October 2006 Archives

Yesterday New Jersey's highest court ruled that "the unequal dispensation of rights and benefits to committed same-sex partners can no longer be tolerated under our state constitution."  While the court also said it "cannot find that a fundamental right to... continue

Our friend Thabiti Anyabwile has begun a new blog series that is well worth reading (and heeding!):How to Prevent a Church Split, Part 1How to Prevent a Church Split, Part 2... continue

Phil: You may be interested in the latest cover story for Wired News, which is on The New Atheism, featuring Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett.... continue

Within a few hours, we'll be launching a new edition of reformation21 focusing on the contributions of Francis Schaeffer. Jerram Barrs and Mark Ryan provide insightful summaries of Schaeffer's life and ministry. And Carl Trueman reflects on the anti-historical bias of the... continue

Writing for Reuters, Michael Conlon reports that a "fresh wave of atheistic books has hit the market this autumn, some climbing onto best-seller lists in what proponents see as a backlash against the way religion is entwined in politics."  Among... continue

I just received Rick Phillips's new exposition of Hebrews -- a handsome volume in the Reformed Expository Commentary series that I am helping to edit.  This is a substantial work and I am grateful to see it in print, not least... continue

David Shiflett is the author of Exodus: Why Americans are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity.  Shiflett draws on the work of Dean Kelley and others who have documented the sharp decline in membership of America's mainline Protestant churches.  His... continue

Linguist and biblical scholar James Barr died on Saturday at the age of 82. Barr was the author of a famous volume on The Semantics of Biblical Language Obituaries: Times of London Vanderbilt University(HT: Denny Burk)... continue

The fall issue of Southern Seminary's magazine opens with a manifesto from Al Mohler on "The State of Preaching Today."  In his indictment of contemporary trends, Mohler mentions five critical areas of concern:1. A loss of confidence in the power of... continue

Reading through some other people's lists has reminded me of a few books I should have included.  Under the category of the books that were the most influential, both the Prayer of Jabez and Left Behind both deserve serious consideration. ... continue