NOTICE: Store prices and specials on the Banner of Truth UK site are not available for orders shipped to North America. Please use the Banner of Truth USA site .

Section navigation

A biography recommendation from John MacArthur

Category Book Reviews
Date May 6, 2020

John MacArthur recommends The Pastor of Kilsyth; a little biography by Islay Burns on the life and times of his father, Pastor W. H. Burns.

In our celebrity-driven age (from which the evangelical church is far from exempt), this is exactly the kind of life we need to study. We need to be reminded of the beauty, dignity and ultimately the glory of humble, obscure Christian service (Matt. 10:42). Yes, we need the towering leaders of men like John Calvin and John Knox. However, the great work of the church is ultimately carried forward by those who receive little earthly reward and recognition (but great is their reward in heaven!). William H. Burns was one of these, and we need many like him in our day.

Latest Articles

On the Trail of the Covenanters 12 February 2026

The first two episodes of The Covenanter Story are now available. In an article that first appeared in the February edition of the Banner magazine, Joshua Kellard relates why the witness of the Scottish Covenanters is worthy of the earnest attention of evangelical Christians today. In late November of last year, on the hills above […]

A Martyr’s Last Letter to His Wife 11 February 2026

In the first video of The Covenanter Story, which releases tomorrow, we tell the story of James Guthrie, the first great martyr of the Covenant. On June 1, the day he was executed for high treason, he coursed the following farewell letter to his wife: “My heart,— Being within a few hours to lay down […]