Jonathan Landry Cruse
Jonathan Landry Cruse is the poetry editor of Modern Reformation, pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and author of The Character of Christ and What Happens When We Worship. He is also a hymn writer whose works can be found at www.HymnsOfDevotion.com.
"Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice." [...]
“It's official: Truth is dead. Facts are passe.” So declared The Washington Post back in 2016 when they reported on Oxford Dictionary’s decision to select for their international word of the year: “post-truth.” The official definition reads: relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. [...]
I have a love/hate relationship with poetry. My appreciation for the literary form swings on a pendulum between “Is there anything more beautiful than the crafting of words?” and “What in the world does this even mean and why did I waste my time reading it?” This is not necessarily due to a deficiency on the part of the poet [...]
Do you think of Jesus as being a happy person? Does a joyful Jesus seem incongruous to you?
Dr. Leland Ryken has done it again. After recently completing a trilogy of devotionals on the best of Christian hymnody, Ryken and P&R have partnered once more to release—in time for this year’s Lenten season—a beautiful anthology entitled Poetry of Redemption: An Illustrated Treasury of Good Friday and Easter Poems. Ryken served for decades as […]
See, resting softly, in Bethlehem’s manger
There is a Savior, as God had long-sworn.
Mighty Messiah, to keep us from danger,
Now, come in weakness, is finally born. […]
Perhaps you’ve had the experience of ordering food at a restaurant, let’s say a burger, and you ask for the kitchen to hold the bacon (why you would do such a thing, I have no idea, but hey, it’s your order, not mine) and are promptly informed that this particular establishment permits no substitutions or […]
Ephesians 4:1–16 is a manual for church health and growth—an infallible one at that, not penned by so-called experts or gurus, but by the Holy Spirit himself. To the question, Who is to do the work of ministry? we find a surprising answer. The inspired Apostle Paul writes that Christ has given pastors and teachers […]
It used to be a question that only plagued television producers, but in today’s world it is legitimately on the minds of many. In the past year the term “cancel culture” has accurately described a growing trend: the removal of support from public figures due to objectionable behavior or unpopular opinions. Just as a show […]
How does God save sinners? This is one of the richest theological questions a person can ask, and the answer requires a mind-stretching and heart-enlarging quest that spans the whole of the Bible. The “how” of salvation takes us into the eternal counsels of the Triune God, through the covenant promises and relationships of redemptive […]
I had the providential pleasure this past Labor Day of reading Work That Makes a Difference (P&R, 2021) by Dan Doriani, completing a pair of books now dedicated to the subject. The recent holiday is proof that as a nation we do—or did—honor work. This is a good thing, considering that God created us for […]
This issue of identity is an important matter, and we know this innately. We know that there is a lot on the line if we get our identity wrong. Writing about transitioning to a male identity, Hollywood celebrity Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page), said, “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am […]
Every Christian should be reading First Peter right now. Of course, all of Scripture is always relevant is profitable. But Peter’s words are powerfully applicable to us today. Why is that? Peter writes to instruct God-fearing saints in how they should conduct themselves in a godless society, as citizens living in a “pre-Christian” culture. That […]
A Peculiar Orthodoxy: Reflections on Theology and the ArtsBy Jeremy S. BegbieBaker Academic, 2018224 pages (hardcover), $33.00 In our increasingly secular age, we have all but divorced the arts from theological consideration. It wasn’t long ago that many of the most famous artists in the West were inspired to create out of adoration and exploration […]
The General Social Survey reports that only 30% of Americans agreed with the statement that “most people can be trusted.”[1] I think 70% percent of those surveyed gave an answer based on an honest assessment of their own hearts. We live in a world of deception, filled with deceivers—people just like you and me. We […]
