Yearly Archives: 2015

Francis of Assisi has little to answer for. Although the quotation of ‘preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary’ has been attributed to him, the historical truth of the matter is that Francis was a prolific gospel preacher.1 However, in a contemporary world of increasing political (and seemingly ecclesiastical) correctness, the unspeaking […]

A review by Dr J. Barry Shucksmith of John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, translated by Robert White.1 John Calvin was the most eminent of all the 16th century Reformers. He was born at Noyon, 10th July, 1509. He trained to be a lawyer but being convinced of the errors of Rome, he turned […]

On Sunday November 23rd 2013, the bones of St Peter were presented to the world for the first time at a public Mass. According to the Catholic Herald it was ‘wonderful and almost unbelievable . . . a man from Argentina has reintroduced us to his predecessor, a Galilean fisherman born millennia ago’. Eight bone […]

This article was published as a ‘Letter from the Manse’ in the church magazine of Grace Baptist Church, Stockport, Cheshire (March 2015). I spent last week with seventeen other men. We came together for a ‘study week’ and we studied. Seven hours together each day around the conference table and personal assignments to be completed […]

The theme for this year’s Leicester Ministers’ Conference is ‘The Sufferings of this Present Time’. To whet your appetite, some of our speakers here introduce the messages they will be bringing . . . Gary Brady Gary Brady is pastor of Childs Hill Baptist Church in London, and will bring the opening message of the […]

I suppose if we had asked around our churches regarding what we would most like to see in 2015 one prominent answer would be a national revival of true religion. Of course, many definitions could be given of revival, although most of them would be related to historical records, which means that there is the […]

‘an accessible, edifying book on Scripture … an easy-to-read, straightforward guide to understanding and profitably using God’s Word.’ – Derek J. Brown on Sinclair B. Ferguson’s From the Mouth of God: Trusting, Reading, and Applying the Bible . In the Notes below are links to selected online reviews of Banner titles, mostly posted January/February 2015. […]

A review by Greg Goswell of Covenant and Commandment: Works, obedience and faithfulness in the Christian life (New Studies in Biblical Theology, No. 33) by Bradley G. Green [Nottingham: IVP, 2014], 192pp, paperback, $16.28/£12.99, ISBN 978 1 78359 1 664. The latest volume in the popular and reliable New Studies in Biblical Theology series is […]

John Calvin preached 200 sermons on Deuteronomy. They have been dropped down the memory hole. Calvinist seminary professors have never heard of them, let alone read them. Until today, they had an excuse. Not any longer. In 1583, a translation of them appeared in English. This was ignored, then forgotten. Over four centuries later (1987), […]

‘Comfort with the comfort with which you were comforted.’ My husband Dennis lay in the Intensive Care Unit at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. Surgery had led to his inclusion in the 10% who develop complications, leaving me both bewildered and overwhelmed. Day followed day with little improvement. I thought, ‘What if I lose him?’ […]

This article was published as a ‘letter from the manse’ in the church magazine of Grace Baptist Church, Stockport, Cheshire, England. Dear friends, I never buy newspapers these days. Most of the newspapers have websites where you can read all the news and comment for free. And you can also see what other readers have […]

What daily anxieties of spirit are there in some because of the lack of children. They have many other comforts, but the not having of this embitters all. Abraham himself was much troubled about it: Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer […]

This beautifully produced book consists of 34 short articles written by Pastor Benjamin Morgan Palmer for the Southern Presbyterian magazine between 1869 and 1870. The subjects covered include anecdotes from his pastoral life, a justification for foreign missions, the Beatitudes and Christian paradoxes. Pastor Palmer writes in the florid, wordy style of the 19th century […]

It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind (Joel 2:28). In 1848 at the age of twenty Andrew Murray returned home to Cape Town, South Africa from his theological studies in Scotland and Holland. The Dutch Reformed Church required ministers to be at least twenty-two years old […]

A review for the Pastor’s Library at LifeWay.com by Joey Cochran of The Works of Thomas Manton.1 Editor’s Note: This review is of the previously published 3-Volume selection of Manton’s works. This is no longer available, as the Trust now publishes the entire corpus of his sermons in 22 Clothbound Volumes. Summary In 1662, the […]