Shelf Life

"You know, ol' Bob is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good." Perhaps, you have heard someone, in an effort to sound practical, say something like this. I suppose it is possible to be so focused on the sweet-by-and-by, that a sort of sanctimonious escapism seeps into one's Christianity...

Bestiaries are fascinating things--part fact and observation; part fiction and superstition. From Herodotus, Pliny, and Aristotle through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, these descriptions of animals, birds, serpents, and fanciful beasts provide a rich tapestry to understand the mind of the...

Cards on the table: Stephen N. Williams is a fellow Welshman whom I have known for over thirty-five years. I am still pondering a question he asked me on a visit he made to my home in 1977 when I was a student at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi, and both of us fellow-exiles from...

When I stop to reflect on the beloved doctrines of the reformed and evangelical faith, I always find the doctrine of the Lordship of Christ among the most precious. Why? Simply put, it is the source of our salvation and the basis for our confidence in life and ministry. But more than this, the...

When Gilbert Meilaender writes a book, I press "pre-order" at Amazon. Not because I agree with everything he writes, but because he, as an astute theologian and ethicist, is consistently insightful about the nature of what he calls "the perennial problems of moral life." I was first introduced to...

In a world saturated with psychological approaches to problems, women are often encouraged toward a distorted view of themselves and their struggles. The self-help aisle of the local bookstore is an aisle filled with man-centered approaches to a myriad of human problems. At best, these approaches...

William Knibb (1803-1845) is rightly remembered as one of the great heroes of Baptist history for the key role that he played in the emancipation of the slaves in the British Empire in the 1820s and 1830s. In fact, so powerful was his championship of this cause that some called him "King Knibb"!...

A friend of mine, some five years ago now, introduced me to Vigen Guroian when he suggested I read Inheriting Paradise (Eerdmans, 1999), a short but immensely satisfying meditation on the relationship of theology to gardening. Earlier this year, I was pleased to find that Guroian had continued his...

Another, much anticipated book by J. I. Packer (and a second co-authored by Carolyn Nystrom). This one, as the title makes abundantly clear, on prayer - or, as the action-word suggests, praying. A century and a half ago the Scottish professor "Rabbi" Duncan sent his students off to read John Owen,...

The Banner of Truth Trust has performed an invaluable service for the Christian community by publishing Cornel Venema's little work Getting the Gospel Right . He had previously submitted several well written posts to www.monergism.com on the so-called "New Perspectives on Paul," but this book...