A Review of A Defense of the Church Institute
David Engelsma defends his book "Bound to Join" against critics who accused him of extremism and anti-grace theology, while arguing that Reformed theology and the Reformers (particularly Calvin) clearly teach that believers must be members of instituted churches. The work demonstrates that ecclesiastical membership is the historic Reformed and biblical position, not merely an optional practice.
A Review of A Defense of the Church Institute: Response to the Critics of Bound to Join David J. Engelsma Reformed Free Publishing Association Jenison, MI, 2012 Hardback, 139 pp. My language in Bound to Join was deliberately restrained, in comparison with the forcefulness of Calvin’s language. My restraint was not due to disagreement with Calvin’s vehemence. It was tactical. I wanted Bound to Join to get a hearing in this hyper-sensitive, soft-soaping age (44). Bound to Join, a book which...