Defending Substitution: A Review Essay
J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937) argued nearly 100 years ago that if Christianity is anything it is a way of getting rid of sin. Machen lived at a time in which Protestant circles increasingly minimized sin, particularly individual sin against God, in favor of societal sin or evil. This was largely due to the rise of Protestant liberalism in America. One of the seemingly direct effects of Protestant liberalism’s rise was the demise in...
Understanding Gender Dysphoria: Book Review
Last November I had the opportunity to attend a lecture given by Dr. Mark Yarhouse[1] at an event sponsored by the Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.[2] Yarhouse is Professor of Psychology at Regent University. His topic was on how we should engage issues of gender identity with the gospel. This topic is so important because the church must be equipped in the areas of sexual ethics. Seven months...
Recommended Books (Spring 2016)
What makes a good piece of writing? Each of us could provide an extensive list of qualifications to answer this question. Our individual personalities each cry out for and are most deeply moved by any number of approaches to writing. Perhaps our inclination toward a particular genre is different from our spouse’s or a close friend’s, leaving us to wonder how they could be satisfied without such riches. Likely those same friends and...
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...
Book Review: Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry: A Practical Guide
In my job to teach future youth ministers, I come across a myriad of different youth ministry resources. The majority focus on the practical: how to equip volunteers, how to organize amazing lock-ins, etc. In their own right, these books are often very helpful. However, a variety of these books focus on the theological side. These often offer helpful, theological principles for ministry, but they often fail to lead the reader into a...
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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