In the preface to his commentary on the Psalms, Matthew Henry has a helpful & instructive section on the proper use of the Psalms. There are many gems in this excerpt (the numbering is Henry’s though I have broken the paragraphs in places and added bold & italics). All scripture, being given by inspiration of …
Throughout the history of the church, key leaders have extolled the value of the Psalms, even its unique value within the canon, typically because it summarizes the whole of scripture and teaches us to worship. Here is Luther echoing this sentiment: “The Psalter ought to be a precious and beloved book, if for no other …
Continue reading ‘Luther on the Preciousness of the Psalter’ »
Just last night my copy of The Hymns of Philip Doddridge came in the mail, and I was straightway taken in. Doddridge (1702-1751) was mentored by Watts and was a prominent Dissenting minister in England. This volume is a reprint of the posthumously published volume of Doddridge’s hymns with a brief biographical sketch added. …
Each Monday I try to post a new “Poem of the Week” on my office door and for some time I have thought I should post that poem here as well. So finally, I am doing so! This is a poem of Amy Carmichael’s which I first encountered through the writings of Elisabeth Elliot. I …
Here is the latest review from my blog on children’s books, The Children’s Hour: The Story for Little Ones: Discover the Bible in Pictures (Zonderkidz, 2011), hb. Ages 3-5 Recently I received a review copy of this book along with some other materials related to Zondervan’s The Story project, an effort to help people see …
Continue reading ‘“The Story for Little Ones” Misses the Mark’ »
The latest from PastoralEpistles.com: I have previously mentioned here the new section at the Evangelical Theological Society meeting devoted to the Pastoral Epistles. This section came into being due to the conviction (shared by myself and others) that the exclusion of the Pastorals from our thinking about Paul has skewed our understanding of Pauline theology. …
Continue reading ‘Westerholm- The Pastorals Negate the New Perspective’ »
The Ancient Christian Texts series from IVP is a real treasure, as it provides access to writings of the Patristic era. I have been recently thumbing through the new volume, Commentaries on Genesis 1-3, which contains writings from several men including Bede the Venerable. In the introduction to Bede’s commentary, the following quote struck me …
Brad Green recently posted this significant quote from P. D. James, the famous British novelist. James takes aim at our society’s “restless desire for change.” It reminded me of Paul’s warning against “youthful desires” (2 Timothy 2:22), which several scholars suggest may refer to a penchant for the novel. This quote is worth contemplating: “We …
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At my blog on children’s literature I recently posted a review commending Simonetta Carr’s book, Athanasius. This is the latest book in Mrs. Carr’s wonderful series on key leaders in church history. You can grasp the heart of the book by watching this trailer: Today I have announced the opportunity to enter a drawing for …