About

John Larson is a Senior Software Engineer at Jack Henry and a student at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, where he is pursuing a Master of Divinity.

Raised in a churchgoing family, John came to faith as a child and grew up immersed in the life of the local church. Years of careful study drew him into the Reformed tradition, and he is today a communicant member of a Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) congregation. He holds to the Westminster Standards and works within covenant theology, classical theism, and a redemptive-historical reading of Scripture.

This paper takes its name from the old answer of the Shorter Catechism: the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer. The writings gathered here are offered in that conviction, that the ordinary is underrated precisely because it works.

The editor also builds things. Each is free, and each is described at more length under Miscellanies.

• Dorean: The Church Digital Visibility Project. A website for small PCA congregations, built and maintained at no cost to the church. The name is the Greek for “freely, without payment.”
• Katecheo: a study lock for Mac and iPhone. On the Mac, the screen stays locked with one flashcard until you answer. On the iPhone, when your time on the phone runs out, your other apps are covered until you answer a question. The App Store link will be on its page once Apple approves the iPhone app.
• Hagiazomai: an iPhone app that filters adult content on your own phone. A friend you trust gets an alert when a filter or a rule comes off. The App Store link will be on its page once Apple approves it.
• Meletao: self-quizzing for seminary study, in New Testament Greek, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the English Bible. Formerly the Reformed Bible Quiz.
• Translate: a workbench for translating the Greek New Testament without the English in view.
• The Biblical Timeline: the kings, prophets, and empires of Scripture laid side by side.
• Northpointe PCA: his church's website, with a searchable sermon archive. It is the model for Dorean.

Letters to the editor are welcomed, and will be answered in the order in which they improve upon his arguments. The editor may be reached through his portfolio, which provides the means to contact him.