2017 Reformation 500 Conference

As we gather to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformaton we have occasion to refect on God ’ s goodness in leading His people back to the truth of His Word.. Indeed,, at the very heart of the Reformaton we fnd the doctrine of Sola Scriptura — the convicton that the message of how sinful men can be reconciled with a Holy God can be found exclusively within the inspired and infallible Words of Scripture.. Yet the words of Romans 10::114 rang as true in the sixteenth century as they did in the frst:: “ And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?? ”

For the fedgling churches of the Reformaton era,, the noton that belief and salvaton were to be rooted in the proclaimed Word required a profound shif in understanding.. It meant rethinking,, at a fundamental level,, how God was to be communed with and how salvaton was to appropriated.. Of all the Reformers,, no one did more to educate sixteenth century believers about the character and functon of the preaching than John Calvin..

In this evening ’ s discussion we will refect on why the shif away from the sacramentally centred liturgy of Rome to the preaching focused ministry of the Reformers represented such a profound reorientaton in thinking.. We will also consider some of the things Calvin had to say about how the Gospel message could be efectually communicated by the new Protestant pastorate.