The Jovial Father and Tom Bombadil
The joviality of a father is his kingly benediction on his home.
Tom Bombadil is a father-figure in a story filled with them. He is indeed perhaps the most powerful father in Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” He’s there at the beginning to tell the hobbits the stories that they need to hear in order to know their place in the order of things, and to see... Continue Reading
Fleeing the City of Destruction
Christian’s flight from the City of Destruction, Pliable’s short journey, and the danger of Worldly-Wiseman’s counsel.
Pliable is a very fitting name for one who came with the intention of dissuading Christian yet was persuaded instead. Christian’s treatment of Pliable is again an example to us. Christian certainly knew the character of his neighbor and would have likely had doubts regarding the seriousness of his commitment. Nevertheless, Christian happily invited his... Continue Reading
A Review: Distinctively Christian Retirement: A Biblical Call to Serve Jesus Well in Older Age by Simon van Bruchem.
Getting old is not for the faint of heart, but with a biblical perspective it can be a fruitful time of life.
Retirement is no substitute for heaven, but retirement can be satisfying. We must find our identity and contentment in our relationship with Jesus Christ. With that foundation laid, we can find meaningful ways to worship and serve God during our retirement years. Living our final years of life as life was meant to be lived... Continue Reading
The Weight of Culture and Our Strange New World
Book Review—Carl Trueman's "Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution"
The battles over gender, sexuality, and selfhood are being fought in more areas of our lives: not just across political aisles or in courtrooms, but across dinner tables, classrooms, and social media feeds. Just a small sampling of recent headlines reveals what a disorienting cultural moment this is: Man wins a women’s swimming championship, Supreme Court... Continue Reading
The Luckiest Man Alive: An Excerpt ‘The Heart of the Cross’
The thief on the cross had to be the luckiest man alive. Of all the criminals, on all the crosses, on all the hills in the Roman Empire, he was crucified next to Jesus Christ.
You can be as “lucky” as the penitent criminal was, although the Bible teaches that salvation is not a matter of luck. Salvation is a matter of God giving his grace. You can receive that grace. You can meet Jesus at the cross the way the penitent criminal did. But you have to admit that... Continue Reading
Book Review: Knowing Sin
If we sinners want to love God more, we need to know and hate our sin more. Mark Jones’ latest book aims to aid us on that dark and perilous journey.
Mark Jones has done the Church a needed service by putting together this accessible, precise, and thoroughly practical work on the doctrine of sin…Knowing Sin [is]…a mature discipleship resource, a means to expose the evil of our own hearts that we might continually turn to Christ in grateful repentance. It’s a horrible, necessary paradox... Continue Reading
‘The Heart of God’: Excerpt From ‘The Heart of the Cross’
Jesus’s last words from the cross are significant.
Yet far more important than looking at these words to learn our duties is to look at them for what they teach us about the nature and work of Christ himself, which is how we are looking at them in this book. They teach that Jesus died to save us from our sin; that is... Continue Reading
J. I. Packer, Once Again
You can never get enough of Jim Packer. Three new books written by him or about him.
Here I want to briefly note three new books written by him or about him. The first is a work by Alister McGrath on Packer’s life and thought. And the other two are posthumous collections of some of his writings. If you love Packer, and/or simply love the Lord, theology, the Christian life, and Puritan... Continue Reading
Review: World Conquered by the Faithful Christian
The great strength of this book is Alleine’s acknowledgement that we live in a state of tension.
The World Conquered by the Faithful Christian is a military guide for Christians as to how we ought to “fight the good fight of the faith,” and is filled with practical advice for how we can best honour God in this life, for our good and His glory (1 Timothy 6:12). Therefore, it is a... Continue Reading
Book Review: Everything is Spiritual – Rob Bell
I have expressed deep concern with some of the theological and philosophical assertions that he has proposed.
The message that Rob Bell presents in this book is anything but spiritual. Instead, it offers a syncretistic concoction of worldly philosophy that leads the unsuspecting on a path to divine judgment. That’s a far cry from an antidote. Poison doesn’t cure disease. Poison kills the unsuspecting. Rob Bell, Everything is Spiritual (New York: St. Martin’s... Continue Reading
