We live in trying times, when it often seems as if the 'foundations are destroyed' (Psalm 11:3). How are believers called to live in a dark day? This week's readings, from Mauric Roberts and John Flavel, address dark days and preparations for trial.    Featured Content: – 'The Believer's Duty in a Dark Day', Maurice Roberts, Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 678, March 2020. – Excerpt from Chapter 4 of John Flavel's 'Preparations for Sufferings, Or, The Best Work in the Worst Times' (Puritan...

We had the great pleasure of talking with Stuart Olyott at the Banner of Truth Ministers' Conference. A much-respected Bible teacher and pastor, Stuart discusses his formative years, his time at London Bible College, and subsequent journey in ministry. He even has occasion to describe a Homburg hat for the benefit of the uninitiated!   Banner Books by Stuart: – I Wish Someone Would Explain Hebrews to Me!...

The ministry of John Angell James, favoured though it was, marked the end of an era at Carrs Lane Congregational Church. When it came to ministerial handover, we observe a weakness of judgement in James which made room for a less than orthodox ministry at the church. The upshot was that sadly James's ministry legacy was not extended and built on with gospel vision by his successor, R. W. Dale. From noting this sad turn of events, we remind ourselves of the crucial nature of truth in a...

Pastor, author, and missionary motivator, John Angell James (1785–1859) was one of the most gifted and respected of Independent church ministers in 19th-century Britain. From humble beginnings as a draper's son in Dorset, he went on to become minister of Carr's Lane Congregational Church in Birmingham. His ministry there was greatly blessed, as were his literary labours, with over 3 million copies of his works being published within his lifetime. Angell James's ministry was marked by...

Francis Turretin of Geneva, if he is known at all, is often thought of as a Protestant 'scholastic', where this is shorthand for an ivory tower theologian given to excessive hair-splitting. Such a caricature, however, does not do justice to the man himself. An earnest preacher, and a devoted disciple, Turretin placed his scholarship at the service of the church. While he was a thorough and careful theologian, Turretin sought to go only as far, and no further, than the Scripture warranted, and...

The Revoice Conference was founded in 2018 in order to 'support and encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other same-sex attracted Christians—as well as those who love them—so that all in the Church might be empowered to live in gospel unity while observing the historic Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.' (Revoice, Mission Statement). A year after the initial event, aware that the movement was only just beginning, Dr. Jonathan Master wrote a 'Letter from America' in the Banner...

Much has been written and said about how sermons are to be prepared and delivered. Little, by contrast, is said about how sermons are to be heard and received. This is a gaping hole in our practical instruction, since the very best sermons may be heard without profit. This week's selections are from Peter Barnes (Revesby Presbyterian Church, NSW, Australia), who writes about hearing sermons, and Paul D. Wolfe (New Hope Presbyterian Church, Fairfax, VA), who decribes how the steady, faithful...

Between the Banner Youth and Ministers' Conferences we had the pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Ligon Duncan, Chancellor/CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary. We discussed his early years, training for ministry, the mission of RTS, and some of the Banner books he has benefitted from over the years.   Ligon's Banner Picks: Brooks, Thomas, Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices - https://banneroftruth.org/store/christian-living/precious-remedies-against-satans-devices/ Bucer, Martin,...

Ernest Kevan is not likely to be mentioned in a list of the most significant British evangelicals of the 20th Century. Yet, as a pastor and then as the first principal of London Bible College, he exercised a profound and wide-reaching influence on those who worked and studied with him. Earnest, hard-working, and disciplined, his could be an intimidating presence. But those closest to him saw clearly his tremendous love for the Lord and genuine care for the students in his charge. In this...

Does what we believe about the Bible really matter? Isn't it enough simply to embrace Christ? This week, we spend some time with two articles that address, in different ways, the relationship between our faith in Christ and our trust in the Scriptures. We begin by thinking about the Lord Jesus's own attitude towards the Scriptures...   Featured Content: – 'The Bible of our Lord', entry for January 31 in Robert Macdonald, From Day to Day: Helpful Words for the Christian Life (Edinburgh: Banner...

Are we saved by grace, or by faith? Does it matter? If these questions have ever exercised you, then Paul Helm's article 'A Bad Habit' may be of help. Revisiting some of B. B. Warfield's thoughts on the subjects of grace and faith, Helm shows that how we think and talk about the ground of our salvation matters enormously.   Featured Content: – 'A Bad Habit', Paul Helm, Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 128 (May 1975).  – The prayer 'Amazing Grace' from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of...

Matthew Roberts joined us at the Banner Ministers' Conference 2024 to discuss the vital importance of a biblical understanding of sin, the challenge of the sexual revolution, and the Greater Love Declaration, which articulates an orthodox Christian position on marriage and sexuality in a spirit of self-sacrificing love.   More Info. on the Greater Love declaration: www.greaterlove.org.uk   Resources Referenced: Calvin, John, Institutes of the Christian Religion (1539 edition), Clothbound,...

The godly governance of the home is a subject of vital importance in any age, and has special resonance in our troubled times. To help us consider it, this week we read A. W. Pink on the Christian home, and Don Stephens on the neglected privilege of family worship.   Featured Content: – 'Christian Homes', A. W. Pink, reprinted in the Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 7 (June 1957) – 'Family Worship: A Neglected Privilege', Don Stephens, Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 651 (December...

This week's selections are powerful reminders of the importance of ongoing and focused study in the lives of pastors and teachers in Christ's church. Far from being a luxury, ministerial study is a necessary part of a fruitful, growing ministry that feeds Christ's sheep. While this episode concerns pastors primarily, it is for all of us, as we all have a role to play in facilitating and supporting the ministry of those who teach us the word of God.   Featured Content: – 'Ministerial Study',...

The churches today have no greater need than an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the glorious Divine Person who proceeds from the Father and the Son and who creates and sustains all true spiritual life. This week's selections come from J. W. Alexander (1804–1859) and John Owen (1616–1683) and point us to the Holy Spirit as one whose help and presence we cannot be without.   Featured Content: – 'Pray for the Spirit', J. W. Alexander, The Banner of Truth Magazine: Issue 127, April 1974. – 'The...

This week we examine the grace-exalting teachings of the great Anglo-Saxon Monk, Bede, and Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, who influenced him so much.   Featured Content: – 'The Calvinism of the Venerable Bede', Nick Needham, Banner of Truth Magazine (Issue 727, April 2024). – 'Augustine: Theologian of Grace', Banner of Truth Magazine (Issue 138, March 1975).   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (Print/Digital/Both):...

What is true Christian spirituality? This week's episode explores this question with an editorial from Maurice Roberts, 'Why Spirituality Comes First', and an excerpt from John Owen on 'How to Meditate on Heavenly Things'.   Featured Content: – 'Why Spirituality Comes First', Maurice Roberts, The Banner of Truth Magazine: Issue 367, April 1994. – 'How to Meditate on Heavenly Things', in John Owen, Spiritual-Mindedness (Puritan Paperbacks).   Buy John Owen, Spiritual-Mindedness:...

Last year the Banner of Truth Trust republished Alexander Moody Stuart: A Memoir, with the encouragement of Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson. Banner editor Sam Cunnington, who worked on the project, sat down with Dr. Ferguson to discuss why it is worth reading about this remarkable Scottish pastor today.   Buy the book: https://banneroftruth.org/store/history-biography/alexander-moody-stuart/ Buy The Three Marys By Alexander Moody Stuart:...

We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Mark Dever, pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, D. C.), to discuss books, ministry, and reading in the local church.   Mark's book recommendations: Samuel Prime, The Power of Prayer: The New York Revival of 1858 (https://banneroftruth.org/store/history-biography/power-of-prayer/) Andrew Bonar and Bennet Tyler, Asahel Nettleton: Life and Labours (https://banneroftruth.org/store/history-biography/asahel-nettleton/) C. H....

Reformer John Calvin (1509–1564) is principally associated with Geneva, where he pastored and preached for 23 years. It is easy to forget that he was French, and that he fostered and maintained a great love for his homeland and people throughout his life. This week in the podcast, we read a selection from W. J. Grier's Life of John Calvin, getting a sense of Calvin's early work in France, before turning to Paul Wells' account of how Calvin's Institutes has fared in the country of his...

Paul confessed, 'The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.' (Galatians 2:20). Paul knew that Christ Jesus not only loved Paul personally, but that he had given himself on the cross to save Paul individually. Developing and extending this biblical idea, we come to understand that the Lord Jesus did not die for a 'category' of persons who, of their own free will, would appropriate salvation for themselves. No. The Lord Jesus died...

This week's episode delves into the mysterious world of Freemasonry, and addresses the important question of whether its practices, beliefs, and oaths are consistent with the Christian confession.   Featured Content: – Freemasonry, A. W. Rainsbury, featured in The Banner of Truth Magazine: No. 273, June 1986. – The Conversion of a Freemason, from Personal Reminiscences of the Life and Times of Gardiner Spring, Volume 1, 1966, pp. 186–93. Featured in The Banner of Truth Magazine: No. 273,...

Archibald Alexander (1772–1851) was the first Principal of Princeton Theological Seminary. A preacher and a theological educator par excellence, his commitment to scholarship and to the preparation of men for ministry made his contribution foundational to the long season of fruitfulness that Princeton enjoyed in the decades after his death. Alongside of his classroom teaching and preaching ministry, Alexander constantly counselled those who came to him in spiritual distress or need. His wise,...

This week we hone in on Thomas Goodwin, 'The Atlas of Independency', and read Ian Hamilton's recent article, Thomas Goodwin: The Evangelical Puritan, before turning to an extract from Goodwin's own Christ Set Forth, As the Cause of Justification and as the Object of Justifying Faith (Puritan Paperback).   Featured Content: – Thomas Goodwin: The Evangelical Puritan, Ian Hamilton, featured in The Banner of Truth Magazine: No. 725, February 2024 – Extract from Thomas Goodwin, Christ Set Forth,...

We continue this week with J. I. Packer's piece 'Puritan Evangelism'. Having outlined 'modern evangelism' as it was pioneered by Charles G. Finney, Packer proceeds to shine a light on the better way pursued by the Puritans. Convinced that salvation was, from first to last, the sovereign and gracious work of God in the souls of men, the Puritans sought to shape their practice of evangelism accordingly.   Featured Content: – 'Puritan Evangelism', J. I. Packer, Banner of Truth Magazine Issue 4,...