Papers by David C Jones
Published in Presbyterion: Covenant Seminary Review, 26/2 (Fall 2000); 84-92,
How mass evangelism and the Jubilee choral tradition inaugurated a revolution in gospel music acr... more How mass evangelism and the Jubilee choral tradition inaugurated a revolution in gospel music across ecclesiastical and racial lines. Solicited article, awaiting publication.
Published in Presbyterion: Covenant Seminary Review 16 (Spring 1990): 17-40.
Published in JOURNAL OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE, 109 (Winter 1990): 684-85.
Christian ethics is the study of the way of life that conforms to the will of God. It concerns n... more Christian ethics is the study of the way of life that conforms to the will of God. It concerns not only the personal virtues of the individual and interpersonal relationships between individuals, but also the social structures of human beings living in community, especially those institutions God has ordained with specific functions for the sake of human flourishing. These are principally marriage and the family, civil government, and the visible church institute. For further study, I recommend the following:
Richard J. Mouw, ABRAHAM KUYPER: A SHORT AND PERSONAL INTRODUCTION (2011).
"Theological Foundations for an Evangelical Political Philosophy," by Nicholas Wolterstorff in TOWARD AN EVANGELICAL PUBLIC POLICY, ed. Ronald J. Sider & Diane Knippers (2005), 140-62.
"In the Arena: Practical Issues in Concrete Political Engagement," by Stephen Monsma & Mark Rodgers in TOWARD AN EVANGELICAL PUBLIC POLICY, ed. Ronald J. Sider & Diane Knippers (2005), 325-41.
The question is not whether persons of the same sex are capable of capable of beneficial committe... more The question is not whether persons of the same sex are capable of capable of beneficial committed relationships; clearly they are. The question is rather whether the civic equality guaranteed all citizens of the United States entails that those relationships belong in the same category as conjugal marriage. In other words, does the common humanity of same-sex couples require everyone to agree that there is no essential difference between same-sex and male-female coupling?
“I found free grace and [un]dying love, I’m new born again.” So begins a favorite African-Americ... more “I found free grace and [un]dying love, I’m new born again.” So begins a favorite African-American spiritual, building up step-wise in the refrain: "Free grace, free grace, free grace, Sinner / Free grace, free grace, I’m new born again." Of course, to be able to sing it, you have to have been born a first time—born and kept alive by caring and responsible adults. Sadly, that doesn’t always happen. This leads to the inevitable question: AT WHAT STAGE OF ITS DEVELOPMENT DOES A HUMAN BEING HAVE A RIGHT NOT TO BE KILLED OR ALLOWED TO DIE THROUGH NEGLECT? This paper addresses the question under the following heads: (1) A Christian perspective on the sanctity of life; (2) The biological facts of life; (3) Public policy and abortion in the US; and (4) Our cultural moment. Originally posted as "The Care and Feeding of Newborns." Revised to include appendix "U.S. Legal Landmarks on Abortion."
For application to the difficult and highly emotional question of the morality of abortion in the case rape, see the article posted on this webpage here:
https://www.academia.edu/9814966/The_Morality_of_Abortion_following_Rape
Forthcoming in a festschrift for Jerram Barrs titled FIRSTFRUITS OF A NEW CREATION, edited by Mar... more Forthcoming in a festschrift for Jerram Barrs titled FIRSTFRUITS OF A NEW CREATION, edited by Mark Ryan. Awaiting decision of publisher.
The title “Christ and Character” is intended as something of a counterweight to H. Richard Niebuhr’s classic treatise on Christ and Culture. I argue that cultural or social transformation involves three interdependent components: personal renewal, ecclesial practice, and structural reform. The takeaway point is that Christian transformation of culture is rooted in Christian transformation of character. I address two questions: What is Christian character? and How is it formed? Put in the form of a thesis, I argue that Christian character, or Christ-likeness, is the work of the Holy Spirit, through the means of grace, in the communion of the saints, by practice of the truth.
Ethics as a discipline typically addresses three questions: (1) What is the purpose of human life... more Ethics as a discipline typically addresses three questions: (1) What is the purpose of human life? (2) What is moral excellence (virtue) and how is it acquired? (3) What is the standard by which human conduct is measured as right or wrong? The threefold structure characterizes Christian ethics as well, but it is transformed by being radically Christ-centered.
Update: October 26, 2016. The original post inadvertently omitted the footnotes. They have now be... more Update: October 26, 2016. The original post inadvertently omitted the footnotes. They have now been restored.
Calvin’s final chapter of the 2nd edition of the Institutes on the Christian life was first published as a stand-alone treatise in English translation ten years later in 1549. That translation, which introduced the Institutes to the English-speaking world, was not reprinted, being superseded by Thomas Norton’s translation of the Institutes in 1561. It was not available again as a separate booklet in English until 1952 when BakerBooks published the Golden Booklet of the Christian Life translated by Henry J. Van Andel. It has been continuously in print ever since; in 2011 Baker brought out an electronic Kindle edition. This article explores the curious route by which the chapter began again to be circulated as a separate treatise after a hiatus of three centuries.
Calvin is famous for many things, not least of which is his distinctive contribution to Soteriolo... more Calvin is famous for many things, not least of which is his distinctive contribution to Soteriology that earned him the title “theologian of the Holy Spirit.” The subject is broached early in the Institutes in connection with the exposition of the Ten Commandments, bookended in the final edition with new chapters on Christ, the Mediator (2:6-9). Calvin’s well-known analysis of the use of the law now precedes rather than follows his exposition of the Decalogue, and it provides an illuminating gateway for understanding the doctrine of salvation by grace.
This essay explores Calvin's contribution in its historical, scriptural, and pastoral context: (1) The Ten Commandments in Church History; (2) The Ten Commandments in the History of Redemption; (3) Preaching the Ten Commandments.
The threefold chord of Christian ethics according to the Westminster Standards: covenant purpose,... more The threefold chord of Christian ethics according to the Westminster Standards: covenant purpose, covenant virtue, and covenant practice. Published in The Westminster Confession into the 21st Century: Essays in Remembrance of the 350th Anniversary of the Westminster Assembly, vol 3. Edited by J.Ligon Duncan, III, et al. (Scotland: Mentor Imprint of Christian Focus Publications, 2009). Author's note: In preparing this address I have drawn freely at times on my treatment of the same themes in BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN ETHICS (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), where the material is presented in more detail.
A chronological presentation of the historic churches of Charleston with photos and historical no... more A chronological presentation of the historic churches of Charleston with photos and historical notations. In three parts: I. The churches at the founding, 1680-1696; II. New churches in the 18th century; III. The churches in the 19th century. Includes denominational index with status of original and current church building. Corrected from an earlier version with the assistance of Harriott Cheves Leland, Researcher, The Huguenot Society of South Carolina. Appended to the photo directory are (1) a chronological index and (2) a denominational index of all the churches with addresses.
Book Reviews by David C Jones
Presbyterion: Covenant Seminary Review 12 (Spring 1986): 62-63
PRESBYTERION; COVENANT SEMINARY REVIEW 40 (Fall 2014): 53-54
Unpublished review by David Clyde Jones, emeritus professor of systematic theology and ethics, Co... more Unpublished review by David Clyde Jones, emeritus professor of systematic theology and ethics, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri.
Published in WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, 57 ( Spring 1995): 270-72.
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Papers by David C Jones
Richard J. Mouw, ABRAHAM KUYPER: A SHORT AND PERSONAL INTRODUCTION (2011).
"Theological Foundations for an Evangelical Political Philosophy," by Nicholas Wolterstorff in TOWARD AN EVANGELICAL PUBLIC POLICY, ed. Ronald J. Sider & Diane Knippers (2005), 140-62.
"In the Arena: Practical Issues in Concrete Political Engagement," by Stephen Monsma & Mark Rodgers in TOWARD AN EVANGELICAL PUBLIC POLICY, ed. Ronald J. Sider & Diane Knippers (2005), 325-41.
For application to the difficult and highly emotional question of the morality of abortion in the case rape, see the article posted on this webpage here:
https://www.academia.edu/9814966/The_Morality_of_Abortion_following_Rape
The title “Christ and Character” is intended as something of a counterweight to H. Richard Niebuhr’s classic treatise on Christ and Culture. I argue that cultural or social transformation involves three interdependent components: personal renewal, ecclesial practice, and structural reform. The takeaway point is that Christian transformation of culture is rooted in Christian transformation of character. I address two questions: What is Christian character? and How is it formed? Put in the form of a thesis, I argue that Christian character, or Christ-likeness, is the work of the Holy Spirit, through the means of grace, in the communion of the saints, by practice of the truth.
Calvin’s final chapter of the 2nd edition of the Institutes on the Christian life was first published as a stand-alone treatise in English translation ten years later in 1549. That translation, which introduced the Institutes to the English-speaking world, was not reprinted, being superseded by Thomas Norton’s translation of the Institutes in 1561. It was not available again as a separate booklet in English until 1952 when BakerBooks published the Golden Booklet of the Christian Life translated by Henry J. Van Andel. It has been continuously in print ever since; in 2011 Baker brought out an electronic Kindle edition. This article explores the curious route by which the chapter began again to be circulated as a separate treatise after a hiatus of three centuries.
This essay explores Calvin's contribution in its historical, scriptural, and pastoral context: (1) The Ten Commandments in Church History; (2) The Ten Commandments in the History of Redemption; (3) Preaching the Ten Commandments.
https://www.academia.edu/9810072/Exploring_the_Huguenot_Legacy_in_South_Carolina_How_an_Exiled_French_Acadian_Family_Made_Baptist_and_Presbyterian_History
https://www.academia.edu/9810259/The_Laneaus_of_Charleston_and_Greenville_S.C
For a tour of the churches of Charleston from the founding thro' the 19th century see
https://www.academia.edu/13430580/Illustrated_Booklet_of_the_Historic_Churches_of_Charleston_South_Carolina
Book Reviews by David C Jones