Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bryan Loritts, ed. Review by Andrew J.W. Smith Taking up Martin Luther King Jr.’s seminal “Letter from Birmingham Jail” during contemporary events like the Ferguson shooting and the Eric Garner case, one is immediately struck by how…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Duane A. Garrett, John R. Sampey Professor of Old Testament Interpretation and professor of biblical theology, discusses his new book, A Commentary on Exodus, with Towers editor S. Craig Sanders. CS: With the new movie Exodus: Gods and Kings and classics like The Ten Commandments, why do you think our culture is so fascinated with the…
New on display in the James P. Boyce Centennial Library is a numismatic collection featuring actual coins used throughout the Ancient Near East and Roman Empire over a 900-year period. This collection — 256 coins in total — is a recent donation from Kelly E. Blanton Jr., a private collector who wants to share his appreciation…
As an undergraduate student, Bryan Baise was filled with many unanswered questions about Christianity until a friend suggested he read C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. His belief in the Bible had been challenged by liberal college professors and he needed a voice of wisdom to bolster his confidence in the truth. “I knew this [Christianity] was real,…
Deuteronomy Editorial: Reading Deuteronomy for God’s People Today: Stephen J. Wellum 3 Has Any People Heard the Voice of God Speaking … And Survived?: R. Albert Mohler, Jr. 7 The Glory of God in Salvation through Judgment in Deuteronomy: James M. Hamilton, Jr. 19 The Relationship of Deuteronomy to the Covenant at Sinai: Peter J.…
It is difficult to overstate the importance of Deuteronomy in Scripture and God’s unfolding redemptive plan. Positioned strategically at the end of the Pentateuch, concluding the incredible life and ministry of Moses, renewing and expanding the Sinai covenant for the post-wilderness generation, Deuteronomy serves as the covenant instruction (torah) for a new generation posed to…
One of the great touchstone passages in all Scripture appears in Deuteronomy 4. Verse 33 contains a striking question—a rhetorical question, but a very real question: “Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived?” Just like the Israelites at Mount Sinai,…
The Glory of God in Salvation through Judgment in Deuteronomy ((Taken from God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment by James M. Hamilton Jr. © 2010. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 1300 Crescent St., Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.)) The first mention of loving God in the Bible came in Exodus 20:6,…
The Relationship of Deuteronomy to the Covenant at Sinai ((I would like to thank Stephen Dempster for his feedback on this article.)) Differing interpretations of the relationship between the Old Covenant/Testament and the New Covenant/Testament are at the heart of all divisions within the Christian church, both past and present. ((“Testament” is simply the Latin…
Circumcision of the Heart in Leviticus and Deuteronomy: Divine Means for Resolving Curse and Bringing Blessing ((I wish to thank Peter Gentry for reading an earlier draft of this paper. His comments saved me from many errors and stimulated my thinking on this topic in significant ways.)) Introduction Circumcision, both inside and outside the Bible,…
The apostle Paul asserted that the Mosaic or old covenant bore “a ministry of condemnation,” whereas the new covenant in Christ bears “a ministry of righteousness” (2 Cor 3:9). ((Scripture quotations are from the ESV © 2011, unless otherwise noted.)) The author of Hebrews added that Jesus’ new covenant mediation “makes the first one [i.e., the…
Introduction That we might remember his sacrificial death upon the Roman cross in our place the Lord Jesus instituted a simple meal with symbolic bread and wine with instructions to “do this in remembrance of me” and to observe this until he comes (1 Cor 11:24-26). Despite the Lord’s directives concerning this meal, one that…
Covenant Theology: A Baptist Distinctive. Edited by Earl M. Blackburn. Birmingham, AL: Solid Ground Christian books, 2013, 163 pp., $18.00 paper. In recent Evangelical scholarship, scholars have discussed much the biblical covenants. This is especially true in regard to how the covenants should be interpreted in relation to covenant and dispensational theology. Covenant Theology: A Baptist…
In the dark days of World War I, British soldiers carried with them in the trenches an epic poem they treasured deeply. It cast a spiritual meaning to the war, providing a national and religious icon. G.K. Chesterton’s The Ballad of the White Horse retold the AD 878 victory of Alfred the Great over the…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Gregg R. Allison, professor of Christian theology at Southern Seminary, discusses his new book, Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment, with Towers editor S. Craig Sanders. CS: What was your methodology for assessing Roman Catholic theology and how did you engage with it in this book? GA: Most…
Gregg R. Allison, Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment (Crossway 2014, $28) The Roman Catholic Church has arguably reached a zenith in its cultural relevance and worldwide presence. In less than two years, Pope Francis has reversed public approval of the Vatican and captured the affections of the media. But how should evangelical Christians respond…
Mike Cosper, The Stories We Tell (Crossway 2014, $15.99) Review by Andrew J.W. Smith Christians are storytellers. At every church gathering, we reenact in vivid, intentional ways the story of God’s redemption of his people. The best stories resonate because they prick hearts that were made for another world, and the imprint of eternal reality…
Every person has a worldview and every worldview is a story. The Christian story is simply better, and to borrow a pet phrase from Henry Kissinger, “it has the added advantage of being true.” The Owlings is a worldview adventure for readers young and old alike about a young boy named Josiah who discovered an…
