Contra Mundum

The Contra Mundum Christianity & Culture pages provides perspectives and resources for the study of culture and the theory of culture based on Christian principles. We present some of the more important writings on this topic from the past century as well as contemporary opinions on current issues.

The presence of material here—especially that of neo-orthodox writers—does not mean that we endorse it, but that we consider it important, and worth taking into consideration. The reader, therefore, should read critically and wisely.

Books—Christianity & Culture

About the format

Most of these book files were created from scans and converted to Adobe Portable Document Format as graphic images. Adobe Paper Capture was used to make them searchable, but with some word recognition errors. A few were created using OCR, and these have the original page numbers indicated with brackets in the text for those who need to cite the pages in their research.

Herman Bavinck

Calvin and Common Grace (78 k)

G. W. Bromiley

Sacramental Teaching and Practice in the Reformation Churches (1.8 MB)

Emil Brunner

Christianity and Civilization: First Part: Foundations (2.8 MB)

George Buchanan

De Jure Regni Apud Scotos

Herbert Butterfield

Christianity and History (2.9 MB)

Jacques Ellul – International Jacques Ellul Society

• The New Demons (3.2 MB)
• The Theological Foundation of Law (413 k)

E. L. Hebden Taylor

The New Legality (283 k)

T. Robert Ingram

What’s Wrong With Human Rights (158 k) Cover (152 k)

Michael Kelley

• The Burden of God: Studies in Wisdom and Civilization from the Book of Ecclesiastes (694 k)
• Impulse of Power: Formative Ideals of Western Civilization (2 MB)

Francis Nigel Lee

Are the Mosaic Laws for Today? (706 k)

Francis Oakley

Omnipotence and Promise: The Legacy of the Scholastic Distinction of Powers (289 k)

The Etienne Gilson Series 23

Daniel O’Conner and Francis Oakley, eds.

Creation: The Impact of an Idea (5 MB)

Klaas Schilder – Project Neocalvinisme

• Christ and Culture (384 k)
• Heaven – What Is It? (287 k)

Thomas Schirrmacher

• God wants you to Learn, Labor, and Love (679 k)
• Hope for Europe: 66 Thesis (513 k)
• Hoffnung für Europa: 66 Thesen (578 k)
• Human Rights Threatened in Europe: Euthanasia – Abortion – Bioethics-Convention (235 k) : Cover
• Law or Spirit? Galatians Between Legalism and Antinomianism (442 k) : Cover
• The Persecution of Christians Concererns Us All (478 k) : Cover

Henry R. Van Til

The Calvinistic Concept of Culture (3.5 MB)

E. C. Wines

The Hebrew Republic – unedited scan (1 MB)

Essays

About the format

Most of these files are in Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf). Some articles are from scans of paper originals and created from the graphic images. Adobe Paper Capture was used to make them searchable, but with some word recognition errors. A few were created using OCR, and these have the original page numbers indicated with brackets in the text for those who need to cite the pages in their research. Others are from text originals.

By Author

Dr. George M. Ella

Henry Bullinger: Shepherd of the Churches (256 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar, MBS Texte 9, Reformiertes Forum, 2004

Jan Laski, the Pan-European Reformer (237 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar, MBS Texte 19, Reformiertes Forum, 2004

Thomas K. Johnson

Adam and Eve, who are you? A Study in Theological Anthropology (420 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 12, Hope for Europe, 2004

Biblical Principles in the Public Square: Theological Foundations for Christian Civic Participation (972 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 108, Pro Mundis, 2008

Christ and Culture (900 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 79, Theological Accents, 2007

Deceptive Philosophy (387 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 16, Spiritual Impulses, 2004

Dutch Reformed Philosophy in North America (261 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 81, Philosophical Initiatives, 2007

Foundational Political Values to Guide Governmental and Family Care of Children (896 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 107, Pro Mundis, 2008

Interpreting the Ten Commandments: A Study in Special Hermeneutics (398 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 34, Theological Accents, 2005

Paul’s Intellectual Courage in the Face of Sophisticated Unbelief (252 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 63, Theological Accents, 2006

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 40, Philosophical Initiatives, 2005

Sex, Marriage and Science (412 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar MBS Texte 46, Pro mundis, 2005

Cambron Teupe

“He shall surely be executed” or “He shall be cut off from his people” The Death Penalty in the Old Testament (892 k)

Martin Bucer Seminar, MBS Texte 97, Theological Accents, 2008

Civics & Government

Jack Kettler

Rebuilding Society and the Tax Protest Movement: A Biblical Opinion and Strategy (90 k)

Thoughts on Waco: A Remembrance (38 k)

Major General George S. Patton and General Lewis W. Walt

The Swiss Report (78 k) Provisional PDF version (3.5 Mb)

Jeffrey R. Snyder

A Nation of Cowards

Economics

Blum & Dudley

Religion and Economic Growth: Was Weber Right ? (207 k)

Law & Theonomy

An Eastern Orthodox writer

God’s Law (15 k)

P.D.L. Avis

Moses and the Magistrate: a Study in the Rise of Protestant Legalism (105 k)

Greg L. Bahnsen

For Whom Was God’s Law Intended?

At Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics

Glenn Peoples – Theonomy Online

Theonomy Defended: A Response to J. Esmond Birnie, “Testing the Foundations of Theonomy and Reconstruction” (47 k)

Gordon Clark

The Christian and the Law (67 k)

J. Ligon Duncan, III

Moses’ Law for Modern Government: The Intellectual and Sociological Origins of the Christian Reconstructionist Movement

At Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics

G. Joseph Gatis

• Confessions of a Harvard-Trained Witch Hunter: An Analysis of Judge Samuel Sewall’s Confession of his Role in the Salem Witch Trials (96 k)
• John Owen’s View of Substantive Biblical Law (118 k)

Contra Mundum No. 14, Winter/Spring 1995, pp. 2-14.

Puritan Jurisprudence: A Study In Substantive Biblical Law (84 k)

Contra Mundum No. 12, Summer 1994, pp. 13-19, 69.

Stephen Charnock’s View of Substantive Biblical Law (66 k)

Contra Mundum No. 13, Fall 1994, pp. 3-9.

Thomas Boston’s View of Substantive Biblical Law (66 k)

Contra Mundum No. 15, Final Print Issue, pp. 2-8.

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.

God’s Promise Plan and His Gracious Law (66 k)

Thomas Schirrmacher

The Biblical Prohibition From Eating Blood (19 k)

Chalcedon Report 1995.

God’s Law in the Millenium: Where A-, Pre- and Postmillenialists Should Agree (21 k)

Chalcedon Report 1992, Calvinism Today 1993

‘Lex’ (Law) as another Word for ‘Religion’: A Lesson from the Middle Ages (24 k)

Chalcedon Report

• Love is the Fulfilment of Law: With the Law Dies Love (31 k)
• Calvinism Today Vol. III, No. 2, April 1993
• A Reformed View of Law (25 k)

Calcedon Report February, 1996

T. Slater — The Catholic Encyclopedia

The Moral Aspect of Divine Law (27 k)

John W. Welch

Biblical Law in America: Historical Perspectives and Potentials for Reform (223 k)

Brigham Young University Law Review

G. I. Williamson

Some Thoughts on Theonomy

At Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics

Religion & Social Theory

Jean-Marc Berthoud

Président, Association Création, Bible et Science; Président, Association Vaudoise de Parents Chrétiens; Rédaction, Résister et Contruire

The Swiss Gold Standard and the New Order of the Ages (35 k)

The Christian confronted by homosexuality (127 k)

A. R. Kayayan – Reformed Faith and Life

Serbia Between Two Worlds (94 k)

Jack Kettler

• Pagan Philosophy, Unbelief, and Irrationalism (12 k)
• The Importance and Necessity of Special Revelation (40 k)

Bible & Theology

Horatius Bonar

Assurance of Salvation (56 k)

Joel Herndon

Sola Scriptura and the Church Fathers (21 k)

Philip Edgcumbe Hughes

Crucial Biblical Passages for Biblical Apologetics (116 k)

Jack Kettler

• Dispensationalism’s Eschatological Dilemma (57 k)
• Dr. Resnick’s modern day Oracle of Delphi (30 k)
• A Testimony of an Ex-Mormon (16 k)

Brian G. Mattson

Double Or Nothing: Martin Luther’s Doctrine of Predestination (112 k)

Jorge Ruiz – Westminster Hoy

N.T. Wright Or the Recatholisation of Protestant Thought (114 k)