I named this blog “The Old Calvinist” playing off the fact that there has been a resurgence of Calvinism among the “New Calvinists.” I am an Old Calvinist because I am a confessional Calvinist in the Dutch Reformed tradition. I am a minister in the United Reformed Churches of North America. It is true that I am getting up in years: I am 47 years old. But I am part of the Reformation tradition of Calvinism.
My family heritage is that of Brummels and Kuipers who immigrated from The Netherlands in the early part of the 20th century. They moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. I grew up in a tradition where the doctrines found in the Three Forms of Unity (The Belgic Confession of Faith, the Canons of Dort, and the Heidelberg Catechism) were celebrated and defended.
Many of the “New Calvinists” are Baptists. I am an Old Calvinist that affirms what the Reformed creeds teach about the sacrament of baptism. Infants too are included in the covenant of grace and, therefore, must receive the sign of covenant just like baby boys in the old covenant received the sign of circumcision. Too many “New Calvinists” are seduced by Pentecostal ideas. I am an Old Calvinist who affirms the historic Reformed view concerning the cessation of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit today.
I am a Professor of Systematic Theology and New Testament at Divine Hope Reformed Bible Seminary, a dedicated prison seminary with campuses and study centers in Illinois and Indiana.
The Old Calvinist 