#pastors

Next Year Treat Your Pastor to The Basics

The Basics conference is just wrapping up with a Q & A session involving the three speakers (Alistair Begg, Jerry Bridges and Voddie Baucham). They are answering questions put to them by the people attending the conference. Questions have varied from the spiritual qualifications of men and women who serve in worship teams, to the place of parachurch ministries in the life of the church, to the reason there is no cross at the front of the sanctuary of this …

An Interview with Max McLean

A short time ago I had the opportunity to interview Max McLean. You may know McLean as the narrator of the Bible in the ESV, NIV or KJV or as the narrator of the audio version of The Valley of Vision. He has also released recordings of several Christian classics and has been involved in many stage productions. Most recently he has starred in a production of C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters in New York City (with the production moving …

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Book Review Updates

We had a busy week over at Discerning Reader and I thought I’d fill you in one some of the new reviews you can find there. Along with my review of Thabiti Anyabwile’s The Decline of African American Theology (which I posted here yesterday), I’ve also added a review of Edward Gilbreath’s Reconciliation Blues. Both books deal with racial issues and both are well worth the read. From Mark Tubbs comes a review of the book that followed the 2006 …

The Language of the Bible

Last year I spent quite a few months reading and studying the early books of the Old Testament. Though I’ve since turned back to the New Testament in my personal devotions, as a family we’ve been reading through 1 Samuel so I continue to spend time in both portions of the Bible. While I do not know how to read Hebrew, I often hear people speak of the poetic nature of the language which leads even the prose to have …

ChurchMerch – The Bible Experience

The Bible Experience is a unique product. Featuring a unique cast, it offers what is surely a unique recording of the Bible. Hear the words of the Bible brought to life like never before. Inspired By…The Bible Experience: New Testament Audio CD is a fully-dramatized reading of the Bible performed by an unprecedented ensemble of distinguished African-American actors, musicians, and personalities. The cast, including recognizable voices as Denzel Washington, Blair Underwood, and Angela Bassett, reads the Bible using the accessible …

ChurchMerch – The Outdoor Bible

The Outdoor Bible is the flagship product for Bardin & Marsee Publishing, a small publishing company based in Canton, GA. Available in the New Testament and in the New American Standard Bible translation, this Bible’s claim to fame is that it is designed for the great outdoors. Made to be used by the outdoorsman, the Bible is printed on durable, tear-resistant plastic material, making it fully waterproof and able to withstand the rigors of the hiking, camping and other activities. …

The Proper Use of Scripture in Books

As you may well know if you spend much time around these parts, I read a lot. A whole lot. In my reading I have noticed a disturbing trend in the way authors use the Bible to prooftext their books. This concern has led me to write this article in which I will suggest some guidelines for the proper use of Scripture in Christian books. Before we go any further, let’s establish the purpose of using the Bible in a …

Feedback Files – 10 Questions

It is time, once again, to open the feedback files. This list of ten questions was sent to me recently by a new reader of this site. He acknowledged being new to the Reformed faith and posed several questions. And by “several” I mean “lots!” What do you think about Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron’s bibical evangelism ministry of “The Way of the Master?” If you have no clue about this, check out www.wayofthemaster.com or www.livingwaters.com. Is this method biblical? …

Pilate’s Surprise

In the wake of The Passion of the Christ I have seen several discussions about why Pilate showed surprise that Jesus died so quickly. These discussions are based on the gospel of Mark where we read: Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked …

Truly This Was The Son of God

Every believer carries a measure of the guilt for Jesus’ death. If it were not for our willful disobedience to God’s perfect Law, we would have no need of a Savior. We acknowledge in song that it was our hands that drove the spikes into His’ and sometimes speak about driving the nails into Jesus’ hands every time we sin. We speak figuratively, of course, knowing that although we were not present at the time of His death, we bear …