Yearly Archives: 2011

The Puritan Richard Sibbes has been called ‘the heavenly doctor’ because his messages show such a deep understanding of the human soul. Believing that there is more grace in Christ than sin in us his aim was to woo sinners to Christ. He was so gently persuasive that hardened sinners deliberately avoided his sermons for […]

The England riots are not just a breakdown of law and order, they are the consequences of a breakdown of morality in our society. We have all been appalled to see the shocking absence of respect for human life, for lawful authority and for private property. Why are these values so absent? In what social […]

And he gave some as evangelists.’ (Ephesians 4:11) There are a plethora of good Bible teachers and preachers in the Reformed denominations of our day, and for this we ought to be thankful. We tend to attract men who love the Bible and theology and who, consequently, are gifted in communicating both. As important as […]

Most Christians will have heard of John MacArthur. For more than 40 years he has been Pastor of the same large church in Los Angeles, USA. He is best known for his books, audio sermons and radio broadcasts. This biography by the co-founder of Banner of Truth brings to life John MacArthur. We find a […]

. . . to be cast into the eternal fire. (Matthew 18:8) One of the big questions today is this, ‘Does God send people to hell? Why would a loving God do that?’ How should you respond to such a question? First of all, since the Bible is God’s inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word, it […]

Donald Charles Edward Wheatley, a member of the church at Zoar Chapel, Dicker, for 30 years and deacon for 26 years, passed peacefully away on December 16th, 2010, aged 82. He was born on September 18th, 1928. He was the first child of godly parents, Benjamin and Ivy Wheatley, who put up many prayers for […]

This is the first book of the series and starts with a brief overview of Jesus’ life and teaching, introduces the reader to his disciples and particularly to John, who as an old man came to know and befriend both Ignatius and Polycarp, young men at the time. This book tells the story of Ignatius, […]

Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? (John 21:15) One of the more glorious promises in Scripture is John 10:28-30, And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater […]

Some verses in the Bible are deeply disturbing, and unexpected. As Paul commends Timothy to the church in Philippi, he tells them, ‘I have no one like him (of like soul), who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare (Phil. 2:20). So far, so good. But then Paul continues, ‘For they all seek their own […]

Cry loudly, do not hold back; raise your voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1). The kind of preaching done by Jesus, his apostles, the prophets who preceded them, and the great preachers who have succeeded them is sadly lacking in […]

If interest in and admiration for a subject can be gauged by the number of popular books produced then it is evident that John Knox’s reputation has been on the wane and even suffering systematic undermining for over the past sixty odd years. Up till the 1930s a reasonable flow of reasonably sympathetic popular treatments […]

Victor Atallah, General Director of Middle East Reformed Fellowship (MERF), writes: The Republic of South Sudan just divided from the north to become the newest African nation. Hundreds of thousands there are recent Christian converts from tribal animism. Bibles are few. Pastors hike long distances to minister to many villages. Since 2003, Reformed pastors and […]

‘Servant of the Word and Flock’ is an apt subtitle for Iain Murray’s new biography of John MacArthur.1 The book leaves us convinced that no ministry is as important to MacArthur as serving his church by teaching and preaching God’s Word. Murray points out that the one stipulation Dr. MacArthur made when accepting the call […]

Iain H. Murray, born in Lancashire, England, in 1931 was educated in the Isle of Man and at the University of Durham. He entered the Christian ministry in 1955. He served as assistant to Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel (1956-59) and subsequently at Grove Chapel, London (1961-69) and St. Giles Presbyterian Church, Sydney (1981-84). […]

Long-time readers of this magazine1 will have noticed that comment on church conditions in Scotland is almost non-existent in these columns. One reason for that has been the complexity of the situation. It is far easier to see the providence of God in events that happened many years ago than it is to understand our […]

‘While it may not end up being the most complete biography, it is hard to imagine that there will be one as well-written and interesting.’[John Bird on Iain Murray’s new biography of John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock at his ‘While We Sojourn’ blog.] Below are links to selected online reviews of Banner […]

It was my privilege to be able to attend the Evangelical Ministry Assembly at St Helen’s Bishopsgate this week [22-24 June 2011]. Liam Goligher was set to be the opening speaker each of the three days. LIAM GOLIGHER [1] I have heard Liam Goligher before in Aberystwyth and at Banner, where he has not quite […]

Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:9-10) I am presently reading the history of Operation Mobilization, the ministry begun by George Verwer in 1958 while he attended Moody Bible […]

Iain H. Murray, the co-founder of the Banner of Truth Trust, recently gave this interview which is to appear in a coming issue of the fine monthly American magazine Tabletalk that comes from Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul. Tabletalk: What are the top three Puritan works that every Christian should read and why? Iain Murray: […]

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8) I regularly marvel at the Apostle Paul’s devotion and zeal for the gospel in light of the myriad of discouragements and disappointments he encountered. Shortly after his conversion on the road to Damascus the Jewish believers were uncertain about this former persecutor. […]

25 years ago I stumbled across the writings of the Puritan Thomas Brooks when I found five volumes of his works for sale at £2 each in a Christian bookshop. I soon discovered that I had purchased a gold mine of Biblical truth for a pittance. Thomas Brooks writes in a rich and warm way, […]

Rob Bell is one of the hottest Christian preachers in America today, but does he say anything that’s uniquely Christian? In his new book, Love Wins, Bell paints a picture of a God who loves, but doesn’t ground it in God’s defining act of love towards men: the atoning death of Jesus Christ. Instead, what […]

This little book has been published to commemorate the forthcoming 500th anniversary of the birth of John Knox, the great Scottish reformer. It consists of the transcripts of two addresses given by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in the 1960’s and a new biographical sketch written by Iain H. Murray. In the first address Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones […]

The work of the Christian ministry can be lonely and discouraging. When Paul arrived in Corinth (Acts 18), the ‘Lord said to (him) one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you”‘ […]

THE ANNUAL EVANGELICAL LIBRARY LECTURE, 2011 This year sees the 250th anniversary of the birth of the pioneer missionary William Carey. On Monday June 6 at the Evangelical Library around 40 people gathered for the Library’s Annual Lecture and to hear Pastor Austin Walker of Crawley give an interesting and stimulating paper on ‘William Carey […]