The Westminster Assembly: Reading Its Theology in Historical Context (Westminster Assembly and the Reformed Faith) Paperback – November 2, 2009

This book by Robert Letham helped me understand not just the result of the Westminster Assembly (namely, the Westminster Confession of Faith), but how it was formulated, and the struggles the assembly went through as they chose certain wording, and rejected other wording.

An example: Today many people would say that a denial of the Active Imputation of Christ's Righteousness would put someone out of the pale of the "Reformed Faith," or at least, put someone at odds with the Westminster Confession of Faith. But Letham carefully points out that there was a minority (yet respected) position at the assembly which did in fact reject Active Imputation, and the assembly felt that they should not be excluded, and therefore worded the Confession in such a way as to include that minority position. They believed that this minority position does NOT put one of the of the pale of Reformed orthodoxy.

Reading this work helped me understand that the Westminster Assembly was often less narrow than many of today's "TRs" (Truly Reformed) who draw tighter lines of orthodoxy than their forefathers.

This is an incredibly helpful book in understanding the historical context of the Westminster Assembly. Conservative Presbyterians are meticulous in examining context when it comes to reading and teaching the Scriptures. But we often act as if the Westminster Confession and Catechisms dropped from the sky, taking little care to understand the climate of their origination, and the debates that led to the particular language that was ultimately included in the Westminster Standards. Letham's book will go a long way in addressing this weakness. In the first half of the volume, the reader will get a lengthy history of the time period as well as the main participants at the Assembly. The second half walks through the Confession (with topical interludes particularly to the Larger Catechism), with special emphasis on the floor debates. Meticulously researched, Letham's analysis of the Westminster minutes give the reader a much deeper understanding of the diversity of views at the Assembly, and the compromise language chosen. Based on research alone, I'd rate this 5 stars. I gave it 4, simply because it's not a page turner and something you'll likely get jazzed about reading cover to cover. It makes for an excellent reference work and ought to be on the shelves of every Reformed seminary student and pastor.

A couple of quick and random observations:
1.) My biggest takeaway is the large diversity of views at the Assembly. This is not the impression you get from a lot of folks in the PCA. The debates were long and often heated, and at times the final language won by small margins. And yet, those on the "losing side" were not excluded from the Assembly. They were allowed to participate in crafting the rest of the document. Thus, the strict subscriptionism cannot be defended. It's historical anachronistic.

2.) I had no idea there were English hypothetical universalists at the Assembly (Calamy being the most outspoken, but Seaman, Marshall and Vines are mentioned as supporting this position). Note that hypothetical universalism is not the same as actual universalism. Hypothetical universalism wants to push back against particular (or limited) atonement, suggesting that Christ's death has affect for the whole world, and not just those whom he saves. Faith is the only thing missing for someone to procure the effects of the death of Christ. At any rate, it seems the Assembly included "4 pointers" and didn't tar and feather them.

3.) There was a HUGE debate on the imputation of the active obedience of Christ.

4.) Letham does not think highly of TF Torrance's work on the Assembly. Letham seems to think Torrance kind of mailed it in.

5.) The debates around the Sacraments were also interesting. Seems clear that while most Assembly members favored sprinkling, some preferred immersion and few wanted to exclude any of the three modes of baptism: pouring, sprinkling, or immersion.

6.) The regulative principle was meant to be a "freeing principle" rather than a restrictive one. Assembly members were objecting to Anglican policies of enforcing the Book of Common Prayer and other liturgical elements on ministers and their churches. The Assembly didn't reject these things wholesale, but they crafted their statements on worship to make Scripture the sole judge and prescriptor of "right worship.

This book is well worth reading, especially for those who work with the Westminster Standards. Letham's historical work is significant and helpful, shedding light on the Assembly's theological articulation. This is all very good. The book mostly reads well. Sometimes, however, I felt like I was reading notes from a seminary class, which, from time to time, briefly repeated themselves. In short, the overall style of this book seemed a bit unpolished, but the content was great. Get and read.

Insightful and a delight to read.

Letham gives a strong and fair survey of Assembly theology. This review will not summarize all of the book, but will highlight key points.

Concerning God,

Letham is aware that a hard division on God’s not having passions must take into account the fact that the Incarnation brought into true union with humanity. Jesus experiences human thoughts, human emotions, etc (162). Letham is certainly on the correct path, but the problem is much deeper (and this isn’t a slam against Reformed Christology; all Christological traditions hailing from the Chalcedonian definition must face this problem: does our definition of what it means to be a person today include self-reflection? If it does, then we are on the road to Nestorianism. If it doesn’t, is it really coherent to speak of person anymore?)

Letham gives a competent discussion on Creation, though one that will annoy many. He admits, contra many Klineans, that the divines likely held to six solar days, yet he points out that the more pertinent goal was to reject Augustine’s view of instantaneous creation. Further, what we must also admit, no matter where we land on this discussion, is that the divines did presuppose a geocentric cosmology which saw theology in spatial terms. Indeed, one wonders if George Walker even knew that the world is spherical (Letham 191 n.50).

Law, Liberty, Church and Eschatology

Great section on Law and Liberty--and he avoids getting involved in the painful theonomy disputes. Letham shows how the RPW should be read and interpreted in light of the Laudian imprisonment and persecution of Reformed believers. On another note, he points out how the Presbyterians really failed on clinching and continuing the “liberty of conscience” victory it justly won. I will elaborate:
Did the Solemn League and Covenant bind the consciences of those who didn’t vow it? Said another way, was Cromwell later on obligated to establish Presbyterian government? If he was, how does this square with what (Covenanter) Samuel Rutherford said, “It is in our power to vow, but not in the church’s power to command us to vow” (quoted in Letham 299)? Maybe the two points don’t contradict each other, but the tension is certainly strained.

And it appears the Presbyterians couldn’t maintain this tension. They chose to deal with the tyrant Charles I and supported (to their fatal regret later) the pervert Charles II. Cromwell’s victory at Dunbar is fully justified.

Conclusion:

This isn’t a commentary on the Confession. It is a theological exploration of the historical circumstances behind it. Letham’s scholarship is judicious, measured, and impressive.