The Marrow Controversy and the Secession

1. Lectures Listen to the lectures in order. Those marked supplementary are optional.

   • The Marrow Controversy #01: Historical Details Sinclair B. Ferguson 1 h 6 min 42 s Open source Doctrinal Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary / SermonAudio Ordained in the Church of Scotland and later served in the ARP/PCA in the United States; a Westminster subscriber (American text in his US ministry). Keep as core; the lectures are historical and expound the free offer in Westminster terms. Faculty may note his subscription is to the American text.
   • The Marrow Controversy #02: Danger of Legalism Sinclair B. Ferguson 1 h 17 min 33 s Open source Doctrinal Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary / SermonAudio Ordained in the Church of Scotland and later served in the ARP/PCA in the United States; a Westminster subscriber (American text in his US ministry). Keep as core; the lectures are historical and expound the free offer in Westminster terms. Faculty may note his subscription is to the American text.
   • The Marrow Controversy #03: Danger of Antinomianism Sinclair B. Ferguson 1 h 23 min 33 s Open source Doctrinal Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary / SermonAudio Ordained in the Church of Scotland and later served in the ARP/PCA in the United States; a Westminster subscriber (American text in his US ministry). Keep as core; the lectures are historical and expound the free offer in Westminster terms. Faculty may note his subscription is to the American text.
   • Thomas Boston's Notes on 'The Marrow of Modern Divinity' (MP3) Rev. Dr Donald John MacLean 1 h 18 min 58 s Open source Supplementary Scottish Reformation Society Affiliation confirmed only from the Reformed Forum episode description (President, Westminster Seminary UK; Banner of Truth trustee); his ecclesiastical membership was not verified in this session. Keep; confirm church membership (expected: a Westminster-subscribing Presbyterian church) before publishing.

   Total: 5.1 hours

2. Reading Read in the order given. Public-domain and free texts are linked; purchases are optional and never required.

   • The Marrow of Modern Divinity (with notes by Thomas Boston) Edward Fisher 367 scanned pages (archive.org imagecount) Open source Primary text 1781 ed.. Public domain
   • The 'Marrow of Modern Divinity' and the Marrow Controversy Donald Beaton (Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland) 26 scanned pages (archive.org imagecount) Open source Supplementary 1926. Public domain
   • The Marrow Controversy: A Defense of Grace and the Free Offer of the Gospel Joseph H. Hall Mid-America Journal of Theology 10 (1999) 239-257 (19 pp.) Open source Supplementary 1999. Free online
   • The Whole Works of Thomas Boston, vol. 11 Thomas Boston 440 scanned pages (archive.org imagecount) Open source Primary text 1848. Public domain Affiliation confirmed only from the Reformed Forum episode description (President, Westminster Seminary UK; Banner of Truth trustee); his ecclesiastical membership was not verified in this session. Keep; confirm church membership (expected: a Westminster-subscribing Presbyterian church) before publishing.
   • The Marrow Controversy and Seceder Tradition William VanDoodewaard Supplementary No link: find it in a library or bookstore. Purchase (optional)

   Total: 19 pages

3. Assignment Write a research paper of 30 pages on a topic drawn from the lectures and readings of this course. Argue from Scripture, the Westminster Standards (1647 text) and the Three Forms of Unity, cite the primary sources you read, and state the points on which the sources differ.

   Open the assignment

Every lecture and reading carries its role. "Under review" means the teacher's subscription to the Westminster Standards or the Three Forms of Unity is not yet established; "Read as comparison" means the material teaches the 1788 American text of WCF 20.4, 23 or 31 or of Larger Catechism Q.109, which the school reads beside the 1647 text. Nothing has been removed.