Here is a great statement from Steven D. Greydanus in his review of the film The Mill & the Cross on the purpose of art:
“André Bazin, the great Catholic film critic and theorist, wrote about the mission of art to rescue the world from transience and corruption, to capture moments and events in time and space before they slip into the irretrievable past, and so bear witness to the hand of God in creation.”
Here is a great post on rebellious children: http://gospelstoryforkids.com/even-perfect-parents-have-rebellious-children/
Dr. Michael A. G. Haykin has a new book coming soon from Joshua Press. This book will focus on the Reformers and Puritans as spiritual mentors.
It has been said that there are few texts in Patristic material that indicate Christians prayed for the salvation of unbelievers. I think the case is rather that the effort in finding them has not been made.
Here are two from Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho 96.3 and then right at the close where Justin prays for Trypho and his friends (Dialogue with Trypho 142.3).
Also noteworthy is what Justin says about the common perception regarding the type of prayers that God hears: “who does not know that prayer is the most pleasing to God which is uttered with lamentation and tears, with prostrate body or bended knees?” (Dialogue with Trypho 90.4). Of course, in the context, Justin is seeking to show that Moses’ prayers during the battle with the Amalekites were nonetheless heard even though he was seated. The whole passage needs read, for it is a fascinating piece of early Christian exegesis to show that it is prayer through the crucified Christ that wins the hearing of God.
Dr. Michael Haykin has penned a brief review of Renovation of the Church. What Happens When a Seeker Church Discovers Spiritual Formation by Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken. You can access the review by clicking on the title or by visiting this site’s “Book Review” page.
Dr. Haykin has responded to a question submitted on this website’s “Ask Me a Question” feature. The question was: “I was wondering if you would be willing to give me your picks for 5 of the best theology books you’ve read and recommend.” Dr. Haykin responded with his list here. Feel free to interact with his list and share your own in the comment section for his post.
I was just asked this question by Matthew Barrett of Credo. It is an easy question to answer in some ways. Out of the multitude of books that I did read in 2011, one stands out head and shoulders above the others. It is John Wigger, American Saint: Francis Asbury and the Methodists (Oxford University Press, 2009).
This is “thick” history at its best: rich in detail, conversant with the cultural, theological and ecclesial scene and deeply awe-inspiring. I was astonished at the way I resonated with the heart-beat of a man with whom I have serious theological differences on the level of secondary issues. A superb read.
Just thinking that one could write a monograph on the western search seeking Somebody to love–and the eternally significant discovery made by the Fathers and our Baptist forebears! A kind of Patristic/Baptist answer to that haunting refrain of Grace Slick’s song!
It has been a long time since I have read much of A.W. Pink [in fact, it has also been a while since I blogged--have been extremely busy with end-of-term stuff and preparing papers for ETS]. I read his study on the sovereignty of God years ago when I was a young Christian and then soon after Iain Murray’s life of Pink. Recently, a student at Toronto Baptist Seminary loaned me A.W. Pink, Letters to a Young Pastor: Letters to Rev. R. Harbach, transcribed Janice Harbach (Grandville, Michigan: The Evangelism Committee of Grandville Protestant Reformed Church, 1993).
In perusing it, I noticed this on John Gill (on page 15) in the midst of comments about building a library:
“You are wise to ‘weed out’ your books—it is an expensive matter to move around a large library! John Gill is a strong Calvinist, and generally speaking, particularly good on the Epistles [of Paul], though at times he is ‘hyper’-Calvinistic—losing the ‘balance’ on the human responsibility side. He came after the Puritans. The ‘Puritan era’ was, roughly, from 1580 to 1690… Go slow in adding to your library…”
We have recently uploaded several new audio files to the website. These include both the audio from our recent conferences at SBTS and some occasional lectures by Dr. Haykin at various locations.