Primarily, this is a research blog that documents how classic Augustinians and a broad spectrum of Calvinistic theologians in the past (and some contemporary men) thought about the revealed will of God, as it relates to 1) the general love of God for all men, 2) God's desire for the salvation of all men, 3) God's general grace, 4) the free offer of the gospel and 5) the extent of the atonement. I am also mainly interested in tracing the history of classic and moderate forms of Calvinism, as the pictures in my banner indicate.
Below the pictures of the Apostle Paul (as depicted by the artist Rembrandt) on the left and right of the banner are the following men (starting from left to right): John Calvin, Heinrich Bullinger, Zacharias Ursinus, James Ussher, John Davenant, John Preston, Matthias Martinus, Moses Amyraut, Richard Baxter, Edward Polhill, Stephen Charnock, John Bunyan, John Howe, Jonathan Edwards and Andrew Fuller. I understand all these men to be moderate in their Calvinism.
Below the pictures of the Apostle Paul (as depicted by the artist Rembrandt) on the left and right of the banner are the following men (starting from left to right): John Calvin, Heinrich Bullinger, Zacharias Ursinus, James Ussher, John Davenant, John Preston, Matthias Martinus, Moses Amyraut, Richard Baxter, Edward Polhill, Stephen Charnock, John Bunyan, John Howe, Jonathan Edwards and Andrew Fuller. I understand all these men to be moderate in their Calvinism.
Below the banner at the top are helpful links to my Name Index, Subject Index, a place to leave General Questions and Comments, and a Works Cited page. The Name Index and Subject Index pages are better to use than the tags and labels, which are mainly to track citations, and for broad topical searches.
There are three main columns to this blog that are meant to help for research purposes.
First, on the left side of the blog, there are "tags" or "labels." One can use these to find important names (as well as topics or biblical texts) that I am researching, what they have said, and what others have said about them. For example, by clicking on Augustine's name, one will not only find what Augustine himself wrote, but also what other men said about his views, such as the Puritan William Bridge's remarks about Augustine's atonement views. This labeling system is used with all the other names and topics that appear on the left.
In the center column, obviously, are my posts in chronological order with the latest at the top. Beneath each post are "tags" or "labels" that list some of the important topics contained in that particular post, such as "Nathaniel Vincent," "The Gospel Offer," "The Grace of God," etc. By clicking on these tags, one can research everything on my blog pertaining to that topic. To find out about the history of particular authors I have posted, one can click on the link(s) below the "Bio" (or biographical information), which mostly contain links to Wikipedia and The Dictionary of National Biography. Also, there are buttons beneath each post so that one might easily notify others about the content of that particular post on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Email, etc.
On the right side of the blog, starting from the top, is my Twitter page that I use to notify others of my latest thoughts, posts and research. I mainly use Twitter as a kind of mini-blog for brief theological thoughts, links, etc. Beneath that is a worldwide map that shows where many of my visitors are located. The "About Me" section is self-explanatory. Next is a link section that will help with further research, such as a link to the excellent Calvin and Calvinism index made by my friend and research partner, David Ponter. Our projects are quite similar. I may eventually create an expanded links page to put at the top, like the others under the banner. The Blog Archive is an expandable listing of my posts in chronological order with the title of each post.
I hope you find this blog helpful in your pursuit of the knowledge of God in all things, to the glory of Christ. Feel free to contact me if you have comments, opinions and/or questions.
Grace to you,
Tony
Grace to you,
Tony
