Contact: Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Dr. Adriaan C. Neele, Director Doctoral program [email protected]

Grand Rapids, MI—Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (“PRTS”) today announced the launch of a fully-funded PhD degree program in Systematic Theology.

In addition to the PhD program Biblical Studies and Historical Theology, the Systematic Theology track is a highly anticipated program led by Dr. Joel R. Beeke and Dr. Stephen G. Myers, which commences August 2020.

Joel R. Beeke, President of PRTS, says, “We trust that, by God’s grace, this newly established program in Systematic Theology will stress both solid Reformed academic training and vital piety, and will serve to strengthen the church and the academy in unprecedented ways.”

Stephen G. Myers commented, “We believe that this approach to systematic theology – exegetical, confessional, and experiential – is greatly needed in the worldwide church and academy today. Foundationally, we want to train men to teach and write theology that is rooted in the Scriptures rather than in tradition or philosophical reasoning, both of which are ascendant in contemporary systematic theology. Second, we want to train men to understand theology in a confessional context, recognizing how our doctrinal understanding has been shaped by two millennia of the Spirit working to bring clarity to the Church. Finally, we want to train men to frame theology experientially so that exegetical, confessional truth changes hearts and lives in our own day.”

About Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

Founded in 1995, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary is an accredited educational institution for granting the MA, MDiv, ThM, and PhD degrees. Its mission is to prepare students worldwide to serve Christ and His church through biblical, experiential, and practical ministry. The seminary has approximately 225 students, ten professors, twenty well-known scholars as adjunct faculty, and a support staff of twelve.

Dear students,

As the spring semester has now come to a close, we praise God that we were able to finish this semester, that exams have now concluded, and that we were even able to have a modified graduation service. Despite the disruption due to COVID-19, we are thankful that during this past spring semester, a total of 140 students were enrolled in classes; this is our highest enrollment to date, for which we give thanks to God! Our prayer as faculty and staff is that the education you received here may ultimately bring greater glory to Jesus Christ, and that his kingdom would expand evermore through your ministry and service.

As we look forward to the fall semester, I want to ensure you that our plan at the moment is to have on-campus classes as originally scheduled. While this plan can of course change, our goal is to go ahead with all of our regular on-campus offerings (as well as a variety of online offerings that were already planned). You can find the schedule of our upcoming summer / fall classes here: https://prts.edu/academics-aid/course-schedules-academic-calendar/.

Some of you have already enrolled in upcoming classes, but others may have waited to see if fall classes will proceed as planned. For those who have waited to enroll, we are opening up another two-week window for enrollment; during this time we are waiving the typical late-enrollment fee. Enrollment for late summer and fall courses will open again from May 19 – 29, 2020. During these two weeks, you can enroll via Populi or by sending your list of desired courses to Jonathon Beeke at [email protected].

As summer for us has now officially begun, I pray you all may find some time of respite with family, but also that your summer is both fruitful and enjoyable!

Warmly,

Joel Beeke!

RHB is pleased to announce that the tenth and final volume of the “Works of William Perkins” is now available for preorder. With the arrival of volume ten, it concludes the journey that they began in 2014, of this paramount theologian. RHB are indebted to the many individuals that put in many hours to make this dream a reality

There has been a resurgence of interest in the Puritans, but until recently, William Perkins went largely ignored. This would be along the lines of studying the Reformation without having access to Calvin’s “Institutes.” By God’s grace, William Perkins’s works will once again be available in their entirety.

We invite you to pick up these volumes and find out for yourself why Perkins shaped a movement and went on to become the “Father of Puritanism.”

You can purchase Vol. 10 here: https://bit.ly/WPerkins10. You can purchase the complete set here: https://bit.ly/PerkinsComplete

Tolle Lege!

Having discussed God’s promises and personal evidences of grace as sources of our assurance, Dr. Joel Beeke now examines the third foundation for assurance: the testimony of the Holy Spirit. In this lesson, we will learn how the Spirit can apply God’s Word directly to the soul, resulting in great assurance. We will also learn how to test whether this experience is truly from God.

Watch the video here: https://bit.ly/3dume7k

God’s promises, inward evidences in the Christian’s life, and the work of the Holy Spirit are the three sources of assurance outlined in Westminster Confession of Faith 18.2. Previously, Dr. Beeke examined the first—God’s promises. In this lesson, he looks at the second—evidences of grace in us—and the Puritan beliefs about the necessity of these subjective evidence as marks of faith in God’s objective promises.

Watch the video here: https://bit.ly/2Wc4Dey

According to The Westminster Confession of Faith 18.2, our assurance comes from three foundational truths: God’s promises, inward evidences in the Christian’s life, and the work of the Holy Spirit. In this lesson, Dr. Joel Beeke examines the divine promises of God and how they provide the Christian with assurance. Watch the video here: https://bit.ly/35F4m6Z

In order to study more fully into the doctrine assurance of faith, we must consider the profound and biblically nuanced way the Puritans dealt with the topic of assurance. In this lesson, Dr. Joel Beeke examines Westminster Confession of Faith 18.1, which many people consider the greatest statement ever written on the subject of assurance. Through this section of the confession and the history behind it, we will further examine the subjects of false assurance and true assurance: https://bit.ly/2L6Wce8

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

The Puritan Conference hosted by Dr. John MacArthur and Dr. Joel Beeke has been rescheduled for October 5-7, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA. Updated conference details to follow soon at http://www.puritanconference.com.