It underlies many of the legacy hymns we sing, and it crops up in our social media feeds: Calvinism. John Calvin and his Institutes of the Christian Religion may be the greatest influences on Protestant thought, second only to Martin Luther himself. This constant barrage of Calvinist thought has a tendancy to seep into the church and color our understanding of the truth.

The following series of lessons examines the doctrines of John Calvin and the arguments modern proponents, such as John Piper, make to defend them. Then we look at what the Bible has to say:

1. On the Other Hand
2. Why Calvinism?
3. Our Sovereign Lord, Part 1
4. Our Sovereign Lord, Part 2
5. Depraved, but Not Totally
6. Depraved, but Not Totally, Part 2
7. Election, but Not Unconditional
8. Election, but Not Unconditional, Part 2
9. Limited Atonement
10. Calvin and Christ's Righteousness
11. Resistible Grace
12. The Security of the Saints

The 1950s and 1960s were tumultuous times for the Lord’s church in the United States. Churches divided over three main issues: church support of orphan’s homes, the sponsoring church arrangement, and the addition of kitchens and fellowship halls to church buildings. Bill Hall recalls these times and the arguments on both sides of these issues in an attempt to help us understand the root of the disagreement and the conclusion to which God’s word leads us in each matter.

1. Church-Supported Orphan’s Homes
2. The Sponsoring Church Arrangement
3. Kitchens and Fellowship Halls

While Bill Hall originally preached this series of lessons here at Pepper Road a number of years ago, the audio quality of our recordings was poor. The saints at West End in Bowling Green, KY were nice enough to let us post copies of the same lessons that Mr. Hall preached there on October 25, 2009. Our thanks to them.

Have you ever heard someone speak critically of “house churches” and wondered how anyone could object to a church meeting in someone's house? The concern, of course, is not about the meeting place, but the type of meeting itself. Some, in their attacks on what they believe to be nothing more than human traditions, have sought to alter radically the worship and organization of the local church. We urge you to consider thoughtfully these lessons, which examine these teachings in light of the New Testament.

1. House Churches and Radical Restoration, Part 1
2. House Churches and Radical Restoration, Part 2
3. House Churches and Radical Restoration, Part 3
4. House Churches and Radical Restoration, Part 4
5. House Churches and Radical Restoration, Part 5