About

My name is Dylan Rowland and I serve the congregation of Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Mansfield, OH as the minister of word and sacrament. During my freshman year of undergraduate studies, I was introduced to the Reformed confessional tradition and was immediately interested to learn more. Although I had been raised in the Christian church, I had no idea what the Reformation was or who the Reformers were.  I began reading the writings of the Reformed churchmen and found their biblical and theological commentary to be both intellectually stimulating and devotionally humbling. In other words, I found an important connection between head and heart that was especially appealing. Since then, I've expanded my reading to include everything from the early church fathers to modern pastors and theologians. However, although I continue to be encouraged by what I read in church history, no period has been more encouraging to me personally than what I read in the writings of the men from early Princeton Seminary. Men such as Archibald Alexander, Samuel Miller, Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield, and all the rest have been something like an oasis to me in my personal devotion and study. Having not been raised in the Reformed tradition, the men of Early Princeton have been influential in helping me to cultivate a deeper appreciation of the Reformed tradition in particular, but also a deeper appreciation for the testimony of the church throughout history generally. My interest in the Early Princeton men ultimately rests in their unwavering devotion to training men for the pastorate to serve Christ's church. Above all, they understood the importance of training ministers to be churchmen of the head and heart. Thus, I've titled this blog "The Old Princetonian" in honor of the service provided to the church by these men. 

"Early Princeton" refers to the time period beginning in 1812 with the establishing of the seminary and concluding with its reorganization in 1929. Historically and theologically, I think it is obvious that the Princeton Seminary of today has nothing to do with the seminary in the "early" days, and this is a very lamentable truth. Yet, the spirit of Early Princeton lives on in other institutions such as Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, Greenville Theological Seminary in Taylors, SC, Heidelberg Theological Seminary in Sioux Falls, SD, and other theological schools. Therefore, in order to promote the spirit of Early Princeton, my intention is to interact primarily with the Princeton men and their writings. I hope to offer some personal reflection from my own study coupled with resources from pastors, scholars, and authors who have extensively studied this topic. I firmly believe that churches and theological seminaries in our day would do well to learn from the men of Early Princeton about the work of Christian ministry. 

I hope that you enjoy what you find here. 

Happy reading!