I was reminded of how much I owe to their writings. T. David Gordon’s two works, Why Johnny Can’t Preach and Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns are brilliant examples of how the author blends theology, churchmanship and media ecology… into a critique of contemporary church life.  David Hall may not be as well known as T. David, but he has written numerous books.   Among them, his The Practice of Confessional Subscription is outstanding and should be required reading in any class dealing with matters of church authority and confession.

I had great fun last week attending the Reformation Worship Conference at Midway Presbyterian Church near Atlanta.  There was one terrifying moment when Irfon Hughes approached me and spoke in his native language.  Not having heard the Dark Tongue of Mordor spoken by a native for nearly thirty years, I had forgotten the sinister chill which always accompanies it.  It was also a pleasure to be at a party on Friday night where the mysterious, tanned and masked Zorro-like swordsman, known in the P.C.A. simply as ‘El Rubio,’ held court.

While in Atlanta, I enjoyed staying at the house of David Hall where I was able to connect with a number of old acquaintances: Mark Ross, T. David Gordon and Terry Johnson, as well as David himself.  Listening to them talk, I was reminded of how much I owe to their writings. T. David Gordon’s two works, Why Johnny Can’t Preach and Why Johnny Can’t Sing Hymns are brilliant examples of how the author blends theology, churchmanship and media ecology (which, quite frankly, sounds like too much fun to be a legitimate post-Fall calling) into a critique of contemporary church life.  David Hall may not be as well known as T. David, but he has written numerous books.   Among them, his The Practice of Confessional Subscription is outstanding and should be required reading in any class dealing with matters of church authority and confession.  His syllabus for church officer training is also very good. Terry Johnson’s Leading in Worship is a most useful handbook for those called to this task, one which has no obvious competitor.  It is just out in a second and expanded edition and I am not able to find an online link for it as yet, but I will make one known as soon as available.   In the meantime, his little book on catechizing children is now out from Banner of Truth.

All for one and one for all, as they say.

Dr. Carl Trueman is Paul Woolley Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary and pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Ambler, PA. This article first appeared at Reformation 21 and is used with permission.