With more than 260,000 books published in the United States alone in 2010, any “Top Ten Books of the Year” lists should be digested with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, we all love year-end lists. So Collin Hansen, Andy Naselli, and I put together a list of books recommended for pastors, seminarians, and other Christian... Continue Reading

The novels—and yes the film—are great examples of how moral and philosophical ideas can be conveyed in fantasy literature—including tales of a noble lion, a gallant mouse, and a little boy named Eustace Scrubb, who almost deserved his name. C. S. Lewis never missed a chance to teach a moral lesson. And the Voyage of... Continue Reading

Begat: The King James Bible And The English Language By David Crystal, Hardcover, 320 pages Oxford University Press, USA, List price: $24.95 If you’ve ever “fought the good fight” or chuckled at “what comes out of the mouths of babes,” you just might agree with him. Phrases with roots in the King James Bible are... Continue Reading

Faith for Living, a new Bible study series with Dr. Michael Milton, the chancellor/CEO elect of Reformed Theological Seminary, will air on the NRB Network each week on Direct TV channel 378 on Mondays at 8:30a.m., Thursdays at 3:30a.m. and Fridays at 7:30a.m., beginning January 3rd. Sky Angel will carry the program on channel 126.... Continue Reading

Schulz insisted on one core purpose: “A Charlie Brown Christmas” had to be about something. Namely, the true meaning of Christmas. Otherwise, Schulz said, “Why bother doing it?” The program will air again on ABC on Thursday, December 16. Last Sunday The Washington Post carried a lengthy feature article about the making of this animated... Continue Reading

In today’s church, the Old Testament is often overlooked. When attention is drawn to it, the focus tends to be on creation science, Proverbs for daily living, Psalms for devotional nourishment, and character studies for us to emulate. The Christian church largely focuses on the New Testament for its teaching and preaching. In a sense... Continue Reading

I have always enjoyed recommending books, and for the final “Beyond the Wicket Gate” column of 2010, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the significant books that have been published so far this year, books that you may not have heard about but should consider reading. This list is not exhaustive.... Continue Reading

“The whole Narnian story is about Christ,” Lewis once wrote. He said he “pictured him becoming a lion” because it’s the king of beasts and because Christ is called “The Lion of Judah” in the Bible. The studios behind the new “Narnia” movie are walking a tightrope in their quest to promote the third film... Continue Reading

Reformed Christians are, of course, familiar with the civil use of the law to restrain evil. But as Augustine put it, “[C]ertain laws are established which are called civil laws, not because they bring men to make a good use of their wealth, but because those who made a bad use of it become thereby... Continue Reading

The nominees were announced Wednesday night. The 53rd Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Feb. 13, 2011. The categories include: Best Gospel Performance, Best Gospel Song, Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album, Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel, Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album, Best Traditional Gospel Album, and Best Contemporary... Continue Reading