Theology

The doctrine of penal substitution is under attack in our day, as I've mentioned before. This new book by R.C. Sproul looks like yet another helpful response. If you are looking for a primer on the doctrine of the atonement--a helpful presentation of its importance, without getting lost in theological jargon--this sounds like the book. "The Truth of the Cross is the best book on the cross I have read. It is a 'must' for every church library and a book that I will give away many times to friends. This is so because it is sober (i.e., it contains historically informed reflections on salient … [Read more...] about New R.C. Sproul Book on the Cross

One of our assignments in Preaching Class (with Pastor John Piper) this past year was to write a sermon. Interestingly, we each preached a message from both the Old Testament and New Testament, but this was to be a different sermon. I chose Titus 2:11-14, in part because I had preached through the book of Titus in the summer of 2004 at Grace Community Church, and I wanted to improve upon a previous message. Here is an executive summary of my message: In this season between justification and our future glorification with Christ, God’s grace instructs us to progressively “put off” all that … [Read more...] about Sermon Manuscript on Titus 2:11-14

Mark Dever's 76-page booklet, A Display of His Glory, is an excellent, succinct overview of the qualifications and duties of deacons and elders, with some discussion on the relationship between elders and "the pastor." It is available as a free PDF. Related: My three-page paper on eldership. (HT: Nick Nowalk) … [Read more...] about Free Resource on Church Leadership – Mark Dever

John D. Woodbridge, research professor of church history and the history of Christian thought at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, provides an overview of the professional life of his friend the late Professor Harold O.J. Brown, who passed away on Sunday, July 8, 2007. Over the years Dr. Brown held faculty positions at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois; Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina; and the Summer Institute in Human Rights, Strasbourg, France, as well as a variety of pastoral positions both in the U.S. and abroad. He authored Death Before … [Read more...] about Harold O.J. Brown (1933–2007)

I've been using the ESV Bible for about three and a half years now. I love the fact that it combines the word-for-word accuracy I've always loved about the New American Standard Version with the readability of the NIV. As a result, the ESV is a highly accurate rendering of the original Greek and Hebrew as well as an accessible, fun-to-read, memorizable translation. I also really like their advanced search feature which allows me to quickly find verses to cite in personal study or when I'm working on a paper. It appears others are enjoying the ESV also. Hats off to Good News Christian … [Read more...] about ESV Sees Explosive Growth