Here We Stand: Philadelphia (PCRT23)

“If then we admit of a doctrine, it must not be borrowed from the authority or wisdom of men, but we must know that it came from God” -John Calvin

Since the inception of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology in 1974, the spirit of Martin Luther’s stirring claim at the Council of Worms has animated the ministry. Asked to recant the doctrines of the fledgling Reformation, Luther refused to abandon the sole authority of Scripture, declaring, “Here I stand. I can do no other.” The 2023 gathering of the PCRT will mark our fiftieth conference— half a century of joining the great Reformers by standing on God’s holy, authoritative Word. It seemed fitting to commemorate this year by returning to the five solas of the Reformation and remembering why they are vital.

When James Montgomery Boice founded the PCRT, he answered skeptics by pointing out that God has always used the great doctrines of the Reformed faith to give life to His church.  Shortly before his death, Dr. Boice wrote a book commending the Reformation solas as the tonic for the ailing church of our time.  First among these doctrines is sola Scriptura, called the “formal principle” of the Reformation since it establishes Scripture alone as our ultimate source of truth.  The Reformation’s “material principle” – the heart of the matter is sola Fide: justification through faith alone.  As Jesus himself insisted, the primary message of the Bible is the person and work of God’s Son, in whom alone – solus Christus – we have forgiveness of sin and justification before God.  Moreover, the Reformation taught us that our salvation is the gift of God’s grace alone – sola gratia – so that our redemption redounds to the glory of God alone – soli Deo gloria.  As we revisit these most beloved themes, we seek not nostalgia or mere historical reconstruction, but rather we will preach the great truths that give the life and light that our present generation so greatly needs.

Like all previous gatherings of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, we will set our theology in the context of rich doxology in our host churches.  We are excited to return to Proclamation Presbyterian Church.  I hope you will join us both in worship and to sit under the preaching of God’s mighty Word.  We are grateful for our Reformation heritage and pray for a modern Reformation in which these precious truths may be recovered and loved.