Notes on Jeremiah by Graeme Goldsworthy
To promote the soon-to-be-released Gospel Transformation Bible, Crossway have made available a free download of the book of Jeremiah, with an introduction and study notes by Graeme Goldsworthy.
– Download it here. (h/t Gary Ware. Photo: The Bible Society.)
Do you feel Called by God? — review
“Michael Bennett’s book is brilliant. I loved it. Let me tell you why. Ever since I became a Christian at age 19 (1989), I have been baffled and confused by the way Christians speak about decision-making. I was always hearing people say stuff like “I feel God is calling me to do X, Y and Z”. They seemed to put an awful lot of emphasis on two words: feel and call. …”
– Ben Pfahlert is very glad to see this new book by Michael Bennett (who also brought us Christianity Explained).
Why Expository Preaching Matters
“If preaching is central to Christian worship, what kind of preaching are we talking about? The sheer weightlessness of much contemporary preaching is a severe indictment of our superficial Christianity. When the pulpit ministry lacks substance, the church is severed from the word of God, and its health and faithfulness are immediately diminished.”
– Albert Mohler continues to write about the key place of expository preaching. Encouraging and challenging.
The Antidote to Anaemic Worship
“In far too many churches, the Bible is nearly silent. The public reading of Scripture has been dropped from many services, and the sermon has been sidelined…”
– Even though Albert Mohler writes in an American context, this is a good reminder.
Annual Moore College Lectures — Daily lectures
At this year’s Moore College Annual Lectures (daily lectures August 20, 21, 23, 23), Vice-Principal Bill Salier is aiming “to survey the whole Bible’s teaching on the ‘world’ as the context for God’s people living lives filled with faith, hope and love”.
Themelios Volume 38 Issue 2
The latest issue of Themelios is now available for (free) download.
Why you can rely on the Canon
“When it comes to the canon of Scripture, are 66, 39, and 27 the right numbers? How can we be sure which books belong and which do not?
Mark Mellinger recently sat down with Michael Kruger, president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, to discuss this ever-relevant issue of Scripture and canon.”
– Read the article and watch the video here.
Related: 10 Basic Facts about the NT Canon Every Christian Should Memorize.
Mark toolkit – last two instalments
If you’ve been following the videos of Andrew Sach and his Mark Toolkit, the last two video files are now available. These are part of the video resources from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, and are ideal for all who teach or who lead Bible studies.
The Heart of Marriage — Loving your spouse with a Christian mind
“There is no other book on marriage like this one. It is threaded with scholarship: we see moments where the arcane world of biblical scholarship is put to very good use. It gives a basic primer in biblical anthropology—that is, in the Bible’s unexpected way of describing what it is to be human.
It uses biblical theology: rather than plucking out isolated texts and pressing them into service, Hill works with the whole counsel of God, the entire story arc of the Bible. It exhibits philosophical nuance, as he makes distinctions that helpfully change our thinking.
But all of those big-sounding things are very readable. He visits them with a light touch, using crisp sentences. And it’s woven with stories and examples. It’s a book that is good for anyone who can read at a senior-high level.”
– Andrew Cameron at Moore College reviews Dr Michael Hill’s latest book, The Heart of Marriage.
It’s available from Christian Education Publications in Sydney, Pilgrim Books in Orange and other bookshops, and can be pre-ordered in the UK from IVP.
The Explicit Gospel — free audiobook
This month’s free audiobook from Christian Audio is Matt Chandler’s The Explicit Gospel, published by Crossway. (The audio version is read by David Cochran Heath.)
The download is about 200MB. (There’s also an interview by Mark Dever with Matt, recorded in Sydney in 2009 on the link page.)
Free eBook: Berkhof’s Systematic Theology
Louis Berkhof’s classic theology text is now freely, and legally, available in electronic format.
Justin Taylor has the details.
Going Beyond the Cliches: Christian Reflections on Suffering and Evil
Dr Don Carson spoke last month at the Lanier Theological Library in Houston.
“If we live long enough, we will suffer. Christians will therefore be wise if they prepare in advance for the suffering and evil they will face. This lecture does not so much attempt to ‘answer’ the problem of suffering and evil, as establish biblically faithful perspectives that enable us to think about such matters in a godly fashion, thereby forging frames of reference that strengthen us before evil days descend.”
St. Helen’s — Mark’s Gospel Tool Kit
“Andrew Sach introduces tools to help understand Mark’s Gospel in this month’s St Helen’s Training.”
– See this month’s two videos from Andrew Sach, as well as earlier overviews of Mark’s Gospel by Charlie Skrine, at the St. Helen’s website.
Rob Bell, Andrew Wilson and presuppositions about Christianity and homosexuality
“In a recent episode of Unbelievable, Andrew Wilson and Rob Bell have an engaging dialogue about the legitimacy of homosexual relationships within Christianity. …”
– Trevin Wax has a response and also the video from Premier Christian Radio in the UK.
Themelios Volume 38, Issue 1
The latest issue of the theological journal Themelios (Volume 38, Issue 1) was released at the end of April. A 2.4MB download – from The Gospel Coalition.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…