Resources

Do you have a critical, jaded spirit towards the church? [1] Albert Mohler, in a 2009 episode of his talk show, asked, “Why Do Pastors Leave the Ministry?” noting the troubling trend that evangelical ministers are staying in congregations for shorter windows of time, with an average of about three years in a call. Many […]

The links to all the 2017 UK Banner Ministers’ Conference live stream videos and recorded addresses will be listed here during the conference. Go here to find live videos Go here to find all videos from the conference   Conference Schedule Red text shows Eastern Standard Time Monday, 24th April 5.15pm (12:45pm) – Opening Sermon […]

Geerhardus Vos has been called the “father of Reformed biblical theology.” As many readers are aware, he is known for investigating and displaying the organically integrated and historically unfolded character of biblical revelation. In fact, the Bible was, for him, best understood as the revelatory record of “the history of special revelation,” all centered upon […]

‘To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen.’ -1 Peter 1:1 In 1934 German theologian Karl Hartenstein coined the term missional, what he called a living concept rooted in the Missio dei (Latin, the sending of God). Ed Stetzer (President of LifeWay Research of the Southern Baptist […]

Christians have always been persecuted. Peter reminded his readers of this in the earliest days of the church: “…knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by the brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Peter 5:9b). But it does seem as if the suffering of Christians – whether at the hands of Muslims, Hindus, […]

The theme of this year’s Banner of Truth Ministers’ conference is The Living and Enduring Word of God. We thought that would be a most admirable and appropriate title for this year, the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was essentially the recovery of the authority and sufficiency of Holy Scripture in the […]

Apart from the occasional mealtime conversation at a Banner of Truth Conference, to my great disadvantage, I did not really get to know John Marshall. John J Murray’s succinct, yet fulsome, biography paints a most helpful portrait indeed. I read it in one sitting (it’s only just under 70 pages) and found myself satisfactorily informed, […]

‘Here I stand, may God help me’ Some of the most life-changing events in the history of the church have come about due to a stand being taken by one man at a critical juncture. In this year, 2017, we are commemorating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-Five Theses to the door […]

Who Can Have Effectual Prayers? The righteous are not people who are better than others. Except as God looks on them in favour, they have nothing. It was so with Elijah, Moses, and Paul, as we have seen. Effectual fervent prayer, therefore, is a gift and it always will be a gift – even for […]

All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary […]

“Pray, then, in this way,” -Matthew 6:9 Our Lord Jesus makes some amazing promises to us concerning prayer. He says, “And all things you ask in prayer believing, you shall receive,” (Matthew 21:22). He says, “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you,” (Matthew […]

What matters most to us in life? There is a ‘right’ answer to that question, but then again there are many ‘real’ answers that lurk beneath the surface. No serious-minded Christian would argue with the truth of the Shorter Catechism’s assertion that ‘the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever’. […]

‘Pray, then, in this way.’ -Matthew 6:9 My good friend, Archie Parrish, has taught me and many others some very valuable lessons about prayer. He says that we should always pray with a kingdom focus. By this he means that even if you pray for your spouse’s healing from cancer, or for your adult child who […]

What does it mean for you that Jesus Christ is King? While many of us could give a good answer, perhaps not many of us would include the profound and powerful testimony of Scripture to Christ as King in his humiliation. This is the period described in the Apostles’ Creed: he “suffered under Pontius Pilate, […]

The title of this article is the text that Charles Hodge took for a sermon he preached following the death of J W Alexander.1 Alexander (1804-1859) was briefly a professor in Princeton Seminary, but spent most of his ministry as a pastor in New York. The text is part of Acts 9:20: ‘And straightway he […]

Times are a changing. There has been a shaking among some nations of the Western world. Latent forces have been asserting themselves. Some layers of society have found a voice. Leadership has brought change to Europe and to the United States. Is this the beginning of better things for our Western civilisation? One would hope […]

At the end of May, men will be gathering for the US Banner Ministers’ Conference, to enjoy a time of worship, prayer and fellowship. This year we will be studying the conference theme of The Living and Enduring Word. Have a look at the videos below to learn about what the speakers will be discussing. […]

When ministers and elders gather together, it is usual for them share their ministry burdens with each other. The calling of a minister of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is high and hard; the weightiness of the calling and the sufferings experienced in it give us the need to discreetly share some criticisms […]

It has been on my mind for quite a while to post an article on ‘sinner theologians’, but I hesitated because of its potential for being misconstrued. However, having just received the latest issue of the Westminster Theological Journal and having read a review article by Professor Donald Macleod, I was persuaded to go ahead […]

‘Yes, the Lord will give what is good and our land will yield its produce.’ – Psalm 85:12 George Frideric Handel was born in Germany in 1685 and was a devoted Christian in the Lutheran Church. While living in Italy as a composer of Italian operas, when this form of musical entertainment began to wane in […]

The Great Heresies – 4 Introduction The study of what historians refer to as ‘the Great Heresies’ is no mere intellectual or antiquarian exercise, but shows the main lines of error that have affected the Church over the centuries. In Gnosticism we are confronted with the lure of claimed secret knowledge, and of a matter-spirit […]

“…and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together…” (Gen 3:7) Atheists attempting to work out the worldview implications of their (un)belief-system appear to be on the rise these days (for an excellent handling of one example from a Christian perspective, see here). I recently came across another example in the […]

‘Wilt Thou not Thyself revive us again that Thy people may rejoice in Thee.’ – Psalm 85:6. On January 20 the USA witnessed the swearing in ceremony of Donald J. Trump to become the forty-fifth President of the United States of America. While I am expectant of economic progress for all due to President Trump’s economic […]

Omnipotent is one of the many words which appear in the older versions of the English Bible, but not in the more modern ones. It is also part of the vocabulary of our hymns, but is rarely employed in more modern choruses and Christian songs. It is a word which can only be applied to […]

Few would disagree that there is a lightness in society today. Men of substance are scarce. David Wells, in commenting on the loss of character, says: ‘We have become T  S Eliot’s “hollow men”, without weight, for whom appearance and image must suffice. Image and appearance assume the functions that character and morality once had. […]