Chosen by God by R. C. Sproul is the go-to book on the classical understanding of the doctrine of election. Sproul writes in a logical fashion, working through all that the doctrine entails, and building a solid biblical case for it. If you are familiar with Sproul’s preaching, you can hear his voice in the... Continue Reading

At the beginning of 2018 I suggested this would be one of the themes of the year and I continue to believe this will prove to be the case. My cause is helped by Tom Schreiner’s new defense of cessationism, Spiritual Gifts: What they Are and Why they Matter.   The movement called the New Calvinism has been... Continue Reading

Calvin said there is no place on earth I’d rather not be than Geneva, but he sensed God’s call on his life, and so he went back to Geneva. He ended up staying there, Geneva becoming his adopted city. He not only led the church there, but as one biographer of Calvin said, while he lived... Continue Reading

Dr. Butterfield’s book excels in amazing ways at setting a vision for radically, ordinary hospitality and its transformative power for our post-Christian culture.  Her closing list of “Imagine a world where…” is pure gold and worth typing up and putting on the refrigerator or bathroom mirror.   Do I “…see strangers as neighbors and neighbors as... Continue Reading

The title, 12 Rules for Life, sounds like a self-help book for a reason. But it’s tongue-in-cheek. This isn’t Your Best Life Now. This isn’t How to Win Friends and Influence People. The book could be alternatively titled Life Is Suffering: How to Deal with It.   12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. By Jordan B. Peterson. Random... Continue Reading

Reformation Worship gives impressive testimony to the way the reformers in various countries devoted so much attention to the subject of worship. They well understood that the rediscovery of the gospel and the reformation of worship were two sides of the same coin, because sung praise, confessions of sin and faith, prayer, and the reading and... Continue Reading

A young man named Sean was exclusively attracted to other men, but today he’s married and has three kids. What changed? Sean said, “I stopped regarding my sexual desires as who I was and started regarding my body as who I was. Instead of trying to change my feelings, I accepted what I had, namely... Continue Reading

The Enlightenment privatized marriage, taking it out of the public sphere, and redefined its purpose as individual gratification, not any ‘broader good’ such as reflecting God’s nature, producing character, or raising children. (28) Marriage used to be a public institution for the common good, and now it is a private arrangement for the satisfaction of... Continue Reading

Murray notes, “The gospel itself was ever the most important part of whatever he spoke or wrote, and the gospel meant the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Richly rooted and built up in Puritan theology, Ryle desired to present biblical content in a clear and accessible manner, especially the doctrines of grace.... Continue Reading

“The movement goes by different names,” says Kate Bowler, “ranging from the slightly pejorative (Health and Wealth or Name It and Claim It) to the vaguely descriptive (Faith or Word of Faith) to the blunt shorthand, the prosperity gospel. Though it is hard to describe, it is easy to find.” This movement that began in... Continue Reading