What Makes a Sermon ‘Good’? An Interview With Jeff Jones and Jeff Manning (Part I of II)
by Jacob Riggs “The preacher . . . is the only one who is in a position to deal with the greatest need of the world” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, 40). Preaching is the pastor’s primary task, but often viewed subjectively. Two people of similar backgrounds could listen to the same sermon and be impacted in different ways. One might believe the sermon to have been excellent, and the other may have slept through it or...
“Salvation for Heretics?”
by Andrew Harrison In his 2009 work Heresy, Alister McGrath attempts to define the essential nature of heresy. Along the way, however, he makes multiple statements that seem to indicate that heretical beliefs, while eventually destructive to their host belief system, usually originate from well-intentioned Christians who just happen to err, despite their best efforts to pursue right doctrine. This essay explains the non-traditional...
An Introduction to Textual Criticism
by Daniel Webster Textual criticism of Scripture has resulted in believers responding in a variety of ways. Among them are questions like: “Why would we want to be ‘critical’ of the Scriptures?” and, “Textual criticism undermines the infallibility of Scripture; I want nothing to do with it!” While we often think of the term critic as referring to someone who is judgmental, disapproving, or negative, we should not think of a text...
Kept for Jesus: A Review Essay
by Matthew McAffee [The following is an adaptation of a review recently published in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 58 (2015): 858-61] Kept for Jesus represents Sam Storms biblical-theological treatment of the Reformed doctrine of eternal security.[1] I appreciate his warm and approachable writing style, which produces a conversational tone for the book. In the introduction he outlines a two-fold...
We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry – Book Review
by Daniel A. Webster The average American Christian is quick to dismiss a book about idolatry on the grounds that worshipping graven figurines is not a modern church practice. However, when one considers that over one-third of the world’s population claims to be Hindu, Buddhist, or Catholic—all of which implement statues or icons in their worship—the topic seems strikingly pertinent. Even still, for many American pastors, the topic of...
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