Blogs by Phil Ryken

One of the most important questions we ask prospective pastoral interns at Tenth Church is: "How do people grow spiritually?"  The answer quickly reveals whether or not candidates are grace-oriented in their discipleship and also how well they understand the role... continue

Yesterday my father (Leland Ryken, Professor of English, Wheaton College) sent me a thought-provoking exchange from John Steinbeck's East of Eden:"If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make a rule--a great and... continue

Dave Shiflett has written a provocative book about the decline of liberal Christianity in America and the concomitant ascendancy of historically orthodox Christianity.  The book is called Exodus: Why Americans Are Fleeing Liberal Churches for Conservative Christianity (New York: Sentinel,... continue

Tenth Presbyterian Church is hosting its second annual Workshop on Biblical Exposition, February 6-8.  The workshop is put on by The Simeon Trust; the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is also sponsoring the event and assisting in various ways.  The speakers... continue

A ref21 reader has pointed me to an alternate version (the same for substance, but different in some important factual respects) of the story of "The Man from George Street," which I serialized in December.  For details, visit: http://www.wordsoflife.co.uk/FrankJenner/FrankJenner.htm.Also, Dr. Raymond Wilson has written... continue

From my morning's reading, in preparation to preach on Luke 23:32-38:"Now thou art lifted up, draw me to thee,And at thy death giving such liberal dole,Moist, with one drop of thy blood, my dry soul."-- John Donne, "Crucifying"... continue

John Selden was a leading layman, churchman, and scholar who served as a member of the Westminster Assembly.  His notable achievements include establishing the core 17th century collection of books for Oxford's Bodleian Library.  Selden had this to say about... continue

One of my most vivid memories of kindergarten is hearing Miss Killip talk to us about heaven, telling us that Jesus was preparing a place for us.  This was back in the day when John 14 still said "many mansions" -- an... continue

My colleague Aaron Messner writes: "Here’s a special Christmas story. My sister-in-law was visiting for the Christmas holiday and attended the 7:30 Christmas Eve service with us. She thoroughly enjoyed the service and after we got back to the house,... continue

At Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church we end the old year and begin the new oneby celebrating the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.  Our worship service traditionally closes with the singing of "Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners!"  This year I learned that... continue