On February 1, 2009, Dr. Philip G. Ryken, Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, preached a sermon, focused on Calvinistic church planting, at my ordination. You can find this message here .
On February 16, 2009 Dr. Ryken preached a message on Church Planting for Calvinists at Westminster Theological Seminary’s Mission’s Conference. You can listen to the WTS missions Conference message here

Just an up-date on my previous post. You can download Michael Horton’s Ph.D. dissertation on Thomas Goodwin and the Doctrine of Assurance here.

We recently interviewed Dr. Guy Waters, Associate Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, with regard to N.T. Wright’s newest work, Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision . Because of the importance of this book and the nuance of the arguments contained in it we spent two hours to discuss and critique. You can listen to the first part of this interview here .

David Porter, over at A Boomer in the Pew , is holding a giveaway, for a free calf skin ESV, that ends March 16, 2009. You can find out more here .

If you are interested in British doctoral dissertations you will want to check this out. This is a British web-site that makes dissertations available for free (when downloaded electronically). Sadly, they do not have access to Oxford or Cambridge dissertations. There are other libraries that are not participating at this point. Some dissertations are available for immediate download, but you will find many others that have not been digitalized yet. However, if you order the latter, they promise to digitalize them and send them to you …

Darryl G. Hart weighs in on the Scot McKnight incident over at Old Life.  Hart, a proud warrior child, is dead set on recovering the Old Presbyterianism, but he wants to do it without becoming hip in the process.  I don’t know Darryl, you might look pretty slick with a soul patch.  Come on, Darryl, let’s take our trendy facial hair and transform the world of fine tobacco together.

If you get a chance check out the web pamphlet for the 2009 Banner of Truth Conference. Sinclair Ferguson’s lectures look especially interesting. If you can make it, you should absolutely go to the Banner Conference.

When I was an intern at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, I had the privilege of working with Dr. David Apple and the mercy ministry outreach. From a youth, my dad frequently took me to nursing homes where he would help lead worship services. John H. Skilton, late Professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, introduced my father to this great need. John visited almost every nursing home in Philadelphia. He left a testimony of real desire to see the kingdom of God advance in the lives …

Our three part series on the superadded gift (SG) was pretty difficult and challenging. This was especially true in our small group study but we’re still friends despite any differences as we wrestle through Bavinck’s analysis and (to quote Thomas Watson) the treachery of our own hearts. This post briefly recaps and reflects on Bavinck’s main points on the superadded gift.

Here are the complete audio files from the 2008 Together for Adoption Conference, together with some audio files on the subject of adoption given at various locations:

Jason Kovacs and Maridel Sandberg – “Conference Welcome and the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ Vision for Orphan Ministry “
Dan Cruver – “Adoption in God’s Story of Redemption “
Rick Phillips – “The Good News of Adoption “
Carl Robbins – “Adoption and the Multi-Ethnic Family of God “
Tullian Tchividjian – “Our Adoption and Visiting Orphans in Their Affliction “

Sermons by Dan Cruver, Director of Together for …

In an interesting move, Westminster Theological Seminary has just announced G. K. Beale as an adjunct professor  from 2009-2012. Professor Beale’s first course for Westminster will be “The New Testament Use of the Old,” scheduled for academic year 2009/2010.
You can hear Dr. Beale on Christ the Center speaking about his new book The Erosion of Inerrancy in Evangelicalism.

OldLife.org is the latest addition to the Reformed Forum network. Darryl Hart and John Muether founded the Old Life Theological Society several years ago to point the way back to the health and vigor of historic Reformed Protestantism. The Society is the sponsor of the Nicotine Theological Journal, a quarterly dedicated to Reformed faith and practice.  We’re pleased to welcome the Old Life Society to the network. Hart has posted the NTJ’s defining editorial at the new site and back issues of the NTJ should be available in the …

William Still, in his short commentary on the book of Galatians, explained–in the most vivid way–the reality of the division God sets between redeemed man and the fallen world on account of Christ crucified. He wrote:
We like to think of the double crucifixion, envisaged here, in theatrical terms. There stand the world, and there stand I, and between us stands the cross. Viewed from the world’s side I am crossed out, because branded with that hateful cross the world has no time for me. Viewed from my side the …

The second introduction, or the second feature of the introduction, of the book of Revelation is actually a Triune salutation. John writes:
“Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits before the throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and freed from our sin with His own blood and has made us kings and priests to our …

I really do regret the fact that I was not able to be a panelist when the CTC crew had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Richard Gaffin to talk about the very important, and dare I say ‘controversial’, topic of  Sanctification and the Gospel. If you have an hour to listen to a very interesting interview, you should download this particular episode.

The introduction to the book of Revelation is of supreme importance if we are ever to come to a right understanding of its content. There are actually two introductions. The first comes in verse 1:1-4. The book opens with these words:
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even …

Phil Ryken has a very helpful post, over at Reformation 21, in which he points out the significance of the title of Darwin’s magnum opus The Origin of the Species . The subtitle?  The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life . In this post Dr. Ryken shows that there is an underlying premise of racism in Darwin’s Origin of the species . You can read Dr. Ryken’s post here .

Students of Jonathan Edwards are aware of his concern for true religious affections. His treatise on the Religious Affections has become a classic of Christian literature. It should be noted that the notion of affections could be easily misunderstood. For Edwards, an affection was the response of the will to an idea in the intellect. In other words, affections are not to be reduced to emotions. As I read some scholars, I get the impression that this is what they think. In other words, …

It is my pleasure to announce the republication of Rev. Dr. Carl W. Bogue’s excellent study Jonathan Edwards and the Covenant of Grace. You can order the book here. This is the ninth volume in the  The Jonathan Edwards Classic Studies Series which is co-published by the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University and Wipf and Stock Publishers.  This book is a revised form of Dr. Bogue’s dissertation done at the Free University of Amsterdam under the oversight of Gerrit Cornelius Berkouwer back in the 1960s.
This was a …

We’ve been looking at one of the toughest elements in Bavinck’s analysis, freewill and the origin of sin. The long debate between Augustine and Pelagius has seen many attempts at reconciling these views, most all of which fail to be convincing. Bavinck’s critique of Pelagius is masterful, but will his claims for original sin and the natural law prove convincing? We shall see.
Scripture is complicated. It places the origin of sin in the heart of humanity* despite all the provisions (donum superadditum) to maintain her original righteousness. God created …

First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS has recently added a page where you can download audio files of talks, given over the past 5 years, at the Twin Lakes Fellowship . You can find them here . It looks like they may be in the process of adding more.

You can find two lectures by Carl Trueman on the doctrine of grace delivered at the Mid-south Theology Conference last year here.
His first lecture is entitled: “Guilt and Grace: Historic Hope for the Hopeless” based on Romans 8:28.
His second lecture is entitled: “Grace and Gratitude: A Place to Stand” based on Psalm 127. I found this conference through an email from Covenant Seminary.

The PCA church in Tchula, Mississippi recently had Dr. Guy Waters and Rev. Neil Stewart in for their 2009 conference. Dr. Waters spoke on the Mortification of Sin and Mr. Stewart spoke on temptation. You can find audio of this conference here.

I posted these a while ago but I want to put them out there again for any who have not seen them. Dr. Guy Prentiss Waters, delivered two lectures at Westminster Seminary California entitled, “Two Adams, Two Covenants, Two Righteousnesses.” These are some of the most careful, scholarly treatments of one of the most difficult, and yet, most important aspects of Scripture and the inner workings of the doctrine of justification. If you have time listen to the lectures below:
Two Adams, Two Covenants, Two Righteousnesses #1
Two Adams, Two Covenants, Two …

Here are the complete MP3 audio files from my ordination service:
Dr. Philip G. Ryken – Sermon Preached at the Ordination of Nicholas T. Batzig (1 Cor. 16:1-9)
Rev. James T. Obrien – Charge to Nicholas T. Batzig
Dr. James E. McGoldrick – Charge to the Presbytery

In the following love note, Jonathan Edwards wrote about Sarah, his future wife, when she was only 13 years old. Notice what he finds beautiful about her and what she finds beautiful:
“They say there is a young lady in [New Haven] who is loved of that Great Being, who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this Great Being, in some way or other invisible, comes to her and fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight; and that she hardly cares for any thing, …

John Burnett recently reported a story on the brewery business’ relative success during the recession.  The brewery business isn’t recession-proof, but certainly recession-resistant.  Certainly many celebrate good times with a beer [or eight] but don’t many turn to alcohol when times are tough as well?  The industry is slightly affected by the recession, but mostly from the trend of “trading down” or switching to less expensive brands.  People are also drinking at home rather than at the pub.
I wonder if the bible industry is recession proof?  What about tithing?  Is …

In Van Til’s Apologetic: Readings and Analysis Greg Bahnsen brings up an interesting point regarding the role of special revelation.
Supernatural verbal revelation is, according to Van Til, inherent in the human situation and the intended concomitant to supernatural revelation in nature and in man’s inner constitution.  In that case, man was never – and is not now – expected simply to observe the natural world or consider his own rational, moral personality and figure out for himself how they are to be interpreted and how their truths are to …

C.J. Mahaney recently interviewed John Piper on various aspects of influences and lessons learned. In the interview Mahaney asked the following question:
What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your leadership?
Piper’s answer is not only interesting, it is absolutely true. Anyone who has been in pastoral ministry and has seen the workings of men will know that the following is undeniable. Piper responded:
"Lead by helping people see the same truth in the Bible you do so that commonly perceived truth is the fabric that binds together. …

I have created a temporary site for the Richmond Hill, GA church plant. The name of the church is New Covenant Presbyterian (PCA). I have created pages on the site for all of the sermons I have preached over the past year, Bible study notes from the weekly studies, and contact info. If you know people who live in or around the Savannah area who might be interested in being a part of a church plant please direct them to this site.