The God of Job – Carl Trueman: “Do we make too much of suffering? Is depression sinful? Is it always the result of personal sin? Or poor preaching? Or defective theology and unbalanced homiletic emphases? I am convinced that this is not so. Once one moves in that direction, one is positing a tight and…
Some words are written down and are here for a day and then gone. Other words are so pointed, so perfect, that they stand for many years. J.C. Ryle is a man who wrote many books and pamphlets and sermons that are as powerful and relevant today as they were in the 19th century. His…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by CBD Reformed. As they always do, they are offering five prize packages, each of which contains three books: In addition, CBD Reformed is offering a 4-day sale (February 8 – 11) on the following three products: Giveaway Rules: As soon as the winners have been chosen, all…
Writing Is Easy – Peggy Noonan on writing and speaking: “If you try to write ‘good lines’ you’ll likely wind up with strings of dumb, unconnected applause lines. The audience will probably applaud—crowds of supporters are dutiful that way, and people want to be polite—but they’ll know they’re applauding an applause line, not a thought…”…
The Lord has blessed me with a dear friend named John, a man with many qualities I love and admire. He also has a quirk that I find endlessly enjoyable–his use of the word “yous.” John is from small-town Ontario and where he comes from “yous” is an acceptable form of the second person plural,…
How’s Your Bible Reading Going? – Just over a month into the new year it’s probably a good time to ask how your Bible reading is going. Parenting Young Children – Steve McCoy has some helpful counsel for parenting young children. (Note: Some of it reflects a particular cultural context. If you have your kids…
Is there any area of the Christian life in which we feel more inadequate than in prayer? Is there any area of the Christian life that exposes greater feelings of helplessness and shame? I know some true prayer warriors, people who dedicate themselves to hours and hours of prayer, yet even they confess to knowing…
Watch Out or the Devil’s Gonna Get You – “In rural America, off a country road, on the soft soil of a weathered field, stands a sobering message for every passer-by: Go to church or the devil will get you!” What Happens at an Atheist Church? – “An “atheist church” in North London is proving…
This page is current as of December 2023. For recommendations on other books and an introduction to this series, visit Best Commentaries on Each Book of the Bible. Before turning to the expert recommendations, here are some recent resources written by trusted scholars that may be of interest. Because these volumes are newly published, the…
David Platt’s Radical was one of those rare books that catapults a first-time author straight to top of the charts. For two years it was a fixture on the lists of bestsellers and even today it remains a top seller in the Christian ranks. Radical was a call for Christians to escape the doldrums of…
We Already Have a Messiah – What is the role of celebrity in spreading the gospel? “In our human hearts, for some reason we are constantly seeking some legitimacy to the faith we proclaim to have. We perhaps think that if only there were enough famous people to endorse our religion then there might be…
I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Here are some of the notable books that I’ve received: The Kingdom of God edited by Morgan and…
It must have been six months or a year ago that I watched my iPhone–my brand new iPhone–sliding, then flipping, down a flight of stairs. I had just pulled it from my pocket and somehow lost my grip on it. It clattered down one step, then the next, then the next, all the way to…
Downton Abbey’s Anti-Snobbery – Downton Abbey is obviously something of a cultural phenomenon. WSJ interviews the mind behind it and looks at it as a kind of anti-snobbery. A Bitter, Salvaged Life – From True Woman: “Jennifer cussed the chaplain out when she arrived at prison to serve her sixteen-year sentence. But in the privacy…
This is the 22nd installment in a series on theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, Fall, common grace, sin, righteousness, faith, pride, election, revelation, atonement, adoption, sanctification, incarnation, idolatry, the church, holiness, salvation, and judgment. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place…
The Superbowl and Women – This is a brilliant and very important article. Give it some time and attention! “I contend that the way we consume iconic national events like the Super Bowl better depicts what we really believe about women and their so-called roles than do our formal theological statements, denominational position papers, teachings…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is a little bit different from most in that there is not a single sponsor. Rather, this is a “grab bag” giveaway with items donated from several different sponsors. But what’s normal is that there are great prizes to win and there will be 5 winners. Each of the winners…
If there were a Guinness Book of World Records record for “amount of times having asked Jesus into your heart,” J.D. Greear is pretty sure he would hold it. Like so many church kids he asked Jesus into his heart when he was very young, and then again when he was slightly older, and then…
God’s Smuggler – This month’s free audiobook from ChristianAudio is God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew. It’s a classic and definitely worth what you’ll pay for it! I can’t remember if we read it or listened to it as a family, but either way, we all enjoyed it. To My Pro-Choice Neighbor – Keith Mathison gets…