Archive of entries posted by Ray
Luther, Evangelist & Missions Advocate
Over the years many scholars have suggested that the Reformers had little interest in the task of world missions or evangelism. I have countered this idea concerning Calvin at this site and in several different publications (one, two, three). Here I’d like to address Luther. I have not encountered among lay people as much the …
Hodge on Scripture
A question from a friend this week sent me digging back into Charles Hodge’s Systematic Theology, and I was encouraged again by his comments on Scripture. I was reading in volume three on the OT teaching on the afterlife, but it was his handling of Scripture in general that most interested me. Hodge refer to …
“Be ready to impart what you know”
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of travelling around Scotland with four students as the culmination of our class on aspects of Scottish church history. It was a great time, and I hope to comment more on it. One thing we did was visit several great book shops, chief among them James Dickson …
The Body Snatcher
While in Scotland recently I picked up a nice older copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s little book, The Body Snatcher. This is really a short story (originally published in 1881) but was published in a little volume as part of Merriam’s Violet Series in 1895. This is a fascinating story which seemed in many ways …
Praying & Running
I was at a sports banquet tonight with one of my sons and the cross country coach gave a good challenge to his team. He told them the only way to improve in running was to run and to run often. He said, “There’s no magic trick to improving your running. You just have to …
Poetry & the Bible
For the last 20 years, April has been designated National Poetry Month. Any reader of this blog will know that I have an interest in poetry and seek to indicate its value for pastoral ministry. In fact, I hope to one day edit a volume on the value of poetry in pastoral ministry. In honor …
The Titanic and Evangelism
Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, so I am reposting an item from 4 years ago in honor of the heroic efforts of Scottish Baptist pastor John Harper. Today is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. This terrible tragedy was also the occasion of some very heroic …
Evangelism in the Life of the Pastor
I am pleased for the Ryan Center at Union University to be hosting a public lecture by my friend, Jeremy Walker, this Thursday, April 14, at 3pm in Jennings 325. Jeremy serves as a pastor in Crowley, England and is the author of several books including The Brokenhearted Evangelist. I met Jeremy when we were …
Calvin Sermons on 1 Timothy, updated
The response to the new edition of Calvin’s sermons on 1 Timothy has been encouraging. I hope readers find it edifying. After releasing the book a friend helped me to update it in some ways which make it more user friendly, particularly by hyperlinking the table of contents so that with one click you can …