Book Review: ‘Two Cities, Two Loves Christian: Responsibility in a Crumbling Culture’
If you want a thought-provoking introduction as to how Christians should approach the challenges of faith and life in a hostile world then 'Two Cities, Two Loves' is definitely a good place to start.
Christians must never dream of taking over the power structures of the world, (Boice was writing soon after the collapse of the Christian Right in the 1980s,) nor must they seclude themselves from the world like monks or Mennonites. They must instead aim to live biblical, prayerful, authentic, godly, courageous, and joyful lives of service... Continue Reading
Christ is King
The Lord Jesus is King, you must trust Him, and with confidence consider yourself safe under His protection.
“Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him” (Ps 2:12). In the Lord Jesus everything is to be found which can bring about rest. He is all-sufficient, omnipotent, good, faithful, and true. To trust in Him is to magnify Jesus in all His perfections. For such there are glorious promises. In the... Continue Reading
The Sayings of Jesus Christ’s Cross: Introducing George Smeaton and His Two Volumes on the Doctrine of the Atonement
The reader is rewarded with more than a thin list of proof-texts; he is given a rich feast of all the glories of Christ’s cross.
Smeaton offers over 70 pages on the universal impact of a particular atonement. Lest anyone accuse Calvinists of restricting the impact of the cross to the elect only, Smeaton shows how a particular redemption touches all creation. As an aside, Smeaton employs the language of Christ’s lordship over “every square foot” years before Abraham Kuyper’s... Continue Reading
A Brief Review: “The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story”
Homosexual practice is an attack on the very foundation of sexual ethics at creation.
The two Hays argue that God, who is ever “changing his mind” to “broaden,” “widen,” and “expand” his “grace” and “mercy” in order to “include more and more people,” “has already gone on ahead of our debates and expanded his grace” to embrace “full inclusion of LGBTQ people in Christian communities.” Sadly, Richard Hays... Continue Reading
“‘The Exodus He Accomplished at Jerusalem’: The Gospels’ Theology of Exile & Return in the Cross & Resurrection”
In Jesus’s death his people are released from exile, and in his resurrection they representatively return to God’s sacred abode.
On the cross Jesus himself serves the role of Isaiah’s end-of-exile new Passover lamb. In his resurrection and ascension Jesus has reentered the presence of God, the House of David is raised up and reenthroned, and a new temple is built that fills the world—all of which marks the dawn of the prophetically forecasted end-of-exile... Continue Reading
Why Pray?
Revisting the book, God’s Greater Glory: Prayer might be mysterious, but it is a great gift from God.
God devised prayer “as a means of enlisting us as participants in the work he has ordained, as part of the outworking of his sovereign rulership over all.” Our prayers do in fact make a difference. Yes, God is God, lacking nothing. Yet he has chosen to work through his people and their prayers. This... Continue Reading
As Christianity Declines, We Must Confront the Threat of Pagan America
I have no doubt the result will be the making of many saints.
Christians cannot simply escape into their little ghettoes. The Christian religion cannot avoid witnessing in the public square, and its adherents, whether they be doctors, lawyers, teachers, government employees, business owners, or landscapers, cannot help but have their work informed by their faith. That battle, even if it is a losing one, must be fought in... Continue Reading
Authority is Good
For far less than an obstruction to the gospel, authority is a picture of Jesus’ very life and ministry to us.
There are creatures, and a creator, and they are not the same thing. When it comes to authority, God is completely and utterly other. Whether we are husbands, mothers, managers, or pastors, we serve at God’s pleasure, derive our authority from his power, and expect obedience from others only insofar as he allows. Authority in... Continue Reading
Come Alive by Listening to the Dead
Allow God to use the words of these men of former days to encourage you to revive or maintain earnestness in evangelism for His glory.
I recently read ‘How to Bring Men to Christ’ and found that it met me where I needed spiritual guidance. The book was written to urge God’s people to have a love for souls and to help those whom God’s Spirit has awakened to personal evangelism. Torrey continually proclaimed Christ through preaching, evangelistic meetings, as well... Continue Reading
As a Bloke, I Had a ‘Barbie’ Moment Reading This Book on Masculinity
When we understand who we’re turning up for and what we really value, turning up, again and again, starts to feel different.
While following Jesus does bring meaning and purpose that nothing else can bring, life can still feel mundane. So, what’s the answer? Stewart takes us to a surprising passage of the Bible, where the apostle Paul writes about God’s power working in the lives of believers, so that they might have…great endurance and patience (Col... Continue Reading
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