Blogs by Phil Ryken

History is (of course) an essential category to use in describing the Bible.  The Bible has a narrative structure.  What kind of narrative is it?  A theologically-annotated one (see previous post).  Also, an historical one.  It is not enough to... continue

A friend has written with a seasonal quotation from Bernard of Clairvaux's sermons on Advent:"Who is this Virgin so reverently saluted by the angel? and so lowlyas to be espoused to a carpenter ? Beautiful commingling of virginity with humility!... continue

. . . is involuntary praise."  This marvelous statement from Edward Young appears on the cover of Wheaton College's 2007 Christmas card.Gentle reader, may this be for you the most wonder-full time of year, in which your mind and heart... continue

Paul Tripp made a helpful comment Sunday about the nature of biblical revelation.  The Bible, he said is a "theologically-annotated narrative," a story that comes with "God's notes."  This comment does justice to the narrative structure of the Bible as... continue

Here I finally begin posting some reflections and reactions on my recent trip to the Far East.  My 11-year old daughter Kirsten and I left for Singapore on December 3, returning on December 12.  The main purpose of the trip... continue

John Stott has just published a new book on the ministry of the church, called The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor.  The structure of the book flows from Stott's exposition of Acts 2 and his admiration for the... continue

A pithy reminder from B.B. Warfied's classic work on The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible:"[W]e do not adopt the doctrine of the plenary inspiration of Scripture on sentimental grounds, nor even, as we have already occasion to remark, on... continue

Ken Myers has done it again, writing a thoughtful, provocative letter to his listeners at Mars Hill Audio.  One quotation from theologian Michael Williams seems especially appropriate to the season:"The power that called the world into being [took on] the... continue

Many thanks to Rick Phillips for waiting until I was halfway around the world to post my latest dance video (see "Christmas Contextualization at Tenth Pres").  In truth (and my children can vouch for this), I am not nearly as... continue

Michael Bird has written to say that he has made a constructive response to my essay on justification and union with Christ -- an essay in which I mention Dr. Bird as someone who in my view collapses imputation into... continue