How a Kid Proved That Lacking Logic is 'Noble'

A popular megachurch pastor recently had this to say:
"Some people don't even want their church to get any bigger. After all, if it gets too big you won't be able to know everyone. You really have two choices - you can have a church where everyone knows everyone or you can have a church where everyone knows Jesus. Which is it going to be?". The fact that a 13 year old was able to diagnose a logical fallacy in that - is saying a lot about either, the kid, or the pastor. Here's the explanation. ... [Read More!]

Product Review: The Life and Works of Horatius Bonar    Link

Tony Reinke has this to say about one of my favorite CD-Roms: "I build my Christian library around dead guys - not because I think everything old is better - but because I love reading literary affection towards Christ. There was a time when people wrote books (and read books!) simply on the beauty of Christ. No, I'm not kidding. For the Puritans, the attention shown to every doctrine helps sculpt theological art that cannot help but point our affections towards Christ. - Horatius was a prolific preacher, author, editor and writer of over 600 hymns! His diverse literary talents remind me of Bunyan, his focus on the Cross and his ability to confront doctrinal concerns of the day remind me of Spurgeon. This is an affordable and superb resource for digging deeper into the beauty of Christ and will be easy to integrate into sermon preparation and devotion time. If you are not familiar with Horatius Bonar, I would encourage you to read him." ... [Read Link]

The Puritan's Guide To Taking Heaven by Storm

The Puritan Thomas Watson asked: "What violence is offered unto the Kingdom of Heaven by the Christian? That sounds like a wrong statement. But this is wholly otherwise. The Christian is required to take the Kingdom of heaven by force, to take heaven by storm. He is to be a tornado, or a hurricane, in respect to his violence and his disposition in raging or pressing into the Kingdom of God with all his might. Would God require anything less than for the Christian to strive and place forth his best for the power of the Kingdom?" If that doesn't describe you, here's a book and an audio sermon that could help you make adjustments. ... [Read More!]

Must-Have Puritan Gift Items

I've recently run-across a couple of important Puritan items that would be great for anyone who's had their fill of modern Christianity, and longs for a time when Christianity contained less milk and more meat. With Christmas coming up, I'll even answer the question for you "would the Puritans themselves want you to buy these items for that special someone for Christmas?". The answer might surprise you. ... [Read More!]

The Forgotten Translation - The Bible of The Pilgrims    Link

When Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) became queen of England in 1553, she was determined to roll back the Reformation and reinstate Roman Catholicism. Mary met with a great deal of resistance from Protestant reformers in her own country. Mary showed no signs of compromise. The persecution of Protestants followed. The era known as the Marian Exile drove hundreds of English scholars to the Continent with little hope of ever seeing their home and friends again. God used this exodus experience to advance the Reformation. A number of English Protestants settled in Geneva: Miles Coverdale, John Foxe, Thomas Sampson, and William Whittingham. With the protection of the Genevan civil authorities and the support of the Scottish Reformer John Knox, the Church of Geneva determined to produce the Geneva Bible. After reading this article, you might consider purchasing one of these keepsakes of your own. ... [Read Link]

Father's Day and a Longing For My Return To Rome

Yesterday's visit with my Catholic family brought to mind a most troubling prayer: "O Mother of Perpetual Help, thou art the dispenser of all the goods which God grants to us miserable sinners, and for this reason he has made thee so powerful, so rich, and so bountiful, that thou mayest help us in our misery. Thou art the advocate of the most wretched and abandoned sinners who have recourse to thee. Come then, to my help, dearest Mother, for I recommend myself to thee. In thy hands I place my eternal salvation and to thee do I entrust my soul". ... [Read More!]

How To Buy and Reform Your MP3 Player

An MP3 player is one of the best investments that you can make, especially if you have any amount of commuting that you do on a daily basis. If you think these devices are only music players, think again. You can turn your drive time into a productive learning and bible memory time with one of these units. But what is the best kind to buy, and what would you listen to on your MP3 player? Learn from my trial and error. ... [Read More!]

Book Review: Evangelicalism Divided by Iain Murray    Link

A record of crucial change from 1950 to 2000. Of particular interest to many, according to Gary Gilley, will be the record of Billy Graham's slide from a biblically fundamental position to that of ecumenicalism and inclusiveism. His warning to present day compromisers is sharp and painful. Other examples in the book include Fuller Seminar, InterVarsity, ECT, Packer, Colson, Stott, and others. Murray carefully traces the historical fall of each of these men and organizations in an attempt to persuade us to hold the line... [Read Link]

Video Series Based on Thomas Vincent's Book

I continue to push the Word Pictures videos from CrossTV because they've made such a big impact on my life over the past several years. Though the videos are professionally and thoroughly done, CrossTV's website isn't. Because of that, and in an effort to give back to CrossTV, I'm doing my best to provide additional web information for some of their most important video sets. One that I've watched several times, and can highly recommend is
The True Christian's Love for the Unseen Christ ... [Read More!]

The Books That Taught The Puritans To Pray

It's been said that these books taught generations of Puritan-era Christians how to pray. They are simply outlines of prayer that are filled with scripture; they are literally scripture prayer. After you read these books, you will never again say "How can I pray an hour a day?", and instead you may very well ask "How can I get through all of the things to pray for in the allotted time?". It's time to put away those modern Jabez prayers, and the purpose journal, and take your prayer habits back a few centuries. ... [Read More!]

Love To Christ - Necessary to Escape the Curse

The Puritans were never lacking in wordy titles for their
writings, and likewise - Thomas Doolittle's excellent book
has this ominous-sounding, yet biblically accurate title:
Love To Christ Necessary to Escape the Curse at His Coming. It's a book that would never make it to the New York Times bestseller list as today's Christian feel-good books do,
but it does have an important message for the modern church; it's based on a solid exposition of 1 Cor. 16:22 -
If anyone does not love the Lord - a curse be on him.
... [Read More!]

Can Biography Help You Overcome Mediocrity?

John Piper says that Christian biographies have served as much as any other human force in his life to overcome the inertia of mediocrity. They are living theology, the stories of flawed and encouraging saints, stories of grace and deep inspiration.
Now Piper has made available some of the most uplifting biographical audio summaries; best of all - they are free of charge and ready for download right here. ... [Read More!]

Learn To Be A Workman Approved By God

Every once in a while, I try to get in a good plug for a learning resource called 'A Workman Approved By God'
which explains how to study the bible and avoid error.
The people from Logos Bible Software recently contacted me about using the review I had previously written for this product. They're starting to bundle it with their products. Here's what they are offering, and also some new sample clips they've put online. ... [Read More!]

The Videos That Changed Everything

"People are tired of a mock, pseudo, superficial Christianity. They're realizing that, despite all the hype and emotion up front, in the final analysis, much of modern Christianity is nothing more than a 'form of Godliness' - without the power". What a powerful intro, for an excellent learning tool that sheds light on much of today's modern church.

I first encountered the Word Pictures library of videos several years ago,
right after leaving the Seeker-centered church scene. ... [Read More!]