In his book The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, Alan Jacobs writes that Americans tend to think of reading as something that is “good for you”—the intellectual equivalent of eating kale and jogging. While acknowledging the value of how-to-read books—such as the venerable How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and […]
Modern Reformation recently sat down with pastors Michael Brown and Zach Keele to talk about their book, Sacred Bond: Covenant Theology Explored, 2nd ed., with a foreword by Michael Horton (Wyoming, MI: Reformed Fellowship Inc., 2017). MR: How does the whole story of the Bible fit together? ZK: How much time do you have! There […]
I used to think that the mild euphoria I experienced while visiting antiquarian bookstores was induced by my fascination with the artistry and craftsmanship that came from an era when book publishing was an art form. I still marvel at the well-preserved leather covers, illuminated pages, well-rounded Smyth-sewn spine, and marbled fore-edge of these old volumes. […]
Brooke Ventura Interviews Crossway and Zondervan WHICH CAME FIRST, the publisher or the book? Well, the book, obviously—right? There were books long before there were publishing houses, but publishing houses have been around a lot longer than we realize. The Epic of Gilgamesh wouldn’t exist (as a book, that is) without the asipu (the scholar-doctor-astrologists) […]
If someone had asked me what my highest ambition was as a twenty-year-old, I would have said, “To be a wife and mother.” I had it all planned out—I was going to be a flawless, well-heeled, stay-at-home mom of six who ran errands in my immaculate SUV, prepared glorious dinners, and enjoyed fancy date nights […]
Crossing the Drake Passage from Argentina to Antarctica challenged our sense of balance. In a small icebreaker made for calmer seas, our family hunkered down, sliding from one side of the boat to the other. Eventually, after an experienced sailor took pity on us and taught us how to stand, we ventured out into the cold, clear […]
Popular podcaster, author, and Gospel Coalition speaker Mike Cosper presents an enigmatic reflection in Recapturing the Wonder that ultimately distills into a technique-oriented approach to recapturing “the magic” of disenchanted evangelicalism. Earnestly lamenting that his “ordinary life felt strangely irreligious” (4), Cosper says that by reading authors such as Charles Taylor, Hannah Arendt, and mystics […]
In late 2017, the Penguin Classics series published an edition of selected writings of Martin Luther, featuring the Ninety-Five Theses. Lutheran pastor and scholar William Russell freshly translates and edits several of Luther’s writings on a wide range of subjects and genres, showing the depth and breadth of Luther—the man, the theologian, and the reformer. I recommend […]
In Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? 12 False Christs, Matthew Richard explains how easy it is to fall into the trap of redefining Jesus to suit ourselves. The theme is one I have seen dealt with in the past by Francis Schaeffer (who also stressed the importance of worldview), and the layout of the book […]
Anglicanism has fallen on hard times, to the extent that many look on it with suspicion and pity as liberal teaching and eroding morality gut many of its churches from within. Even worse, many confessional, Reformed Christians also see Anglicanism as inherently prone to theological instability, supposedly founded on a “middle way” between Rome and […]
John Owen is becoming a well-known name in Reformed and evangelical circles for his penetrating theological and exegetical writings, and Craw-ford Gribben has done the world a favor in providing the first in-depth and detailed account of his life. For readers and fans of Owen, this will be a resource of inestimable value to help […]
Has Benjamin Franklin an authentic Christian who subscribed to any orthodox confession of faith? Responding to an inquiry about his faith from his friend Ezra Stiles, Congregational minister and president of Yale College, Franklin writes, I believe in one God, Creator of the universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to […]
It has been over a decade since Richard Bauckham’s critically acclaimed book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses was first published. Last spring, Eerdmans released a new edition with three completely new chapters, a new preface and an updated bibliography. In his foreword to this second edition, Cambridge scholar Simon Gathercole acknowledges the importance of Bauckham’s original […]
Since director Martin Scorsese turned it into a film last year, many have written about Shūsaku Endō’s novel Silence. The novel is a compelling story that addresses two important questions by depicting the thoughts, emotions, and struggles of real historical characters and events. The novel combines personal letters and narrative prose, all from the perspective […]
The well-read life was the aspiration of bygone saints. For them, heaven on earth was a scriptorium, where illuminated manuscripts and scrolls containing the collected knowledge, wisdom, and misinformation of the ages were available to the literate for their use, enjoyment, and befuddlement. There are three stages in the history of God’s people that can […]
