When Dennis Bills, a West Virginian minister in the Presbyterian Church of America, received his author’s copy of A Church You Can See in 2017, he was writing to a church world certainly in need of the book’s subtitle: Building a Case . . . Continue reading →
Throughout this series, however it might seem to devoted fans of John MacArthur, I have endeavored to be honest and fair—both of which require me to acknowledge, as I have before, that chapters 14 and 15 are quite edifying. The beginning of . . . Continue reading →
I have long wondered why it seems hard for the psalms to get better traction in our worship services. Although some things might suggest the tide is turning, by and large the psalms seem to be met with at least disinterest, if . . . Continue reading →
Zwingli, God’s Armed Prophet is Bruce Gordon’s most recent contribution to Reformation history. Gordon is the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale University and formerly headed up the Saint Andrews Reformation Study Institute in Scotland. Professor Gordon is also affiliated . . . Continue reading →
Not all preaching is good preaching. Some preachers do not exposit the text when they preach on Sunday. Other preachers exposit the text in ways that fit their agendas. And some preachers simply do not have a Christ-centered approach to preaching. The . . . Continue reading →
Dispensationalism is as much a theory of the church as it is of dispensations. Or rather, dispensationalism divides humanity into three distinct groups: Israel, the church, and the nations. The first two are in covenant with God. Israel has the starring role . . . Continue reading →
The English Reformed theologian William Perkins (1558–1602), is perhaps the most prominent and influential of all English-speaking divines. As preacher and lecturer at Great St. Andrews and Christ’s College, Cambridge, he “influenced a generation of young students including Richard Sibbes, John Cotton, . . . Continue reading →
In MacArthur’s account of the parables of the kingdom of God, the nature of saving faith, and in his use of sources, we face three interesting sets of questions and some recurring problems in chapter 13 of The Gospel According to Jesus. . . . Continue reading →
The content of Nancy Pearcy’s The Toxic War on Masculinity is as thought-provoking as the title of the book itself. The fact that I had to train myself to stop saying, “The War on Toxic Masculinity” proves Pearcy’s point—whether a person agrees . . . Continue reading →
J. I. Packer is a significant figure in a variety of circles. He is one of the last voices representing that generation of British evangelicalism which had roots in the Reformation, which was articulate, warm, and evangelical in the best sense of . . . Continue reading →
Unless you are a member of a congregation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America (RPCNA, “the Covenanters”) or another similar denomination, in all probability the way your congregation worships today is not much like the way Reformed and Presbyterian congregations . . . Continue reading →
The question of what it means to be black and Reformed is of great importance to the Reformed churches. Of the North American population, 11–13% have African roots. After a long hiatus between reconstruction and the civil rights movement, Reformed theology is . . . Continue reading →
What should we do with Calvin on the sofa? The answer to that question depends on one’s job description. Continue reading →
In chapter 15 of GAJ, MacArthur’s critique of Dispensational antinomianism (and particularly of the “carnal Christian” doctrine, which we addressed last time) turns to the parable of the sower (Matt 13:24–30). He complains about the undisciplined character of so much of contemporary . . . Continue reading →
Robert Letham is well-known for his previous books on the Trinity—as well as his work on the Westminster Assembly and his recent Systematic Theology—and has just produced his best book to date. Although I have not always followed Letham’s conclusions on certain . . . Continue reading →
No chapter in this volume, so far, relies on MacArthur’s debt to Dispensationalism more than chapter 11, where he addresses the parable of the soils in Matthew 13. The Problem Of Dispensationalism He begins by recalling our Lord’s words, which he addressed . . . Continue reading →
How may believers be assured that they have eternal life? What impact do faith, good works, commitment, apostasy, and baptism have on our formulation of the biblical doctrine of assurance? Continue reading →
Many years ago, at an ecclesiastical meeting, there was a worship service. The minister preaching was retired but something of a hero in the denomination. He and others had stood for the truth when many others had taken an easier and more . . . Continue reading →
The family that worships together, stays together—this quirky little phrase is packed with truth. The triune God of creation and redemption works through families. This is true in both testaments of the Christian church. But unlike a quickly turned phrase, the family . . . Continue reading →
Whether Calvin was a covenant theologian has been a matter of considerable confusion and controversy in modern Calvin studies. The answer to this question has usually been determined by whether one considers the rise of covenant theology a positive or negative development, . . . Continue reading →