Engaging With Muslims (The Good Book Company 2015, $11.99), John Klaassen Review by S. Craig Sanders Now more than ever, understanding the basic beliefs of Islam is imperative for advancing the gospel around the world. But it is also essential if Christians are to engage Muslims living in the United States. In his new book, Engaging…
What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done, Matt Perman Review by Andrew J.W. Smith How many times have you heard this cliché, or some variation: “Nobody on their deathbed will wish to have spent more time at the office”? Often intended to discourage “workaholic” attitudes, the implicit lesson is that…
Andrew Fuller was an indefatigable and fearless Baptist theologian and minister, an outstanding figure with qualities that make him one of the most attractive figures in Baptist history. Michael A.G. Haykin, professor of church history and biblical spirituality and director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at Southern Seminary, provides a summary of…
Andrew Fuller found himself at the forefront of an evangelical missionary awakening in the latter two decades of the 18th century. Following a generation marked by doctrinal declension, including the popularity of a spiritually stifling hyper-Calvinism, a growing number of English Particular Baptists were becoming convinced that the Bible calls every generation of believers to…
Among the colleagues and contemporaries of Andrew Fuller, Baptists can find much to admire in the ministry of John Fawcett. From a young age, Fawcett had a love for Scripture, but he became particularly enamored with George Whitefield when the great evangelist passed through Bradford in 1755 and spoke from John 3:14. Fawcett later recalled, “As long…
From his childhood player piano to the pulpit, Robert Vogel has loved preaching for over 60 years. He cannot remember a time when he did not know that God had called him into ministry. “As a first grader, I can remember coming home from church and I would go in my bedroom and I would…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Jeremy Pierre, dean of students and associate professor of biblical counseling, discusses his new book, The Pastor and Counseling: The Basics of Shepherding Members in Need, with Towers writer RuthAnne Irvin. RAI: Why is a book like The Pastor and Counseling needed in churches today? Why is it important? JP: We wrote this book for…
The Pastor and Counseling: The Basics of Shepherding Members in Need, Jeremy Pierre and Deepak Reju Review by RuthAnne Irvin The church often struggles to encourage, comfort, and counsel those hurting in the pews each Sunday. When pastors do not know how to help, counseling is more of a half-hearted attempt to fix someone’s problems instead of…
Baptists and War: Essays on Baptist and Military Conflict, 1640s-1990s, Gordon L. Heath and Michael A.G. Haykin Review by S. Craig Sanders “War is hell.” While Baptists have traditionally agreed with this statement, a new collection of essays examines the history of Baptists and military conflict with views ranging from pacifism to participation. Baptists and War,…
Led along the edge of a Libyan beach by Islamic State militants, 21 Egyptian Christians wearing the orange jumpsuits of prisoners received the white robes of martyrs. A gruesome video released in mid-February depicted their captors forcing the men to the ground and beheading them with swift, simultaneous strokes of the blade. The mass execution…
EDITOR’S NOTE: In what follows, Oren Martin, assistant professor of Christian theology at Boyce College and Southern Seminary, discusses his new book, Bound for the Promised Land, with Towers news writer Andrew J.W. Smith. AJWS: Why should the church today care about the land promise? What significance does it have for the church? OM: I think it…
Bound for the Promised Land: The Land Promise in God’s Redemptive Plan Oren R. Martin In Bound for the Promised Land, Oren R. Martin, assistant professor of Christian theology at Boyce College and Southern Seminary, presents a biblical theology of God’s promise of land for his people. Revised and condensed from Martin’s dissertation, the book is…
Jesus, Jihad and Peace: What Bible Prophecy Says About World Events Today Michael Youssef Review by S. Craig Sanders (Worthy Publishing 2015, $12) In Jesus, Jihad and Peace, Islamic scholar Michael Youssef explores the rising global tension between Islam and Christianity, demonstrating how God is displaying his eschatological purpose through current events. “In a world that…
Echoing Martin Luther, Barry Joslin tells every class he teaches never to trust a theologian who does not sing. But what Joslin’s students say they remember is how he models the singing theologian. “Worship is a natural response to theology. If anybody has taken any of my classes, they know they always hear the phrase,…
Researching the eschatological perspectives of the seminary’s founding professors is a difficult task, since none of them ever published dedicated works on the subject. The most highly regarded preacher among the early seminary faculty was John Albert Broadus, who approached the subject of eschatology with both humility and discernment, as can be seen through references…
