Preaching and Teaching James: A Collaborative Effort
Last summer I was talking with fellow pastor Ken Simpson when he suggested that we should preach through a book concurrently in our respective churches. Simpson pastors a congregation near mine, so we discuss Scripture, ministry, and life on a regular basis. After some prayer and further discussion, we agreed to begin a series on James at the end of the summer when members are settled back in town after summer travel. Brother Simpson...
Book Review: Faith Formation in a Secular Age
In early 2015, I remember picking up a then recent copy of Youthworker Journal with the headline article reading, “Why Theology Isn’t Enough for Youth Ministry.”[1] The author’s name was familiar: Andrew Root, who had also published youth ministry titles such as The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry and The Relational Pastor.[2] While I had strong reservations about the author’s thesis in the article, I have grown to appreciate...
Preserving Free Will Baptist History
The Historical Commission of the National Association of Free Will Baptists is charged with preserving and promoting the denomination’s history. The Free Will Baptist Historical Collection housed at Welch College fulfills a key aspect of this duty by housing the many records Robert E. Picirilli has spent decades collecting, organizing, and preserving. For the past three years, I have served as his assistant. The Collection contains a...
Forum Contributors Share Their Favorite Books
Each year Forum contributors read, review, or survey hundreds of books. We try to share the best of our reading with Forum readers in the form of quarterly book recommendations. However, as 2017 draws to a close, each of us look back over the year and consider what book rises to the top of our lists—the ones that stimulated our thinking, challenged our thinking, or in some cases, brought great delight. Below each contributor shares...
Rhetoric to the Glory of God
The Christian speaker speaks unto God’s glory. His task is not simply to relay information; he is not simply sharing words with those who will listen to him. Instead, he is hoping to invoke a meaningful response from his listeners. This applies especially to the preacher, who has the “words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68). “Life and death are in the power of the preacher’s tongue,” explained J. C. Ryle.[1] How is the Christian speaker...
The Perfect Plan and Timing of Christmas: An Exposition of Galatians 4:4-6
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”” (Galatians 4:4–6 ESV) Your opinion of time and punctuality says a lot about your personality or temperament. There are those who’d rather not show up at...
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