The Westminster Assembly and Its Work

by B.B. Warfield, Michael Rotolo (Editor)

The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of theologians and members of the English Parliament appointed to restructure the Church of England. It was formed in 1643 during the lead up to the First English Civil War by the Long Parliament. This is a concise history, written by Benjamin Warfield, of The Assembly's work between the years 1643 up until sometime about 1660. From its efforts were produced a new Form of Church Government, a Confession of Faith or statement of belief, two catechisms or manuals for religious instruction (Shorter and Larger), and a liturgical manual for the Churches of England and Scotland.

Genres: Theology, History

102 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2011

About the author

Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (usually known as B. B. Warfield) was professor of theology at Princeton Seminary from 1887 to 1921. Some conservative Presbyterians consider him to be the last of the great Princeton theologians before the split in 1929 that formed Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

(Wikipedia)

Reviews

[William Barrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warfield's description of the meetings and business of the Westminster Assembly form a significant historical backdrop for Christianity in seventeenth-century England and Scotland. Obtaining an inside look at the proceedings in the development of the Westminster Confession and its attendant Catechisms produces a profound respect for the men involved. Even the history of the Confession's publication and translation contributes a significant aspect of this volume and its contents. Every Protestant (especially Reformed) candidate for a doctorate in theology should be required to read this volume. The modern church could learn much from how the Westminster Assembly worked together for a unified statement of faith which allowed for variations in views on some significant topics.

[Peter Kiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible scholarship from Warfield, as always. However, sometimes his deep level of study can leave the layman behind, with lots of untranslated Latin texts throughout. Also, I don't think every article is on the same level in terms of usefulness, but that is typical with Warfield's works. Some of his articles are hyper-focused on a particular topic, others offer a great wealth of info at an accessible and engaging level. I learned a lot from this, and look forward to learning more. This is certainly a reference work in many respects.

[Keller (Charles Hack) Hackbusch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but helpful history of the Westminster Assembly