Editor-in-(mis)Chief

In 1990, Frank Turk received his MA in Literature in English from St. Bonaventure University, and years later became a Christian in the basement of his parents' house one night while contemplating suicide. He's married to a woman who's much smarter than him, has two kids who are way more compliant than he deserves, and he has been blogging with Dan Phillips and Phil Johnson at the PyroManiacs blog since 2006 -- so plainly, he rides on the coat-tails of others and the grace of God. By day he is a mild-mannered employee of [withheld to protect them], and by night he causes mayhem on the internet for the sake of the Gospel.

He is the editor in chief for The Calvinist Gadfly. You can contact him at this e-mail address.

Daniel was the original lead singer for Third Day

Daniel van de Laar is a Calvinist, though that doesn't mean that he is a follower of John Calvin, rather it identifies him as someone who rejects the novel but erroneous re-invention of the gospel as was made popular by the Remonstrants of the 15^th century. When he speaks of himself as being a Calvinist, he means nothing more than this.

He is Reformed insofar as he recognizes scripture alone as the final authority on all matters pertaining to God and Christian conduct, and he believes with all his being that salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone through grace alone to the glory of God alone (cf. the Five Solas). When he speaks of himself in terms of being reformed, he means nothing more than this.

He is a sinner saved by grace, a teacher and leader in my local congregation, a husband and father, he is, as someone else once said, a fellow beggar who counts it an honor to share with other beggars where the Bread of Life can be found. When he speaks of himself as a Christian he means nothing more than this.

Pastor Brad after the pot-luck

Brad Williams is the preaching pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church which was planted in Albertville, Alabama in 2009. He is only the preaching pastor because it is one of those unusual Baptist churches that has a plurality of elders. Brad is grateful to God for the other four elders, without whom the ministry of the church would suffer greatly. Brad is also the husband of Amy, who by some strange providence of grace condescended to marry him. They have two children, Ethan and Zoe. Brad is particularly grateful that both children look more like Amy than himself.

If you really want to know Brad, here is his outline in a nutshell: he’s a guy who was saved by grace while in the midst of hateful rebellion against Jesus; he’s a guy who, though a slacker, managed by grace to finish both college and seminary; he’s a guy who God continues to love manifestly through the gifts of a wife and children that he does not deserve, and he’s a guy who pastors at a church that just about any pastor would give his right arm to be at. Brad is like a guy who keeps winning the lottery over and over again because, for some unfathomable reason, Jesus really does love him.

Brad also wants you to know that he wrote this biography himself in the third person because that’s the way everyone does it, which is sort of weird, but it makes him laugh anyway.

David's actual glamor shot

David Paul Regier is a piece of work. A married father of four kids in southern California, he has the ridiculous notion that being a professional musician is somehow compatible with productive life in the kingdom of God, as well as feeding the aforementioned family. In any case, David writes music, teaches lessons, and performs in jazz bands, country bands, big bands, rock bands, blues bands, soul bands, gospel groups, intimate solo settings, weddings, funerals and puppet shows.

All of that is to support his habit of teaching and admonishing the church through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness to God. David stopped believing everything the worship industry said a few years back, so he is in the process of throwing it all up in the air to separate the wheat from the chaff. He busies himself by directing choirs and teaching church musicians how to play well with others.

David, at one point or another, has made oaths to the effect that he would never be a Calvinist, a Baptist, or live in southern California. God, however, is sovereign.

Matt, prior to sentencing blogging

Matt Gumm was born and raised in Arizona. He went to college in Northwest Arkansas, where he met his wife Hollie. They have 5 kids, which keeps them both very busy and very blessed.

During his life, he has primarily attended independent Bible churches, with a brief interludes at denominational churches from the SBC, Calvary Chapel, and the PCA (in that order). He became Reformed at the end of his time at the PCA church, and only then found out that his wife had been waiting for him to catch up with her on that issue. He now attends the Bible Church of Cabot, Arkansas.

At one time he blogged regularly at Still Reforming, but then he went to work for himself, and found other things to do, like ministry. "Still Reforming" is a recognition that God's work in him is not finished, and that there are many more things He still needs to refine. For instance, this project gives him a chance to come to terms with his anti-confessionalism.

His primary qualification to be a part of this group is that he knows Frank Turk personally. However, since the only qualification he has for his salvation is that he knows Jesus Christ personally, he is OK with that.

Pastor Chantry, as portrayed by Errol Flynn

Before Frank invited him to join this site, Tom Chantry didn’t know what a “gadfly” was. When he looked it up and read the definition to his wife, she immediately insisted that he was predestined to blog here. His niece once compiled a list running to several pages of reasons that he is a misfit. After noting his utter disinterest in movies, amusement parks, and pretty much anything else fun, she concluded that he takes perverse pleasure simply in being a misfit. Given the choice, he would probably live in seventeenth century London just so that he could hang out with guys like Benjamin Keach and Hercules Collins. Instead he lives in Milwaukee.

When he’s not preaching at Christ Reformed Baptist Church, he spends his days trying not to bore his three sons to death. When he is preaching, he tries not to bore Christ Reformed Baptist Church to death.