By Andrew White
In his autobiographical essay, “Confidentially,” Abraham Kuyper outlines the circumstances of his conversion to orthodox Christian faith. One pivotal moment is his reading of a popular mid-Victorian novel, The Heir of Redclyffe. Kuyper remarks: “[T]hough not in value, [it] stands next to the Bible in its meaning for my life.” (1) The English novel, a gift from his fiancée, Johanna Schaay, had a profound emotional effect on Kuyper, literally bringing him to his knees in repentance. He notes: “This masterpiece was the instrument that broke my smug, rebellious heart.” Though it was the bestselling English novel of 1853, Charlotte Yonge’s Heir of Redclyffe is little known outside of select academic circles today. In the last century many disparaged the book for its perceived sentimentalism and sanctimoniousness.
The Man, the Faith, & the Life Behind “A Christmas Carol”
Everybody loves Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” (well, at least the movies), but who was this man? Was he best friends with Hudson Taylor and annoyed with Charles Spurgeon? Was he an ideal husband or a bit of a playboy? Did he leave his children to their own devices, or did he pen an entire book solely for their edification and growth in Christ? Listen in as we are joined with Charles Dickens go-to scholar, and author of "God and Charles Dickens: Recovering the Christian Voice of a Classic Author,” Dr. Gary L. Colledge and discuss all things Dickens.
A Hospitable Bed Interview on Spiritual with Jim Houston
“I came here to die.” That is what Christian pillar James Houston, who is 99 years old, told me on our chat today – yet he is still writing and still offering wisdom to weary souls and offers a lifetime of insight in these 45 minutes. In this interview with Dr. Houston, I had the great honor to glean wisdom on everything from spiritual health and cultivation (“We need to ask God to allow us to dream about Him each night.” “We need to remove obstacles that keep us from a love-affair with God… Let God be the last thing you think about each night, not the news or a book or a movie…”) to Trinitarian theology of participation, and to the Evangelical over-emphasis on “Systematic Theology” (As opposed to, what he suggests, a healthy “Child Theology”)...
Henry Van Til on The Cultural Mandate & The Great Commission
Jesus did not call all men as individuals to the special task of being fishers of men, the modern contention that every Christian must be a missionary, to the contrary notwithstanding... Neither Christ himself, nor any of his apostles, ever intimated that every believer had to be a missionary. Indeed, the term "missionary" in the New Testament has the special connotation of one who is sent by the church to seek those that are without. However, the love of Christ also constrains every Christian to give vocal witness to lost sinners and to call them to repentance. Hence the missionary mandate is fulfilled by those who have a cultural calling.
Questions about what we have just assumed
A few weeks ago, I happened upon a 2-part article series by Michael Cooper called “Ephesiology and the Critique of Church Planting Movements” and “Is Church Planting a Biblical Mandate?” and so, I’m not a deconstructionist, but I do appreciate a good questioning of what has been assumed. Listen in as we sit down with Dr. Cooper and discuss Paul’s model of making disciples, and all the rage that is “the church planting movement.”
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A Response to the Exhausting Lie of "Radical Christianity"
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5YfK1Wjp7tK0A2v5K7rsF4?si=O5KDNtS1SKa8TVDzu3V3hg https://radiopublic.com/the-laymens-lounge-GbpY7J/s1!459ba https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIOkeEpcynM "Unless we rest in God's personalizing of us, we will try and 'personalize' our faith through our own intensity and emotions. Often, the 'personalness' of the gospel is secured through second-rate means, such as gratitude for salvation, or an individual sense of God's presence, or a missional...
by David Koyzis and Mike Wagenman
I would love to see Christians and other likeminded citizens mobilize to launch a public justice movement. What would it look like? Unlike liberals and socialists, it would unequivocally affirm the institutions and communities of what collectively is often called civil society. Rather than attempt to have government solve every...
Does God Appreciate a Great Catch & Drinking $20 Beers?
"J. Gresham Machen was one of many to fall under the spell of football. 'When I see a vacant field on one of these autumn days,' Machen wrote to a friend while in Europe in 1905, 'my mind is filled with wonder at this benighted people which does not seem...
Up till his day, there was no internally consistent system of Reformed apologetics. In other words, the apologetics that was taught and practiced up to that point was more consistent with Arminianism and Roman Catholicism than with Reformed theology. Van Til took the best insights of previous Reformed theologians including...
Paul and the Purpose of Scripture
There’s so much disparity between “faith” and “knowledge” in the modern church, with the former (“faith”) given primacy of place among those who claim to be spiritual, and the latter (“knowledge”) placed on a pedestal among those who claim to be wise. “Faith” is often esteemed for those of the...
Failed Resolutions & Unveiling Mercy: 365 Daily Devotions
“People have this weird and irrational tendency to begin a new year with the assumption that things will truly be new during the next twelve months, that calendar changes equal humanity changes. I admit, quite sheepishly, that I sometimes share this weird notion... You think, My commitment to the straight...
An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History
Through thirty-three objects, Tim Challies explores the history of what God is accomplishing in this world, whether through princes or peasants, triumph or trial and (notating his findings in a book and DVD set). Each object offers a tangible link between the present and the past, between the Christians of...
What If There's More to the Story Than You Thought?
Join us as we sit down with J.D. Greear and discuss the implications of Christmas and how the “hopes and fears of all the years are met in” Jesus.
Mary, the Annunciation, The Magnificat, Zechariah’s Prophecy, “Swaddling Cloths”, etc.
We had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Tom Schreiner and discuss the first couple chapters of Luke and how best to make sense of it all and have our calloused hearts here the story afresh. Join us as we take a Christmas stroll through advent portions of Luke.