The unifying theme among all seven characteristics seems to be that the Spirit of God controls the man in his character (who he is) and empowers the man in his calling (what he does). Tim Brister begins a three part review of Church Planter: The Man, the Message, the Mission by Darrin Patrick (Wheaton: Crossway,... Continue Reading

‘Being a lifelong Vanderbilt fan helps you to accept the cross.’” A passionate Christian and a rabid football fan, Auburn graduate Chad Gibbs set out, in his humorous new book, “God & Football,” to find the balance between his religious faith and his devotion to the emotional whirlwind of college football in the South. “As... Continue Reading

Ted Olsen of CT interviews Bradley R. E. Wright about his recent book: Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites…. and Other Lies You’ve Been Told (Bethany House, July 2010) Young people are not abandoning church. Evangelical beliefs and practices get stronger with more education. Prayer, Bible reading, and evangelism are up. Perceptions about evangelicals have improved dramatically.... Continue Reading

‘On Evil’ belongs to the genre of religious psychology, where Eagleton brilliantly relates the ultimate concerns of the theologian with the penultimate concerns of the psychoanalyst. Two events happened this spring in New York City that flummoxed our sophisticated pundits. First, a naturalized citizen failed to detonate a car bomb in Times Square. Why did... Continue Reading

Gilbert asks and answers four crucial questions: Who made us?, What is our problem?, What is God’s solution to that problem?, and, How can I be included in that solution? Consider the variety of answers you would receive if you asked the man-on-the-street, “What is the Gospel?” Greg Gilbert, assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist... Continue Reading

HOLY SUBVERSION has much in common with Tim Keller’s COUNTERFEIT GODS. They both take on the idols of our culture, and they each have great insight into how these gods take us captive. Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals, by Trevin Wax; Crossway Books (January 31, 2010) I thought I would... Continue Reading

A pastor posing as a spy posing as a pastor. A triple agent perhaps? Caught up in the horrors of Nazi Germany, internationally acclaimed pastor-theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer took life under God in this world seriously and did his duty to his God, the Church, his country, and his family. Caught up in the internecine conflicts... Continue Reading

After all, what is more necessary for Bible Study than a good atlas? I have to confess to owning a dozen or more of them First, I declare a bias – well, two if I may: that I know John Currid (one of the co-authors of this volume -he’s a colleague and a dear friend),... Continue Reading

“Listening to a sermon is not at all like reading a book, so you have to present material for the ear. “A sermon should have one main point,” says Dr. Dennis Prutow, professor of homiletics and pastoral theology for the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS), who will release his book on the procedures of sermon... Continue Reading

The main problem with most marriages, says Paul Tripp, is lack of submission— to God! A Review of: What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Paul David Tripp, Crossway Books, April 2010, 288 pp., $3.19 Twelve years ago, my husband and I dutifully pursued premarital counseling, which meant having dinner with a... Continue Reading