|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
The Reformed Community is known for its ability to plumb the depths of
theological knowledge. There are many great books by Reformed scholars
that testify to this fact. Whether one reads the works of B. B.
Warfield, Louis Berkhof, Meredith Kline, or Cornelius Van Til. More
often than not, though, many of these authors deal with issues on a
very technical level. The practicality of their work is sometimes
obscured by the technical nature in which they deal with their subject
matter. This, however, is not the case with Terry Johnson’s When Grace
Comes Home.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
Prayer is unquestionably a central part of the life of any Christian,
or at least it should be. To this end Dr. Bruce Wilkinson several
years ago wrote a book entitled, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through
to the Blessed Life. So, then, should not The Prayer of Jabez, a book
encouraging Christians to pray a scriptural prayer, be received with
open arms?
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
Martin Luther (1483-1546) once wrote that Genesis 1 “is written in the
simplest language; yet it contains matters of the utmost importance and
very difficult to understand. It was for this reason, as St. Jerome
asserts, that among the Hebrews it was forbidden for anyone under
thirty to read the chapter or to expound it for others.” It is for
these reasons that Tremper Longman’s book, How to Read Genesis, is a
welcome contribution.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
Letham begins with the biblical data and surveys various texts
beginning with the Old Testament confirming the doctrine of the trinity
from Scripture. In the section on historical development Letham traces
the doctrine from the early church, through both the western and
eastern churches, culminating with a chapter on John Calvin’s (1509-64)
understanding. In the section on the modern discussion, Letham
explores the trinitarian thought of several important contemporary
theologians, such as Karl Barth (1886-1968), Karl Rahner (1904-84),
Jürgen Moltmann (1926-), and Wolfhart Pannenberg (1928-). In the last
section, Letham treats the implications of a trinitarian understanding
of the incarnation, worship, prayer, creation, missions, and persons.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
All Christians know that prayer is an important aspect of the Christian
life. Yet, prayer is often ignored. Well, if prayer is often ignored,
we can well imagine that fasting is ignored to an even greater degree.
John Piper is well aware of this fact because of our hunger for the
things of this world. He writes that “the greatest enemy of hunger for
God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked
that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table
of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble
of triviality we drink in every night. . . . the most deadly appetites
are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth.
For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is
scarcely recognizable and almost incurable” (p. 14). It is with this
knowledge of the dangers of the pleasures of life that Piper makes his
case for Christian fasting, which he says is “the hunger of a
homesickness for God” (ibid).
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
Currently there are three major controversies surrounding the doctrine
of justification: (1) the ecumenical question raised by ‘Evangelicals
and Catholics Together,’ (2) the debate surrounding the rise of the New
Perspective on Paul, and (3) the Norman Shepherd controversy. In each
of these debates questions surround the doctrine of justification: (1)
Do Evangelicals and Catholics believe the same thing regarding
justification, (2) What is the relationship between justification and
the Law, and (3) what is the relationship between justification and
good works? It is in midst of this tempestuous time that John Piper
has written a book defending the traditional Reformed understanding of
justification, especially as it relates to the doctrine of the
imputation of the righteousness of Christ. Piper bypasses debates (1)
and (3), and deals with the challenges of the New Perspective on Paul.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
Persecution for being a Christian is something that most Americans
Christians seldom, if ever, experience. How often do American
Christians get imprisoned for their faith in Christ. Though this is
something that is largely foreign to American Christianity, it does not
therefore mean that we should be ignorant of those who have suffered
persecution for the sake of the name of Christ. For a Testimony is the
story of Bruce Hunt, an OPC missionary to Korea during the final two
months leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
This
book is a collection of essays that Hart wrote over the last several
years on subjects related to the doctrine of the church and especially
worship. These essays appeared in various publications ranging from Modern Reformation to scholarly journals. This means that the book on the whole has something for everyone, the layman to the learned scholar. Hart
has organized the essays into five parts: the Church’s commission;
contemporary worship; office and ordinances; Presbyterian parochialism;
and worship and revival.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
Many families and individuals are under the impression that they can
take a vacation not only from work and school but church as well. A
common mindset is that, ‘I can take the whole week off—including
Sunday!’ This, however, is a misguided understanding of vacation and
especially worship on the Lord’s Day.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by John Fesko
|
|
Few people are aware that the government of France has a department
dedicated to the preservation of the French language. This department
monitors the use of language throughout the country. Their desire is
to preserve the French language from deterioration. For example, if
other nations and cultures dilute the French language with foreign
words, then the people of France begin to lose their identity as a
people. They are no longer marked by their unique cultural heritage
but instead bear the marks of mass marketing. For example, many words
within our own language are not actual nouns but name brands. Today’s
words were often yesterday’s brand names: Kleenex used to be tissue,
Coke used to be cola or soda, White Out used to be correction fluid,
Jell-O used to be gelatin, and Band Aids used to be adhesive bandages.
Due to the power of mass marketing, companies have literally changed
the American lexicon and have influenced people to be walking
advertisements. This trend is not limited to the secular realm but has
also found its way into the Church.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|