As a friendly outside observer of the P.C.A., it seems to me that she is so numerically large, so geographically diffuse, and has so many ministries and sub-organisations. Given the managerial complexity of such an organisation, one has to ask whether such a church can sustain a clear theological identity long term.  Or is it... Continue Reading

It never seems to dawn on him (and probably doesn’t dawn on most readers) that setting up man-made criteria about what we will accept as God’s authoritative word simply gives you a book that is man-made   Thus, regardless of what divine revelation Harvey ends up with, it will not be divine.  It will simply be a human creation. ... Continue Reading

I liked the NIV, and I wish I got to have a funeral of some kind for it. In the eulogy I would wax eloquently (new NIV: “discuss”) about how it brought Scripture into the modern era, and freed translations from the grip of the Anglicans and the Victorians. I would shed a tear for... Continue Reading

While the title of this volume implies that the author may still be presenting this as an open question, the first chapter makes it quite clear that the answer in this volume will be “no”—are at least “no” in regard to any historical, traditional sense in which Christians have regarded the Bible as God’s holy... Continue Reading

Boutlon’s stated goal for the book is to present “a critical, constructive retrieval of Calvin’s reforming project, always with a view to how that project may be inherited and developed by Christian communities today.” He does exactly this, in my estimation, in a way that is both engaging and thought-provoking.   Life in God: John... Continue Reading

But, as Michael Winship argues in this deeply researched book, “historiographical excesses” should not be held against the puritans. They had strong ideas about church polity, and the settlers of New England did envision their congregations functioning as “little republics.”  That belief also shaped their view of the political order.   The scholarly study of the Puritans has been... Continue Reading

The Mother of the Reformation is an honest history of a 16th century woman: Kroker pieces together facts, outlines differing views where there are conflicting records, offers deductions where he can, debunks some urban Luther legends and admits a lack of reliable sources when he cannot tell his readers what he would like to.  ... Continue Reading

All throughout the history of the church there have been pastors—and you may well know some of them—who have sacrificed their families on the altar of ministry. Too many neglected wives and forsaken children can testify to men who time and time again chose ministry in place of family. Every pastor can testify to the... Continue Reading

The apostle Paul had the highest regard for the Old Testament’s origin, nature, power, and purpose (2 Tim. 3:16-17). But the Old Testament wasn’t only helpful for Christian living; it gave Christian life. When Paul assured Timothy that “the Holy Scriptures [are] able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ... Continue Reading

Books for children and teenagers are written, packaged, and sold by adults. It follows from this that the emotional depictions they contain come to young people with a kind of adult imprimatur. As a school librarian in Idaho wrote to her colleagues in my defense: “You are naïve if you think young people can read... Continue Reading