GGF Celebrates the Reformation
John Calvin's Letter to Cardinal Sadoleto (1539)
After Calvin's expulsion from Geneva (1538), the archbishop of Carpentras (in southern France, near Avignon, about as far from Geneva as Strasbourg was, but in the other direction) wrote to the Genevan people in an effort to persuade them to return to Roman Catholicism. Sadoleto's letter is notable in that it frankly acknowledged the abuses and corruption most frequently attacked by Protestants and other reformers. He argued that nevertheless authentic Christian faith was still best sought under the cloak of Holy Mother Church. In spite of having expelled Calvin from the town, the Genevans nonetheless requested that Calvin respond to Sadoleto's tract, and soon afterwards the city government ordered that the response be printed and publicized. Calvin's "Reply ," a powerful defense of the need for reform, sought to explain that Protestant reform was not simply a response to abuses in the church but to a rejection of the very heart of Catholic faith and practice.
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Celebrating #Reformation500 together
Get your bands!
Join us in celebrating the Reformation →
Get your #Reformation500 bands
The inseparable bands quote "Here I stand. My conscience is captive to the word of God" on the black band, and on the white, "Loyal to Jesus. Loyal to His Gospel. Love His church"
On the inside of both bands are the five Solas: “Sola Fide. Solus Christus. Sola Gratia. Sola Scriptura. Soli Deo Gloria”
Martin Luther, the Father of Reformation truly captures the heart of the Reformation in his quote - that the highest authority is none other than the Word of God. 500 years later, and the call of the Reformation is still the same - We are to be Loyal to Jesus and Loyal to His Gospel, which leads to an inevitable Love for His Ghurch.
People of God, the Reformation is far from over. The Gospel Growth Fellowship is celebrating the 500 years of the Reformation in 2017 by calling on Christians in the Klang Valley to be loyal to Christ and to the same Gospel that was fought for 500 years ago.
The GGF #Reformation500 band thus symbolises our solidarity in the gospel and towards that end – so get yourself one today!
Visit our merchandise page to place your orders. They are going for RM12.00 a set.
Dr. Stephen Wellum
Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist theological Seminary; GGF Advisor
Dr. Bradley G. Green
Associate Professor of Christian Thought & Tradition, Union University
Dr. James M. Hamilton
Professor of Biblical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary & author for Desiring God
Dr. Carl Trueman
Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Grove City College, Pennsylvania.
Rev. Canon Dr. Mark Thompson
Principal, Moore Theological College
Rev. Dr. Andrew Shead
Head of Old Testament, Moore Theological College
Rev. Dr. Peter Adam
Vice President of Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES) and former principal of Ridley College, Melbourne
Rev. Dr. Vaughan Roberts
Director of Proclamation Trust and writer of God's Big Picture
Rev. Christopher Ash
Writer-in-Residence at Tyndale House and Ministry Trainer at St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge
Glenn Nesbitt
Associate Minister, St Ebbe's Church
Dr. Thomas R. Schreiner
Associate Dean of The School of Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Dr. Ligon Duncan
Chancellor/CEO and the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary
Chris Larson & Dr Stephen Nichols
President and Chief Executive of Ligonier Ministries & President of Reformation Bible College and Chief Academic Officer of Ligonier Ministries
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary
Dr. Richard Pratt
President, Third Millenium Ministries
Dr. Herman Selderhuis
Professor of Church History, Theological University of Apeldoorn (Netherlands)
Rev. Dr. David Peterson
Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in New Testament, Moore Theological College
Dr. Kevin DeYoung
Council Member of The Gospel Coalition, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte) & Senior Pastor at Christ Covenant Church (PCA) in Matthews,
Dr. Brian J. Vickers
Professor of NT Interpretation and Biblical Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Dr. Mark Dever
President of 9Marks, Council member of The Gospel Coalition & Pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, D.C.)
Dr. Bryan Chapell
President Emeritus, Covenant Theological Seminary
Dr. Jonathan Leeman
Editorial Director, 9Marks
Dr. Daniel Strange
Director, Crosslands Forum
Dr. Daniel Strange
Director, Crosslands Forum
Ps. Bobby Jamieson
Associate Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church
Timothy Brindle
Senior Admissions Counselor at Westminster Theological Seminary, Ph.D. Student in Old Testament
Dr. David Kummerow & Dr. Don West
Lecturer in Old Testament (left) & Principal (right), Trinity Theological College
Dr. Marty Foord
Principal of ETCAsia, and lecturer in Systematic Theology, Church History, and Ethics.
Dr. Allan Chapple
Founding Principal, Trinity Theological College
Lecturers and students from Trinity Theological College
Celebrating the Reformation
Dr. Steve Brady
Principal of Moorlands College, England
Ps. Chris Chia
Senior Pastor of Adam Road Presbyterian Church, Singapore
Rev. Ying Yee & Ps. James Bryner Chu
Pastor of Chinese Christian Church, Milsons Point, Sydney (left) & Pastor of Pilgrim Community Church, Philippines (right)
Ps. Alan Au
Pastor of Captivate Presbyterian Church, Sydney
Ps. Jonathan Gregory & Ps. Hugh Thomson
Pastors, City Church, Birmingham (UK)
Ps. Neil Powell
Pastor, City Church, Birmingham (UK)
Dr. Chuck T. Lewis Jr
Associate Professor of Church Music and Worship, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
George H. Martin
Professor of Christian Missions and World Religions, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Doxology Vocal Ensemble
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Tie King Tai
President of the Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference (SCAC), The Methodist Church of Malaysia
Koh Tat Kim & Ps. Franklin Morais
Deacon, Air Jernih Presbyterian Church (left) & Pastor, City Discipleship Presbyterian Church KL
Elder Jacob Yeng
Air Jernih Presbyterian Church
Rev. Low Teck Wah
Malacca Presbyterian Church (English)
Woo Weng Kong
Leader, Evangelical Free Church Gospel Centre
Dr. Michael Crane
Chairman of Gospel City Network
Massimo Gei
Gospel City Network
Ps. Michael Lee and his wife, Jen
International Church @ Mont Kiara
Rodney Duncan
Kajang Baptist Fellowhsip
Ps. James Indran
Pastor of Tamil Reformed Baptist Church
Dr. Peter Lau
Visiting Scholar, Malaysian Theological Seminary (STM)
Ps. Eko Aria
Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia (GRII Malang)
Rev. Dr. Mark Earngey
Head of Church History @ Moore Theological College
Rev. Dr. David Tong
Senior Pastor of Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia (GRII Karawchi)
Dr. Philip Kern
Head of New Testament @ Moore Theological College
Dr. Dan Doriani
Professor of Biblical & Systematic Theology and Vice President at Large, Covenant Theological Seminary
Dr. Samuel T. Logan
International Associate Director of World Reformed Fellowship
Dr. John Currie
Professor of Pastoral Theology
Dr. Philip G. Ryken
President of Wheaton College
Dr. Ray Ortlund
Council Member of TGC
Dr. Richard D. Phillips
Council Member of TGC
Robert Brady
Executive Director of Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
Dr. Stafford Carson
Senior Director of Global Ministries at Westminster Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Tim Escott
Assistant Minister at St Marks Darling Point and Lecturer, Cornhill Sydney Preaching Training
James Adair, Tom Widdowson & Pr. Duncan Woods
Leader of Friends International, Assistant Team Leader of Christian Union North East (UK), Elder of Trinity Church Sunderland
Central to the Reformation was the primacy of Scripture in the church. Luther, Calvin, and others recaptured the study of Hebrew and Greek in order to discover what the biblical authors said in their original context. In short, the Reformers turned the tide, and the church today is still in their debt. May we embody the same seriousness as we come to the Scriptures and proclaim them to the nations.
Dr. Benjamin L. Gladd, GGF's Adviser for New Testament
#Reformation500 Wallpapers
What the Reformation was about
Quoting Calvin's 'The Necessity of Reforming the Church':
"According to [the New Testament description of what a minister should be], no man is a true pastor of the Church who does not perform the office of teaching. But, in the present day, almost all those who have the name of pastors have left that work to others. Scarcely one in a hundred of the Bishops will be found who ever mounts the pulpit in order to teach. And no wonder; for bishoprics have degenerated into secular principalities. Pastors of inferior rank, again, either think that they fulfill their office by frivolous performances altogether alien from the command of Christ, or, after the example of the Bishops, throw even this part of the duty on the shoulders of others. Hence the letting of sacerdotal offices is not less common than the letting of farms."
Full essay can be found here: https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/calvin_necessityreform.html