1. 400th Anniversary of the Canons of Dort: Introduction and Background

The Reformed Churches in the United States in Nebraska invited Dr. R. Scott Clark (Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary in California) to present a series of lectures on the History surrounding the Synod of Dort.

In this first lecture, he recounts a number of biographical details about Jacob Arminius that help understand him and his aberrant ideas. He was influenced by a number of people and movements, many that were leaders in the Reformed thought; others that were not.

He was more or less protected and allowed to continue teaching his ideas by being allowed to become at= seminary professor. However, after his untimely death, it was really his disciples who carried on his ideas and sought to make them the official doctrinal position of the Dutch Churches. They were called the Remonstrants. They were protesting the historic doctrines and teachings of the Reformation and wanted to change the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism.