MultiChurch: Exploring the Future of Multisite by Gregg R. Allison and Brad House (Zondervan 2017, $17.99) Multisite churches — often like the ones you see on Sunday morning television —include multiple locations with individual worship teams, leadership, and frameworks for ministry, including somewhat of a “brand” for their church. While this model of church growth…
Come Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional by Paul David Tripp (Crossway 2017, $17.99) Review by Caleb T. Shaw I have been singing along to Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” for about a month now, and I submitted Christmas lists to both sides of my family long before Thanksgiving. It’s…
Mike Cosper Executive Director of Harbor Media How can the church create a more conducive environment for serious artists, musicians, and writers? The church should take its own aesthetics more seriously. Invest budget dollars into your music ministry and the aesthetics of the church. Celebrate those who serve. And guard the platform. By that I…
Simon Peter is perhaps one of the most attractive of all the people and writers of the NT. He is a predominate individual in the Gospels and the early part of Acts, as an apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ. Like his brother Andrew, Simon was a fisherman before he was called to follow Christ.…
The letter known as 1 Peter is no longer a New Testament “stepchild,” as John Elliott famously called it,1 but is rather the subject of numerous studies and is rich in theological nuance and implications. This is hardly the place to attempt to fully explore the wealth of this letter,2 but it is the appropriate…
As long as we have breath, let us encourage one another to rest in the salvation God has accomplished for us in Jesus.
First Peter 2:4-10 is a theologically rich passage that has important implications for Christology and ecclesiology. In this text, Peter presents Jesus as the one appointed by God, the elect and precious living stone who is the cornerstone, the foundation of the spiritual house made up of those who are united to Christ. Via their…
Introduction The apostle Peter is one of the most prominent of the first disciples of Jesus in the canonical record. He was among the earliest of the disciples of Jesus (cf. John 1:35; 2:1-11; Matt 4:17-22), and quickly became the leader of the band of disciples (Matt 10:1-4), a position he held into the earliest…
Introduction Of the 105 verses that make up the epistle of 1 Peter, none are quoted more by the early Church Fathers than 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” As a seemingly straightforward encouragement in the face of spiritual warfare,…
Introduction Julius spent much of his time around the local temple. He was a trader, a merchant, and there were always crowds around the temple plying their trade and willing to do business. On Fridays when he had finished his day’s work he enjoyed the weekly feast sacrificing to the local gods. There was certainly…
The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon, Volume 1. Nashville: B&H, 2017. Edited by Christian George. 400 pages. $59.99 Review by Matthew Boswell Charles Spurgeon once accused a student of plagiarizing one of his own sermons. During the inquisition, the student confessed to using Charles Simeon’s outline. In the moment of conflict, Spurgeon recalled that he…
For this month, Towers asked two theology faculty members to answer this question: Where are you on the cessationist-continuationist spectrum? What do you make of stories about incredible supernatural or demonic activity? Bruce A. Ware T. Rupert and Lucille Coleman Professor of Christian Theology My position is a bit of a compromise, or blending, of…
Morgan Wild grew up on the mission field of Indonesia with his life on camera.
Keeping in theme with stranger things in missions, this month’s History Highlight explores Lottie Moon’s ministry in China.
Spiritual Warfare and Pastoral Ministry
EDITOR’S NOTE: Below, Brian K. Payne, associate professor of Christian theology and expository preaching at Boyce College and pastor of First Baptist Church of Fisherville, Kentucky, Jim Orrick, professor of literature and culture at Boyce College, and Ryan Fullerton, lead pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, talk with Towers writer RuthAnne Irvin about…
Surviving and Thriving in Seminary by H. Daniel Zacharias and Benjamin K. Forrest (Lexham Press 2017) Review by Andrew J.W. Smith Seminary is hard. Whether you’re single or married, seminary is probably going to push you in ways you didn’t expect. Beyond simply learning time management or sharpening their research skills, prospective seminary students need an…
Encountering God through Expository Preaching: Connecting God’s People to God’s Presence through God’s Word (B&H Publishing 2017, $19.99) Jim Scott Orrick, Brian K. Payne, and Ryan Fullerton He preacher’s task is not just a Sunday morning endeavor. Instead, it involves much preparation and investment — seven days a week. While this task is essential to…
