Theology and Such
Counsel to Gospel Ministers: Letters on Preaching, Exemplary Behavior, and the Pastoral Call by John Brown of Haddington My rating: 4 of 5 stars Books of counsel to ministers regularly feel, at least to me, either excessively burdensome, or else excessively mild. The Bible sets high standards for a minister’s character, provides clear instruction for…
Compel Them to Come in: Calvinism and the Free Offer of the Gospel by Donald MacLeod My rating: 4 of 5 stars MacLeod’s new work echoes much of what is said in Murray’s much-shorter work, albeit in a more readable format. It has an interesting structure, addressing divine sincerity in the middle of the book…
The Free Offer of the Gospel by John Murray My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a 3$ book that is worth the read. It is a brief and analytical study of passages relating to God’s will of desire (as opposed to His will of decree). My takeaway: God’s express and universal desire is…
You Could Have It All by Geoffrey Thomas My rating: 4 of 5 stars May assume some Christian terms are understood by the reader already, but aside from this it is a thoughtful approach. I’ve been looking for an evangelistic tract that doesn’t merely present Christianity as truth (which it is), but as the best…
Bringing The Gospel To Covenant Children: In Dependency On The Spirit by Joel R. Beeke My rating: 4 of 5 stars This little book is a wonderful summary and amendment to some of Beeke’s other works on family worship, and on the nature of the gospel. I highly recommend this book to young families and…
Insufficient: Pursuing Grace-Based Pastoral Competence by Randy Nabors My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was gifted to me by kind Church members, and they were interested in hearing my thoughts about it. I have great respect for Randy Nabors, and so whatever I have to say about this book should be taken in…
last edit: Aug. 23rd, added footnote. Recent events have forced many Christians to re-consider the nature of their Spiritual liberty in Jesus Christ, as well as how their conscience functions. This is the case explicitly in regards to the various governmental mandates to either close services of worship, or regulate them in some regards, on…
I have been angry, shocked, and grieving in the light of what I consider grievous violations of the ninth commandment, committed by professing Christians via social media. As I have pondered this situation, and wondered what to say, I have generally considered it best to keep quiet. “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he…
Guess what: they don’t make sense. The resurrection of Jesus is the profoundest, and most vital element of Christianity. If Jesus is not physically raised from the dead, then Christianity is a false religion, a false hope, pitiable, and worthless. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith…
This question has been generated by the influx of COVID-19 related ministerial issues. A number of ministers have discussed the nature of our ministry now. Is it really “preaching” to “preach” livestream? Is it “preaching” to “preach” through recorded audio? And in addition, if it is not preaching, then what purpose does it serve in…