Chad Van Dixhoorn | Collaboration, Consensus, and Compromise: Lessons from the Westminster Assembly
Release Date: 11/21/2025
Chad Van Dixhoorn | Collaboration, Consensus, and Compromise: Lessons from the Westminster Assembly
Reformed Forum
In this rich conversation, Camden Bucey sits down with Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn—historian, pastor, and professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte—to explore the remarkable work and enduring wisdom of the Westminster Assembly. Together, they discuss how the divines pursued theological clarity through collaboration, not compromise, and how their humility and respect shaped confessional standards that have guided the Reformed church for centuries. Van Dixhoorn explains why the Westminster Confession should be seen as “a document with compromises, not a compromise document,” how...
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The Book of Daniel, Part 10
Reformed Forum
On today’s episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue to walk through the Book of Daniel. Having discussed the faithfulness of God’s people in the midst of fiery trials in Daniel 3, we take a look at Nebuchadnezzar's response to that ordeal, he praises God or is it the gods?
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Worship and Tithing | Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship (Lesson 11)
Reformed Forum
This is the eleventh lesson in Dr. William Wood’s Reformed Academy course, Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship. This lesson covers the following topics: 0:00 Introduction 3:58 Tithing in the Patriarchal Narratives 13:59 Tithing in the Mosaic Era 26:40 Tithing in Malachi 33:26 Giving in the New Testament 40:15 Giving as a Continuing Act of Worship 53:08 Concluding Observations Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to twenty-seven...
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Vos Group #103 — Faith in the Gospel of John
Reformed Forum
In this episode of Christ the Center, Camden Bucey and Lane Tipton explore Geerhardus Vos’s profound treatment of faith in the Gospel of John (pp. 390–392 of Biblical Theology). Vos unfolds faith not as an abstract belief but as a living, continuous union with the incarnate and ascended Truth—Jesus Christ Himself. John’s theology binds faith and truth together: the Son comes down from heaven as the true light, true bread, true vine, and the Truth (John 1:9; 6:32; 15:1; 14:6). Faith, therefore, is a Spirit-wrought communion with the heavenly reality revealed in Him. Tipton and...
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Communion with God in Prayer | Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship (Less. 10)
Reformed Forum
This is the tenth lesson in Dr. William Wood’s Reformed Academy course, Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship. This lesson covers the following topics: 0:00 What is Prayer? 10:02 Old Testament Prayer Narratives 24:20 The Role of Prayer in Liturgical Ascent 33:36 New Covenant Prayer and Christ's Heavenly Intercession Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to twenty-seven additional video courses in covenant theology, apologetics,...
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Jonathan Master | The Shape of Faithful Ministry: Doctrine and Confessional Integrity
Reformed Forum
In this conversation from the Reformation and Worship Conference, Camden Bucey speaks with Dr. Jonathan Master, president of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, about the unshakable relationship between doctrine and life. Drawing on J. Gresham Machen’s insight that Christianity for Paul was not only a life but also a doctrine—and logically, the doctrine came first, Master reminds us that Christianity is irreducibly doctrinal. Without doctrine, there is no gospel. They discuss Greenville’s pastoral training mission, the seminary’s remarkable 92% long-term ministry retention...
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Camden Bucey | The Lamb of God: Christ in Fulfillment and Consummation
Reformed Forum
Dr. Camden Bucey speaks at the Reformed Forum Annual Theology Conference, held at Lakeland Church in Gurnee, Illinois on September 27, 2025. Dr. Bucey weaves together the themes of the previous lectures into one coherent narrative centered on Christ. The address establishes that the entire grand narrative of Scripture, from the promise of the serpent-crushing seed in Eden to the apocalyptic visions of Daniel, is converging on the single, brilliant point of Christ’s person and work. Dr. Bucey emphasizes that Christ’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension constitute the...
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Daniel Ragusa | The Son in Exile: Christ as the Hope of Restoration
Reformed Forum
Dr. Daniel Ragusa speaks at the Reformed Forum Annual Theology Conference, held at Lakeland Church in Gurnee, Illinois on September 27, 2025. Dr. Ragusa, focuses on the dark period of Israel's exile and how it illuminates the deep human longing to return to God's presence, which had been lost due to their rebellion. Dr. Ragusa first establishes the devastating nature of exile by contrasting it with the desired state of dwelling in God's house, a theme illustrated by the pilgrimage described in Psalm 23. He references the Heidelberg Catechism to frame the Christian experience as moving...
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Carlton Wynne | The Son of David: Christ in the Monarchy and the Prophets
Reformed Forum
Dr. R. Carlton Wynne speaks at the Reformed Forum Annual Theology Conference, held at Lakeland Church in Gurnee, Illinois on September 27, 2025. Dr. Wynne explores how the vast portion of the Old Testament covering the monarchy and prophetic periods (approximately 417 chapters) points to Jesus Christ. Dr. Wynne first establishes the central, Christ-centered scope of all Scripture, affirming that everything in the Old Testament looks forward to and finds its fulfillment in Christ’s person and work, including his death and resurrection. The address then moves beyond viewing Christ merely as...
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Worship and Psalms | Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship (Lesson 9)
Reformed Forum
This is the ninth lesson in Dr. William Wood’s Reformed Academy course, Redemptive History and the Regulative Principle of Worship. This lesson covers the following topics: 0:00 Heavenly Worship through Song 8:05 Songs in Redemptive History from Adam to Moses 22:04 David, The Psalter, and Temple Worship 46:23 Singing in the New Testament Era 1:00:37 The Regulative Principle and Exclusive Psalmody Register for this free on-demand course on our website to track your progress and assess your understanding through quizzes for each lesson. You will also receive free access to twenty-seven...
info_outlineIn this rich conversation, Camden Bucey sits down with Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn—historian, pastor, and professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte—to explore the remarkable work and enduring wisdom of the Westminster Assembly. Together, they discuss how the divines pursued theological clarity through collaboration, not compromise, and how their humility and respect shaped confessional standards that have guided the Reformed church for centuries.
Van Dixhoorn explains why the Westminster Confession should be seen as “a document with compromises, not a compromise document,” how its chapters differ in tone and theological armor, and what this teaches us about confessional fidelity today. The conversation also explores doctrinal preaching—how to preach theology without losing the text—and why confessions must unite rather than constantly be rewritten.
With warmth and clarity, Dr. Van Dixhoorn reminds us that Reformed unity is not built on uniformity, but on the shared pursuit of truth before the face of God.
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00:00 Introduction and Word & Deed Ministry
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01:18 At the Reformation and Worship Conference
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04:10 Introducing Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn and the Westminster Assembly
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06:00 Consensus, Collaboration, and Compromise in the Assembly
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09:30 The Process of Drafting the Westminster Standards
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12:00 Respectful Debate and the Spirit of the Divines
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19:30 Comparing the Westminster and Heidelberg Traditions
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25:30 Confessional Revision, Study Committees, and Doctrinal Reports
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33:00 Doctrinal Preaching: From Text to Theology
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40:50 The Joy of Teaching and Ongoing Research on the Divines