Many of you know that John MacArthur publishes a lot of books. The man is so prolific that one wonders where to find time to read them, let alone how John writes them. He does receive assistance from an editor, Phil Johnson. Over the years, people have asked precisely how this editorial relationship works. Here is the explanation, along with a helpful introduction to MacArthur's next major book, The Truth War (due in Spring 2007). Excerpt: "The Truth War is going to be a powerful, and very controversial, book....It is without question the most provocative book John MacArthur has written … [Read more...] about John MacArthur Books & Phil Johnson
Theology
Prayer and Fasting
I recently finished reading A Hunger for God by John Piper, an older book (1997) that seems as relevant in our day as ever before. God created bread and hunger "so that we would have some idea of what the Son of God is like when he says, 'I am the bread of life' (John 6:35)." And God also made food taste good because He meant for food to be enjoyed as a gift received from His hand. We glorify God by receiving food with gratitude (I Tim 4:1-5). Eating and not-eating are not ultimately essential (Rom 14: 3-6). So why fast? As an intensification of our hunger for all the fullness of God. We … [Read more...] about Prayer and Fasting
African American Church Leadership
Thabiti Anyabwile (an African American converted to Christ out of Islam) persuasively argues that "it's well past time to reform the model of black pastoral leadership at play at the national and local church levels." Anyabwile describes the morphing of Black pastoral leadership from the days of Lemuel Haynes: "Since the earliest days of an independent Black church, Black church pastors have played the role of community leader, organizer, and public intellectual. Historically, those roles were necessarily played by pastors because the church was the one institution controlled by African … [Read more...] about African American Church Leadership
Liberal Christianity — A Dying Breed
In a recent (July 9, 2006) issue of the Los Angeles Times, Charlotte Allen, a Catholic, published a scathing analysis of the moral and doctrinal decline of American mainline evangelical denominations. The Episcopal Church USA and Presbyterians receive the brunt of the attack. An overview: 1. Liberal Christianity was embraced in the 1960s by the leadership of many mainline Protestant denominations as the future of the Christian church. However, each of the denominations who embraced liberal doctrinal positions (e.g., wincing at the exclusivity of Christ) are now in steep demographic … [Read more...] about Liberal Christianity — A Dying Breed
Good news on the health of David Powlison
David Wayne, aka "the Jollyblogger," provides a good report on the health of David Powlison. Having benefited tremendously by Dr. Powlison's writing, I was delighted to hear the good news. An excerpt: "He said that for five years he had been living with an undiagnosed sleep disorder. He was never able to enter deep sleep. Now that he has been properly diagnosed and is being treated he is starting to feel like his old self again. He mentioned that one of the great things about this is that, for five years he has been pulling back from involvement and activity and now he is in a place … [Read more...] about Good news on the health of David Powlison
City Church of San Francisco to Leave the PCA
When I lived in Berkeley, CA (1999-2004), I made a few visits to worship with City Church, a vibrant body of 800 or so attendees (as of 2003) in the heart of the city. An affiliate of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York, NY, City Church sought to reach out to San Francisco with a theologically Reformed framework and methodological winsomeness akin to that of Tim Keller. One of the tenets of the PCA is the belief that the ecclesiastical offices of the church (elders and deacons) are open only to qualified males. Sadly, City Church is now leaving the PCA over that particular issue. CBMW … [Read more...] about City Church of San Francisco to Leave the PCA