The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies

We believe in the Holy Spirit

Michael Haykin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:42:13 +0000

The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed is the capstone of the doctrinal development of the Ancient Church as it relates to the Trinity. From a creedal standpoint what is unique about this text is the elaboration of the article about the Holy Spirit, which confesses the full deity of the Spirit by focusing on who he is—he is “Lord” and the One who proceeds from the Father—and what he does—he is “the Giver of life,” physical and especially spiritual, and the inspirer of those who wrote the Holy Scriptures. He is thus worthy of our heart’s adoration and worship along with the Father and the Son. And as such he must be fully God. The roots that gave rise to this confession are fully biblical ones, found first in passages that implicitly affirm him as God for he does what only God can do (e.g. Luke 1:35; Acts 10:38; Matthew 12:28; Hebrews 9:14; Romans 8:10–11; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2:10–12; 2 Corinthians 3:6, 17–18) and then in Scripture texts that rank him alongside the Father and the Son, so again implying his deity (Titus 3:4–7; 1 Corinthians 12:4–6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Revelation 1:4–5; Matthew 28:19). The later expansion of this article of the Creed in the early Middle Ages by Latin-speaking theologians and churchmen, namely the assertion that proceeds “from the Father and the Son”—what is called the “Filioque”—is a biblically motivated assertion for it seeks to affirm the central truth of the New Testament that the Holy Spirit is always the Spirit of Christ (see Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:17).

John Gill and Basil of Caesarea

Michael Haykin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:11:19 +0000

Ove the past few weeks I have been sourcing patristic citations from Basil of Caesarea mostly (but today also Gregory of Nazianzus) in John Gill’s The Cause of God and Truth, and I cannot find any of them! It has been an extremely frustrating experience.

Gill is citing these Fathers to defend the perspective that the so-called five points of Calvinism have a much earlier heritage than the Reformation and post-Refomation theologians. Methdological concerns aside, it appears that Gill at times made paraphrases from the writings of Basil. I have been combing through the Greek and am so frustrated with coming up with not one quote that I can confirm in Basil’s corpus.

Thankfully, one of my PhD students, Steven Godet, is working on this very matter, and will provide answers!

Addendum (added Feb 26/2010): Have actually found three or four citations in the past three hours. Generally ok, but some of the quotes are paraphrases.

Papers from True Church Conference

Steve Weaver — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:07:50 +0000

Last week Dr. Haykin had the opportunity to speak at the True Church Conference hosted by Grace Life Church of Muscle Shoals, AL. You can read about his own reflections on his experience at the conference here. Dr. Haykin presented two papers at the conference. The first on Hyper-Calvinism, and the second on Andrew Fuller. Both papers are now posted in PDF format below:

Defining Hyper-Calvinism (PDF)

Missionary Pioneer Andrew Fuller & Hyper-Calvinism (PDF)

Posted by Steve Weaver, Research and Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin.

Review of Friends of Calvin (2009)

Steve Weaver — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:47:18 +0000

Dr. Haykin has recently reviewed an interesting volume published during last year’s plethora of books released about John Calvin during the 500th anniversary of his birth. Friends of Calvin is by Machiel A. van den Berg.

Posted by Steve Weaver, Research and Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin.

Review of Jeff Noblit’s Born to Reform

Steve Weaver — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:43:14 +0000

Dr. Michael Haykin recently spoke at the True Church Conference hosted by Grace Life Church of Muscle Shoals, AL. The pastor of Grace Life is Jeff Noblit whose booklet, Born to Reform, has just been reviewed by Dr. Haykin.

Posted by Steve Weaver, Research and Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin.

Reflections on the True Church conference 2010 and on Alexander McLaren

Michael Haykin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:12:04 +0000

This past weekend (February 19–21) I had the distinct privilege of being a speaker at the 2010 True Church Conference held at Grace Life Church, Muscle Shoals, Alabama. What a privilege to meet and hear Jeff Noblit, pastor of the host church, Conrad Mbewe—“the Spurgeon of Africa”—and his wife, Barry King, a church planter in London, Jonathan Sims and David Miller—a really deep privilege.

I spoke twice: once on “Defining hyper-Calvinism” and on “Missionary Pioneer Andrew Fuller & hyper-Calvinism.” The first talk was particularly difficult to prepare, since I decided to focus on the soteriology of John Gill (1697–1771) and his teaching on the pactum salutis, eternal justification, and the free offer of the gospel. I do think Gill to be on the hyper-Calvinist side of the equation and thus to have been an innovator, following lesser lights like Joseph Hussey and John Skepp rather than the broad stream of Reformed orthodoxy of the seventeenth century. Although Gill quoted Thomas Goodwin, for instance, in supporting his view of eternal justification, he misunderstood Goodwin. But to present such in a popular format, I felt peculiarly difficult. Then to speak on Fuller and do him justice was a challenge. But I am so thankful for the opportunity to be with those brethren.

Flying back this a.m., I missed worship at the house of God. I therefore “listened”—that is, within my mind as I read it—to a sermon preached over a hundred years ago: “Feeding on ashes” by Alexander McLaren (1826–1910) [in A Rosary of Christian Graces (London: Horace Marshal & Son, 1899)]. What a gem—in many ways he was good as a preacher as his contemporary, C.H. Spurgeon (1834–92). A reminder of what life and true life is all about. I was struck by the way he read that clause, “Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you” (p.213), which he took spiritually and an offer of Christ of himself. Spurgeon had a richer view of the table of the Lord.

Dr. Haykin interviewed on Christ the Center

Steve Weaver — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:24:55 +0000

Dr. Michael Haykin was recently interviewed on the Reformed Forum’s Christ the Center podcast. The focus of the interview was Dr. Haykin’s book, The Christian Lover: The Sweetness of Love and Marriage in the Letters of Believers. You can access the episode in which Dr. Haykin was interviewed here.

Posted by Steve Weaver, Research and Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin.

17th century usage of the term “Anabaptist”

Michael Haykin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:57:47 +0000

What would be helpful I am realizing is a scholarly study of the term Anabaptist in the 17th century. It would be very helpful to know exactly how the term was viewed and used. Anyone game for this?

John Sutcliff and Walter Wilson

Michael Haykin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:40:53 +0000

Walter Wilson’s The History and Antiquities of Dissenting Churches and Meeting Houses (London, 1808–14, 4 vols.) is one of the gems that anyone researching seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Dissent needs to know. Going through vol. 1 just now, I noticed that among those whom Wilson consulted for help in his researches was “J. Sutcliff, of Olney.” Sutcliff, the Baptist pastor of Olney, was an ardent bibliophile and helping Wilson would have been right up his alley!

Trees in winter

Michael Haykin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:30:40 +0000

What do trees do in winter?

Seemingly frozen, they are waiting.

With trunks and branches

Stretched heavenward, they wait,

For the coming of the sun.

And what of us more sentient beings?