Decades before he became Southern Seminary’s fifth president, John R. Sampey possessed an evangelical conviction for Baptist churches and their pastors. In October 1887, a 24-year-old Sampey delivered his inaugural address as assistant professor of Hebrew, Greek, and Homiletics. This address, entitled “The Proper Attitude of Young Ministers toward Issues of the Day,” exhorted his…
We Cannot Be Silent, R. Albert Mohler Jr. (Thomas Nelson 2015, $24.99) In the span of three months in the summer of 2015, three headlines marked historic events that generations of Americans past could never have imagined. First it was former “world’s greatest athlete” Bruce Jenner debuting his gender transition on the cover of Vanity Fair.…
When William Hoagland was stuck with a needle during his surgical residency, he panicked. The patient he was working with had tested positive for AIDS, which had only recently been discovered. He feared the comfortable life he was pursuing as a doctor was gone. “I was just devastated,” he said, crediting the AIDS scare as…
Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism, Timothy Keller (Viking 2015, $19.95) Review by S. Craig Sanders The release of Timothy Keller’s Preaching, which followed his award-winning book Prayer, makes me wonder: Keller could weave his winsome style and theological framework into the books Eating and Sleeping, and they would be worth your time. In his…
When I hear someone say, “War Eagle,” or see someone wearing Auburn sports gear, I almost reflexively feel obligated to respond, “Roll Tide!” It seems like a duty, a moral responsibility even. To call football in the South culturally a big deal is akin to saying the Grand Canyon is a big hole in the…
The first thing most people will notice in Douglas K. Blount’s office is a big, stuffed Eeyore. A gift several years ago from his two kids, Eeyore sits snugly on a table in his office — one of the many things Blount collects. “I drove up to Louisville in a U-Haul, and he rode shotgun…
Southern Seminary co-founder John A. Broadus is best remembered for his instruction of men for the preaching ministry, but he also demonstrated concern for the health of the preacher’s body. Collected here are quotes from Broadus’ published and personal writings regarding the importance of maintaining a sound mind and body, with special applicability to one…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Timothy Paul Jones, C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Family Ministry at Southern Seminary, discusses his book How We Got the Bible with Towers news writer Andrew J.W. Smith. AJWS: You open the book with a discussion of the theology of Scripture, inspiration, inerrancy, and similar doctrines. Why was that an important…
In How We Got the Bible, Timothy Paul Jones defends the Scriptures against skeptics’ arguments and describes the transmission of the Old and New Testaments from manuscript to canon. Aimed at young believers, particularly high schoolers, the book attempts to equip Christians with sound reasons for the Bible’s authenticity. The book is a unique contribution…
NIV Zondervan Study Bible Review by S. Craig Sanders The emergence of the NIV Zondervan Study Bible raises the question: Do we really need it? For every translation there appears to be at least three study Bibles, each more colorful and more in-depth. With legendary scholar D.A. Carson at the helm, the NIV Zondervan Study…
You’ve registered for courses and bought your textbooks, but you may not feel ready for the thrill of starting a new semester. That’s because being a student on the campus of one of the world’s largest seminaries presents a host of challenges in adapting to new surroundings and choosing extracurricular activities. To help you prepare…
Ayman Ibrahim knows Arab and Muslim culture as intimately as anyone. The newly appointed assistant professor of Islamic studies grew up in a Coptic Orthodox family in Cairo, Egypt, and he wants more American evangelicals to reshape the way they think about their Muslims neighbors. That starts by not being afraid of them. “Among Westerners…
If Benjamin Keach was the liberator of Baptist hymnody, Anne Steele was its biggest voice. Steele, who lived 1717-1778, was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Donald S. Whitney, professor of biblical spirituality at Southern Seminary, discusses his book Praying the Bible with Towers editor S. Craig Sanders. CS: You introduced the concept of praying Scripture in your book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. What’s the story behind how that section became the material for this…
Praying the Bible, Donald S. Whitney (Crossway 2015, $13.99) Review by S. Craig Sanders If prayer is the “chief exercise of faith” or “faith … breathed out in words” as John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards wisely expressed, why are so many genuine Christians out of shape and breathless? When Christians feel bored in prayer, the problem…
