Mark Dever answers the question, “Is Capitol Hill Baptist Church a replicable model of church life?” His answer is full of wisdom and worthy of your attention.
Oldest Living Human Prepared to Turn 117 – Italian Emma Morano was born in the 1800s and her life now spans three centuries.
Hillsong & Man – The series regarding Hillsong continues with a look into their doctrine of man.
A Plea to Pastors: Don’t Cancel Church on Christmas – This is a really good one from Kevin DeYoung. And yes, people really do cancel church on Christmas.
Are Chip and Joanna Gaines ‘Cultural Heretics’? – Once again, the cultural police are out to get the dangerous Christians.
Maximize Logos 7 with Our New Library Expansions – Another way to make Logos 7 better.
Are Non-Staff Elders Biblical? – A good thing to consider when thinking through biblical eldership.
The Commandment We Forgot – Tim Challies does a good job of reminding us of God’s commandment that we have largely overlooked. — Take a look at this too – Tim Turns 40 Today (A Note from Aileen).
3-Day Sale: 50% Off Reformation Study Bibles – Take advantage of these good deals from Ligonier.
Jesus accepts my true self – For those who think that Jesus just accepts us “as we are” with no strings attached.
Theology Word of the Week: Who is John Bunyan?
Bunyan, John (1628–88). A Bedford pastor and author, Bunyan may well have been the most influential English religious figure of his time. Some twelve and a half years in Bedford’s damp county jail awarded him the martyr’s laurel. His courageous refusal to accept freedom in exchange for silence placed him in the lineage of the apostles. The opportunity to prove himself came after his conversion and call to the ministry as he joined a non-conformist church which was congregational in polity and Baptist in its ordinances.
Bunyan is completely Calvinistic in his theology and is a prime exemplar of the Puritan marriage of doctrine with life. He is concerned in his sermons and writings to present the truth experimentally (i.e. experientially). Bunyan as a Spirit-led theologian had the gift of interpreting evangelical truth to the masses. His many and varied writings and sermons purposefully applied Scripture to everyday living. His biblical and often earthy preaching was Christ-centred, powerful, practical and life-changing.
Bunyan’s skill with the pen is surprising; though without formal education he produced some sixty-six works. These were widely circulated in cheap editions, few of which survived, for they were read until they disintegrated. Bunyan’s very human spirit and allegorical style contributed to the popularity of his books. The volumes with the greatest appeal are Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), which recounts his conversion, and Pilgrim’s Progress (1682), which describes spiritual warfare. It was not merely Bunyan’s astounding allegorical expression which ensured his popularity, but rather his clear insight into mankind’s desperate plight and God’s redeeming, sovereign grace. For Bunyan justification, regeneration, mortification and sanctification are not theological pigeon-holes, but the substance of Christian experience.
We are impressed by Bunyan the preacher, pastor, evangelist and author but we are most moved by Bunyan the pilgrim, a man wrought upon by God, making his way to heaven’s gate.
- Sinclair B. Ferguson and J.I. Packer, New Dictionary of Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 117.
