The following poem by Joe Bayly recently appeared in the bulletin of College Church in Wheaton: Praise God for Christmas Praise Him for the Incarnation for Word made flesh. I will not sing of shepherds watching flocks on frosty night or angel choristers. I will not sing of stable bare in Bethlehem...

"That Baptist pastor flew to Adelaide in Australia the next week. And ten days later, in the middle of a three day series in a Baptist church in Adelaide, a woman came to him for counseling. He wanted to establish where she stood with Christ. And she said, “I used to live in Sydney. And just a...

A number of years ago in a Baptist church in Crystal Palace in southern London, the Sunday morning service was closing and a stranger stood up in the back, raised his hand; he said, “Excuse me, pastor; can I share a little testimony?” The pastor looked at his watch. He said, “You’ve got three...

At the risk of doubling Derek's envy, Eschenbach played Mozart piano concertos 23 and 24 to rapturous applause. Our seats are on the back side of the orchestra, in the third tier -- perfect for this concert because we could watch Eschenbach conduct with nods of the head, raised eyebrows, and other...

This may be old news, but I first learned of it yesterday and thought it would be good to share: Our friend Michael Horton has been named the initial holder of the J. Gresham Machen Chair of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. It is good to see a serious chair in...

The star was so beautiful, large, and clear, That all the other stars of the sky Became a white mist in the atmosphere. And by this they knew that the coming was near Of the Prince foretold in prophecy. Thus wrote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow concerning the star of Bethlehem, which of all the signs...

From Charles Spurgeon's sermon on "Peter's Restoration" ("And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord"; Luke 22:60-61): "I like to think of the singular combination: the crowing of the cock,...

John Piper gave a rousing address on William Tyndale yesterday at the annual meetings of the Evangelical Theology Society (ETS). The address was sponsored by Crossway Books as part of its ongoing effort to promote the English Standard Version (ESV). Justin, please provide a link if and when the...

A friend sent the following link to an article about two Ohio congregations that have voted to leave the Presbyterian Church USA: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living/people/family/16007379.htm I was particularly struck by Pastor Weyrick's comments about investing time and energy in fighting...

Westminster Seminary's K. Scott Oliphint has just published a book with the very promising title Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology . Bill Edgar writes: "This is a wonderful book. If given the attention it deserves, Reasons for Faith should change the discussion in matters...

A correspondent with much closer first-hand knowledge of missionary work in Kazakhstan has written to say that although he shares my frustration with Borat , he is not convinced that the film will prove to be much of a setback for gospel work there. In the interests of cultural understanding, I am...

I have been loosely aware of the hype surrounding Borat , the mockumentary starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. However, it was only today that I learned the film's subtitle and cultural context. The full title is Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of...

. . . is the title of a new book edited by Kelly Kapic of Covenant College and our own Justin Taylor. It is a fresh collection of three classic and practical works by John Owen on the doctrine of sin. Various books by Owen have been published through the years -- especially editions of The...

Writing for Reuters, Michael Conlon reports that a "fresh wave of atheistic books has hit the market this autumn, some climbing onto best-seller lists in what proponents see as a backlash against the way religion is entwined in politics." Among the books mentioned in the article are Letter to a...

Up until a few weeks ago, Congressman Mark Foley served as the United States Representative from the 16 th District of Florida. In what is now a painful irony, Representative Foley formerly served as co-chair of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. Now he has resigned in disgrace for...

David Shiflett is the author of Exodus: Why Americans are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity . Shiflett draws on the work of Dean Kelley and others who have documented the sharp decline in membership of America's mainline Protestant churches. His approach is more journalistic,...

Reading through some other people's lists has reminded me of a few books I should have included. Under the category of the books that were the most influential, both the Prayer of Jabez and Left Behind both deserve serious consideration. I left behind Left Behind because to me the series is really...

Special thanks to Rick Phillips for calling me middle-aged. In my view, middle age begins at 50, a milestone I feel confident Rick will reach before me. Typically I only comment on my age when my birthday falls on a Sunday, which it didn't this year. In any case, though, no matter how old (or young...

In doing a little research this week on illiteracy, biblical and otherwise, I came across a provocative statement from David Gelernter ("Bible Illiteracy in America," The Weekly Standard , May 23, 2005, Vol. 10, Issue 34): "My guess is that our next Great Awakening will begin among college students...

Imagine a prison with such a positive atmosphere that the guards don't need to carry guns to protect themselves. Imagine a prison where inmates begin each day with Bible reading and prayer, leading some to faith in Christ. Imagine a prison where convicted felons open the door for you, look you...

Quentin Schultze is an astute commentator on issues in Christianity, technology, and the arts. In a recent issue of the PCA's ByFaith magazine he writes: "Young people witness some of the cheesy video and computer 'art' in worship and see it for what it is is: kitsch. Stock clip art. Old-fashioned...

Bob Brady -- who serves as Executive Vice President for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals -- tells me that the Reformation Society in Alaska recently had a very encouraging first meeting. One of the visitors was a high school student who has been planning to become a pilot and hoping to...

Recently I have been reading Jeffery Sheler's Believers: A Journey into Evangelical America . Sheler is Contributing Editor for Religion with U.S. News and World Report . While he would not identify himself as an evangelical, Sheler grew up in an evangelical church of sorts and is sympathetic to...

This week I read the decision in Americans United for Separation of Church and State v. Prison Fellowship Ministries, in which Judge Robert Pratt ruled that state funding for the InnerChange prison rehabilitation program amounted to an unlawful establishment of religion . Pratt's ruling made much...