For the third year, I’ve kept track of the books I’ve read and have chosen a favorite and least favorite. I managed to read 91 books in 2019, down considerably from last year but still a substantial number. Here are links to the previous two years: https://www.douglasdouma.com/2017/12/23/books-i-read-in-2017-and-a-favorite-declared/ https://www.douglasdouma.com/2018/10/13/rating-100-books-ive-read-this-year/ In 2019 I finished re-reading the complete …
I’m quite happy to have received the A. Donald MacLeod Award for Presbyterian History at the Presbyterian Scholars Conference earlier this week. The award was given to me for my book The Presbyterian Philosopher. At the conference I gave a speech I titled “The Grand Old Doc.” It was quite the crew of participants in …
The A. Donald MacLeod Award for Presbyterian History Read More »
I’m glad to announce that First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY has left the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and joined the Bible Presbyterian Church (BPC). The Great Lakes Presbytery of the BPC has examined me and approved my transfer from the denomination in which I am ordained, the Reformed Presbyterian Church – Hanover Presbytery. …
My family and I are working on getting settled in Unionville, NY, a trail town along the Appalachian Trail. Unionville is so small, in fact, that it is not a town but a village! It does make for a nice stop for hikers with an Italian restaurant, a general store, a post office, and a …
Readers of my blog might be interested to know that I have accepted a call to be the pastor of First Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Unionville, New York. As Unionville is a trail town on the Appalachian Trail, moving there (in a couple months) well-positions us to expand our mission work to hikers with Sola …
I stumbled upon these videos from a few years ago recorded on my phone and they are too good to let disappear into the past. These are of very dear friends that I met in Switzerland in 2016. And, incidentally, I just painted this Swiss flag:
One of my daughter’s favorite books is called “That’s Not My Lion.” It has cartoon drawings of lions and has pieces of fabric to feel on each of the pages. The words go like this: That’s not my lion … its not is too fuzzy. That’s not my lion. Its ear are too soft. That’s …
I’ve recently ordered an additional 100 copies of my book “The Presbyterian Philosopher” from the publisher and am for the first time now willing to ship internationally. If you are outside of the United States and would like to order a copy (or copies) of the book, please let me know and I’ll give you …
"The Presbyterian Philosopher" – International Sales Read More »
My article “Using God’s Money for Man’s Kingdom” has been covered in the Christian Observer. Check it out: http://christianobserver.org/using-gods-money-for-mans-kingdom-a-short-history-of-a-financial-scandal/
Singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt hailed from Texas, but often spent time in Colorado, Tennessee, and other U. S. states. Liking his music as I do, I’m apt to recall his lyrics whenever I travel to a state he mentions. So I’ve looked through his lyrics to find his references to various states. Here’s what I’ve …
While a student at Sangre de Cristo seminary I often ventured into the mountains of the Sangre de Cristo range. With my trusty Bernese trail dog, Henry, I explored trails with names including Rainbow, Horn Peak, Venable, Comanche, and the Phantom Terrace. While I never made it up Marble Mountain to Spanish Cave, I heard …
Historical Research Oveturns the Legend of Spanish Cave Read More »
“Practical Apologetics” by Rev. Douglas J. Douma Keynote Speech given at The Geneva Institute for Christian Thought, July 18, 2018 When one hears the word “practical” he might be inclined to think of the philosophy of pragmatism. Pragmatism assesses the truth of a belief in terms of the success of its practical applications. The pragmatist …
For the second straight year I attended the Presbyterian Church in America’s General Assembly. This year it was in Atlanta, GA while last year it was in Greensboro, NC. While it is a national denomination, its history is largely Southern and the center of mass still resides in this region. Because of that, the GA …
I grew up in a place that does not exist. Not that it was in the Twilight Zone, but rather just a non-descript zone unsure of its identity and location. While our address said Grand Rapids, technically we were in the city of Walker. And our school district—Grandville—somehow crossed over from that neighboring city and …
Check out the Research on Religion podcast where I was interviewed by Dr. Tony Gill, Professor at Washington University: http://www.researchonreligion.org/practioneers/doug-douma-on-gordon-clark-and-a-christian-hiking-hostel
From the time I was five years old until my college years I attended with my family a Lutheran church (Holy Cross) in Jenison, MI. As this was a member of the conservative Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), I’ve long assumed that the previous church we attended (Faith Lutheran in Grand Rapids, MI) when I was …
[This summer I’ll be giving three lectures and a speech at the Summer Studies in Christian Thought program at the Geneva Institute for Christian Thought in Elizabethton, Tennessee. (http://genevainstitute.org) If you are a junior or senior in high school or are in college, I recommend you check out the program and contact the institute if …
Geneva Lecture 1: What is Religion? – On the Importance of Definitions Read More »
I recently acquired a great donation of a number of books ranging in date from 1647 to 1935. These will be added to our growing collection for the library at our ministry, Sola – Appalachian Christian Retreat. If there is some volume, however, that you are particularly interested in, let me know and I may …
This is the second year that I’ve attended the Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (GPTS) conference. It is held at Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church, a large and rather dashing church in Greenville, SC. My current church is a financial supporter of GPTS and it is the seminary I would most likely recommend to prospective ministry students. GPTS, …
My wife and I went to hear Rosaria Champagne Butterfield speak at Christ Covenant Church in Charlotte, NC this morning (Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018). I had never read any of her books nor heard her speak before, but I did have some idea of the general outline of her story. At the book tables following …
Notes on Rosaria Butterfield's speech in Charlotte, NC Read More »
“When a Grand Rapids Press article reported on a fraternity house homecoming dance at the University of Michigan, it named six of the church’s young people as participants. The consistory immediately dispatched two elders to Ann Arbor to investigate this public blot on the congregration’s [Neland Avenue Christian Reformed Church] reputation. Their report the next …
The Sagas of the Icelanders, c. 9th – 13th centuries. Everyone knows of Erik the Red and Leif Erikson, but the real Viking personality is found in Egil Skallagrimson who could drink and fight with the best of men. Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Vol. 1 by Francis Turretin, 1679. A Reformed classic but not on …
In my university days—and before I ever was a Calvinist—I wrote a letter to the editor of the local daily press. The letter was in response to the previous day’s article written by a General Studies major at the same university who lamented the fact that she was struggling to find a job that “fully …
