On my last visit to New York, I went to the Museum of Modern Art to see The Scream, a little drawing in pastel by Edvard Munch on loan from a private collector. It is one of four versions that the artist made of the famous subject: a genderless figure, standing on a bridge, holding […]
In his noteworthy book Hipster Christianity, Brett McCracken describes the modern faddish approach to the Christian faith as being "more concerned with its image and presentation and ancillary appeal" than with real substance. "It assumes that mere Christianity isn't enough or isn't as important as how Christianity looks and is perceived by the outside world." […]
There was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judg. 21:25). This is the opening song playing as the curtain is drawn back on 1 Samuel. Who will be the king that Israel truly needs? The people are on stage first. Saul’a tall, regal GQ model’receives the People's Choice […]
Dallas Willard, the late professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, authored numerous books, including Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge (HarperCollins, 2009), The Great Omission: Rediscovering Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship (HarperCollins, 2006), and Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (NavPress, 2002). […]
Luther and Calvin have a lot to teach us about heady doctrines like justification and election. We have to look elsewhere, though, when it comes to the brass tacks of Christian living. Any real engagement with the Reformers' work, however, dispels this widespread misunderstanding. They knew nothing of the modern dichotomy between doctrine and life; […]
Perhaps someone should write a book titled Silliness and Sanctification, because, sadly, church history is replete with examples of strange and silly suggestions about the pursuit of holiness. In the ancient church, pillar saints led an ascetic life living alone on a platform built on top of a column. In the contemporary church, Spirit-chasers pursue […]
Prayer is a feature of all world religions and also those of a more homespun variety. This is because human beings are made in the image of God and have some awareness of being indebted and accountable to some higher being or power. Pagan petitions for aid and thanksgiving for help are recorded in the […]
The Anglican Book of Common Prayer is a key text for understanding the Reformation in England. For centuries it formed the backbone of the spiritual diet of English-speaking peoples all over the world, alongside the King James Bible. With John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and Matthew Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer […]
This useful and well-researched volume addresses an issue familiar to most readers of Modern Reformation: the threefold use of the law of God. Although Edward Engelbrecht's primary concern is with Martin Luther and the Lutheran tradition, his consideration of how theologians in the early and medieval churches handled this issue, as well as a brief […]
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it […]
There are many reasons to commend Pastor Matthew Everhard's Hold Fast the Faith: A Devotional Commentary on the Westminster Confession of 1647. There are already many commentaries on the Westminster Confession, so to write one for use in devotions makes it an intriguing contribution. His vision came to life, and we may now benefit from […]
There were several editions of the Book of Common Prayer during the Reformation. The first English language prayer book, replacing the ubiquitous Latin, was in 1549. This was further strengthened in a more Reformed theological direction by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1552, after advice from the continental reformers Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr Vermigli. The […]
