The alternative of hypothetical universalism, according to which Christ's work is sufficient for all but efficient only for the elect, was alive and well in early Reformed thought. Moreover - and importantly for our purposes - this view was not regarded as an aberration but as a legitimate position that could be taken within the confessional bounds of Reformed thought. But that means that the Five Points aren't the non-negotiable conceptual core of Calvinism after all.

We may think that our tradition is exactly the same as it has always been, but that is an illusion.

These days I'm often called a Deviant Calvinist, but I don't really think my views do deviate from the Reformed tradition, though in some respects they may represent views that are not as popular now as they once were, or that may represent a minority report in the tradition.

I think everyone who has an interest in Reformed theology, or just in Christian theology more generally, should read John Calvin Institutes.

God shows us in Christ what he would have to do if he were to punish us for our sins.

Reformed theology belongs to this confessional tradition, and Reformed theologians and churches continue to write confessions even today.

I don't really have a lot of interns, although I do now use Research Assistants to help me compile indexes when that is necessary.