“ . . . Leland Ryken helps us to meditate deeply on God’s Word by engaging our imagination, our understanding, and our will.”
—Gene Edward Veith, Emeritus Professor of Literature, Patrick Henry College
God’s eternal redemptive plan came to fruition in the events of a tumultuous handful of days. In the two thousand years since, believers have sought to express the horror of Christ’s crucifixion, the joy of his resurrection, and the wonder of the personal and eternal implications of both.
The works of poets and hymnists unite with the poetic testimony of Scripture in this anthology. Forty meditative readings present their work alongside literary explanations from author Leland Ryken. Accompanied by beautiful images produced by artists through the ages, they are designed to fix our thoughts on God and the spiritual life and to awaken our religious affections. Rather than merely recreating the events, these psalms, hymns, and poems lead us to analyze their spiritual meaning and prompt us to respond with heartfelt praise and adoration.
About the Author
Leland Ryken, author of more than fifty books on biblical and literary topics, is the literary editor of the ESV Bible and emeritus professor of English at Wheaton College in Illinois. P&R Publishing
This book offers a fresh perspective on the ongoing evangelical debate concerning whether the Son eternally submits to the Father. Beginning with the pro-Nicene account of will being a property of the single divine nature, Glenn Butner explores how language of eternal submission requires a modification of the classical theology of the divine will. This modification has problematic consequences for Christology, various atonement theories, and the doctrine of God, because as historically developed these doctrines shared the pro-Nicene assumption of a single divine will. This new angle on an old debate challenges the reader to move beyond the inaccurate characterization of views on eternal submission as “Arian” or “feminist” toward a more accurate understanding of the real theological issues at stake.
About the Author
Dr. Glenn Butner, Jr.
Dr. Glenn Butner, Jr. is Assistant Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry at Sterling College, KS. He is published in numerous academic journals, including Modern Theology and the International Journal of Systematic Theology.
Most of us value humility . . . especially in other people. But Jesus taught that humility is central to the Christian life. Author Christopher Hutchinson invites the church to follow Christ—both individually and corporately—in this high calling.
A systematic and comprehensive treatment of this core tenant of Christianity, Rediscovering Humility is structured around the three times Jesus addresses the topic in Scripture—how it is found, embraced and applied. This insightful resource should be required reading for all seminary students so they can understand the pitfalls of leadership before they begin to pastor. Current pastors and church leaders will find Hutchinson’s critiques and suggestions helpful as they seek to create humble and healthy churches. Individuals who have lost an appreciation for humility as a central Christian virtue will be reminded of its value as the best way to grow closer to and more like Jesus.
Humble Christians create healthy churches, but in today’s world of celebrity pastors and widening platforms, our churches are more than ever imitating the prideful methodologies of our culture. Through his critiques, Hutchinson also offers suggestions for how Christians can better practice and promote humility in our time.
Offering a fresh and updated application of humility to our day, Hutchinson calls for a return to the path of humility as the one pilgrimage most necessary for Christian faith and life. By showing humility in in all its truth, beauty and goodness, it becomes a value worth seeking—if never fully found—on this side of heaven.
Author
Christopher Hutchinson is the senior pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg, Virginia, and a graduate of Duke University (AB) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (MDiv). Prior to entering the ministry, Chris served in the US Army, including a combat tour during Operation Desert Storm. Chris and his wife, Kirstan, have two grown daughters, one a collaborative pianist studying in Arizona, and the other an artist studying in South Carolina. He wrote Rediscovering Humility: Why the Way Up Is Down.
In a day when Christians are more divided than united, true believers must again commit themselves to their common spiritual communion with one another. This biblical and practical guide, complete with leader’s guide and spiritual gifts questionnaire, guides those united in Christ toward life in the Christian community. Contributors include William Edgar, Hughes Oliphant Old, and more.
Philip Graham Ryken is president of Wheaton College. He is Bible teacher for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, speaking nationally on the radio program Every Last Word. Dr. Ryken was educated at Wheaton College, Westminster Theological Seminary, and the University of Oxford, where he received his doctorate in historical theology. He and his wife, Lisa, have five children.
Modern culture is obsessed with identity. Since the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, sexual identity has dominated both public discourse and cultural trends—yet no historical phenomenon is its own cause. From Augustine to Marx, various views and perspectives have contributed to the modern understanding of the self.
In this timely book, Carl Trueman analyzes the development of the sexual revolution as a symptom—rather than the cause—of the human search for identity. Trueman surveys the past, brings clarity to the present, and gives guidance for the future as Christians navigate the culture in humanity’s ever-changing quest for identity.
Dr. Carl Trueman
Carl R. Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College. He is an esteemed church historian and previously served as the William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and Public Life at Princeton University. Trueman has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including The Creedal Imperative; Luther on the Christian Life; and Histories and Fallacies. Trueman is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Reading has become a lost art. With smartphones offering us endless information with the tap of a finger, it’s hard to view reading as anything less than a tedious and outdated endeavor. This is particularly problematic for Christians, as many find it difficult to read even the Bible consistently and attentively. Reading is in desperate need of recovery.
Recovering the Lost Art of Reading addresses these issues by exploring the importance of reading in general as well as studying the Bible as literature, offering practical suggestions along the way. Leland Ryken and Glenda Faye Mathes inspire a new generation to overcome the notion that reading is a duty and instead discover it as a delight.
About the Authors
Leland Ryken (PhD, University of Oregon) served as professor of English at Wheaton College for nearly fifty years. He has authored or edited over fifty books, including The Word of God in English and A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible. He is a frequent speaker at the Evangelical Theological Society’s annual meetings and served as literary stylist for the English Standard Version Bible.
Glenda Faye Mathes (BLS, University of Iowa) is a professional writer with a passion for literary excellence. She has authored over a thousand articles and several nonfiction books as well as the Matthew in the Middle fiction series. Glenda has been the featured speaker at women’s conferences and at seminars for prison inmates.
When people visit churches, they come with questions. What do you believe about the Bible? How are you different from the church down the street? Why should I become a member of a Presbyterian Church? These are important questions, and questions that sometimes Presbyterians don’t even know the answer to! Ken Golden considers the distinctives of being a Presbyterian, the basis for making a profession of faith and the role of the church as a means of grace.
~from back cover
Pastor Ken Golden
About the Author
Pastor Ken Golden grew up in a nominal Jewish home in New Jersey. He studied art and worked in the pharmaceutical industry before his conversion in 1996. After exploring different churches, Pastor Ken was drawn to the Reformed tradition. He eventually went onto study at Westminster Seminary California, receiving his Masters of Divinity in 2005. He was ordained the same year and pastored an OPC congregation before coming to Sovereign Grace OPC in 2011. Pastor Ken and his wife Cressid have been married since 1992. Their children are Samuel, Joseph, Aaron, and Maelah.
In our world, we use the word heart to refer to our emotions. But the Bible uses the word heart to refer to the governing center of life. We need to grasp the true meaning of the heart in order to better understand ourselves, our sin, and our need for redemption. As we rediscover the heart as the source of all our thoughts, fears, words, and actions, we will discover principles and practices for orienting our hearts to truly love and obey God with all that we are.
Dr. A. Craig Troxel
About the Author
A. Craig Troxel (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is professor of practical theology at Westminster Seminary California. He previously served as pastor of Bethel Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wheaton, IL and Calvary Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Glenside, PA.
What do the various covenants given throughout the Bible mean to us? Are they relevant to our lives? A rainbow now and then may remind us of God’s promise to Noah, and we’ve memorized the part about the new covenant in Jesus’ blood at communion—but do we dig any deeper? Do we need to?
Jonty Rhodes guides us into an engaging study of covenant theology and why it matters. With clarity and wit, he shows us how covenants carry the Bible’s story from start to finish and ultimately give root to the gospel of salvation by grace. Beginning with Adam in the garden of Eden, and ending with Jesus, our risen Covenant King, Rhodes illuminates the good news of a promise-making, promise-keeping God.
Key topics include law and grace, union with Christ, baptism in the Spirit, predestination, and water baptism. Rediscover the Bible’s unified covenantal story and its unfolding message throughout Scripture.
Rev. Jonty Rhodes
About the Author
Jonty Rhodes (BA, Nottingham University; DipTh. Oakhill Theological College) is Minister of Christ Church Derby (International Presbyterian Church) in the United Kingdom. In his spare time he enjoys watching or playing a good game of cricket.
Rapture? Pre-Trib? Post-Trib? Millenium? Confused? You should be! In today’s Evangelical Christian world, eschatology―or the study of the “last things”―has been turned into a sort of pseudo-science with a plethora of authors claiming to know exactly the scenario of events that are to take place just prior to the Lord Jesus Christ’s return. Samuel Waldron’s thesis is that there is This Age, and The Age to Come. We will be, or are, in either one or the other. Any “End Times” system that forms a hybrid of these two, or contradicts this simple formula, is unbiblical, and should be rejected.
Dr. Sam Waldron
About the Author
Dr. Sam Waldron is the president of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.