Next week several hundred of us will begin reading a classic Christian book together—Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. Consider this your one-week reminder. And if you haven’t yet heard about Reading Classics Together, here’s your chance to join in with us.

Here is what Machen said about the book.

In my little book, Christianity and Liberalism, 1923, I tried to show that the issue in the Church of the present day is not between two varieties of the same religion, but, at bottom, between two essentially different types of thought and life. There is much interlocking of the branches, but the two tendencies, Modernism and supernaturalism, or (otherwise designated) non-doctrinal religion and historic Christianity, spring from different roots. In particular, I tried to show that Christianity is not a “life,” as distinguished from a doctrine, and not a life that has doctrine as its changing symbolic expression, but that—exactly the other way around—it is a life founded on a doctrine.

This book has long been a classic defense of orthodox Christian faith against Liberalism. Published in 1923 at the height of the Liberal onslaught against orthodox faith, Machen establishes the traditional teaching of the church on Scripture, God, humanity, salvation, and ecclesiology, are not only defensible but preferable to those propounded by Liberals. It is important to keep in mind the Machen is not talking about modern political liberalism, but the religious liberalism many denominations and seminaries were accepting in the early 1900’s. Named one of the top 100 books of the 20th century by Christianity Today and WORLD, this work remains timely, relevant, and important.

It may be particularly relevant today as we see a resurgence of just the kind of denials that Machen battled in his day.

When?

We will begin reading together next Thursday (June 2). Before then please track down a copy of the book and read the Introduction. Then return here on June 2 and we can share some thoughts and reflections on that Introduction. We’ll read one chapter per week for the next 6 weeks. And then we will be done, just like that.

Where?

The book is widely available. You can find it at:

Amazon (print)  |  Amazon (Kindle)  |  Westminster Books  |  CBD Reformed

If you’d prefer to save a few dollars and read it online, you can find it for free at Reformed.org, CCEL, and elsewhere. You can even get the audio book for free.

So get a book, get reading, and check back on June 2.

Some day people will laugh at our culture. After all, Forbes has just (rightly) declared that Lady Gaga is currently the most influential celebrity in the world. Lady Gaga. That name alone should exclude her from any kind of influence. PluggedIn has a good review of her new album, Born This Way. “Past all the glitz and glamour and Madonna-esque efforts to shock, Gaga hints at a deep void in her own soul that she struggles to fill. ‘I’m a soldier to my own emptiness,’ she sings on ‘Marry the Night.’ And even though she’s playing the role of a teenage girl when she sings ‘I want lots of friends that invite me to their parties’ on ‘Hair,’ you get the sense that she’s talking about her own life too.”

Here are some other links worth checking out:

Men in Cars - “One thing I have noticed at the food pantry where I volunteer is that nine times out of ten a woman comes in to receive food, her male significant other waits in the car. I know this because he and I make awkward eye contact when I help the ladies carry groceries to the car.”

Professor Horner’s Plan - A while back I did up a blog post about Professor Horner’s Bible Reading System. Some have found that there is just too much reading at 10 chapters per day. This blogger has created a spreadsheet that will help you do the plan at your own pace.

In the House of Prayer - “Arnold Dallimore, in his enjoyable biography of Charles Spurgeon, recounts the following about the Prince of Preachers' prayer life: ‘He talked with God in reverence but with freedom and familiarity.’ Freedom and familiarity: watchwords of true prayer. These two words prove an example of what balanced prayer should look like for the Christian. Unfortunately such balance is often toppled leaving Christians to slide from one or the other of the two extremes.”

Questions to Ask Your Wife - Men, here is a list of questions you would do well to ask your wife.

Christless Christianity - Gene Veith says “Pastor Douthwaite at our church gave one of the best comments on the Harold Camping fiasco.” And he’s right; the pastor got to the very crux of the matter (at least in the brief excerpt Veith includes).

Victims of Data Overload - “For the first time in my life, I was dropping the ball. Missing emails. Notes from friends on Facebook. DM’s on Twitter. And I’m no slouch. I start early, am on the web all day, and answer my last email just before I turn out the lights to go to bed. So, what was I doing wrong? And, was I alone? Now, I know the answers—and they’re stunning.”

I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. —Martin Luther

You know by now that every Wednesday we are previewing a series of 10 films that look at the Old Testament appearances of Christ as the Angel of the Lord. The films are produced by HeadHeartHand Media and are free for you to view for one week.

After the week is up you will need to purchase the series. Here's how you can do that. The DVD and Study Guide (sample here) are available now. You can also buy the digital download of the whole series here for $5. Or visit Ligonier's online store for the download or physical copies of the DVD and Study Guide.

Episode 9 looks at Zechariah 3. It is titled “A Brand from the Fire.”

David Murray is Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was a pastor in Scotland for 12 years before coming to Grand Rapids in 2007 with his wife Shona and their four children. He blogs regularly at Head Heart Hand.

Speaking with Contempt  - Tim Keller has some wise words on leadership and contempt. “It is natural, when under criticism, to shield your heart from pain by belittling the critics in your mind. ‘You stupid idiots.’ Even if you don't speak outwardly to people like Moses did, you do so inwardly.  That will lead to self-absorption, self-pity, maybe even delusions of grandeur, but the great sin is that the growth of inner disdain leads to pride and a loss of humble reliance on God's grace.”

The Institutes for $0.99 - Amazon has the Kindle version of Calvin’s Institutes for just $0.99. I think you’ll find that The Institutes deliver at least $0.99 worth of value.

The Next Story - Aaron Armstrong has written a review of The Next Story.

The End of the Book - An article to read and enjoy if you read and enjoy books. “Like swords, books have symbolic power. Like fireplaces, they induce a sense of comfort and warmth. And, perhaps, similar to sails, they make a useful backup for when the lights go out.”

So What About Masturbation? - This is a useful take on what is always an important topic (and one people are genuinely seeking answers for). “When thinking about a biblical view of masturbation, we first need to acknowledge that there is no Bible verse that says masturbation is a sin. However, there are several biblical principles that can guide us in assessing a biblical view of masturbation.”

Gambling - Phil Johnson writes about gambling and deals with some of the red herrings that often derail good discussion on the topic.

Wrestling with an Angel - Greg Lucas speaks about what’s right with his disabled son. (Click here to find out more about Greg’s book)

Satan, like a fisher, baits his hook according to the appetite of the fish. —Thomas Adams