With all the new study Bibles coming out this year and new editions of previous ones, a number of people have dubbed this the “Year of the Study Bible.” I have commented on these in my forthcoming annual survey of bibles and bible reference books for Preaching Magazine (you can see last year’s installment here). …
Reading the Bible and Praying in Public, by Stuart Olyott(Banner of Truth, 2008), pb., 22 pp. This brief little booklet is an excellent tool to help pastors think through how our doctrine should shape these elements of leading public worship. Public reading of scripture has especially fallen on hard times in my circles, and I …
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I have commented previously on my family’s appreciation of the Bible Wise series of Bible stories from Christian Focus. They have recently published two more books in this series, Barnabas: The Encourager and Jonathan: The Faithful Friend, both by Carine Mackenzie. As in all the series, the illustrations are done by Fred Apps, probably our …
Readers of this blog may have seen my concern about how far too often modern bible stories water down the truth of the biblical account seeking to make them more palatable to children but in the end distorting the biblical witness. My brief article on this from several years ago is part of what prompted …
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I have just read on Tom Ascol’s blog about a publisher of children’s Sunday School curriculum who decided that the cross is too violent for pre-schoolers and as a result they would skip the cross and resurrection in their Easter curriculum! You can see a letter of explanation and defense of their position here. This …
The latest issue of Preaching Magazine has just come out containing my article which surveys new study Bibles, commentaries and other books on Bible study that have come out since last Fall. The print magazine has a shorter version of the essay dealing with Bible commentaries, introductions, etc. Eventually the article will be made available …
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The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats: An Unlikely Royal Family Tree , Andrew Peterson (Thomas Nelson, 2007) Hb., 32 pp. Ages 4-10 Andrew Peterson’s Christmas CD Behold the Lamb of God has been a favorite of our family’s for some time. Among other things he does good biblical theology in the songs. So, when I saw …
The church of God in our day is in dire need of reformation once again. I believe that is a given among us. Yet, this is a daunting task and if we put our hands to it we will face exhaustion, desperation, despondency and frustration in addition to open resistance. In this then we ought …
One of our Wednesday night classes at church is studying J. I. Packer’s A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. I am enjoying going back through the book because it is so good. Here is a quote from Packer about how the Puritans viewed the Bible. I have elsewhere, in a …
The True Story of Noah’s Ark, Tom Dooley Illustrated by Bill Looney (Master Books, 2003), hb., 73 pp. This is a nicely done, beautifully illustrated book. There are so many, very poorly done children’s books on Noah’s Ark. This one seeks to help you understand the setting, what life would have been like at the …