wracked with debate over confessional subscriptionism and Unitarianism. Two key interlocutors in this debate were the Unitarian theologian William Hamilton Drummond and his orthodox counterpart, Alexander Carson. This essay traces the debate with a particular emphasis on their use of Scottish Common Sense philosophy as a way into or out of heterodox views of the Trinity.

Canadian Churches and the First World War

Journal of Beliefs & Values, 2014

As we move past the centenary of the start of the First World War, increasing concern is being ex... more

Arnold Dallimore