Logos StaffMuch of the Christmas season is packed with gathering, traveling, and gifting. But one easy way to reflect more on Jesus’ life (even during the busiest days) is by spending a few minutes in an Advent or Christmas devotional. See several options...
Lexham PressSamuel Pearce was a Baptist pastor known in eighteenth-century England for his moving preaching and strong, pious character. In his short life, he supported believers in his own parish and in the many cities where he preached and helped send...
It’s been called the “heart” of the promised land—a 141-square-mile triangle in the north-central area of Israel. Today, the Jezreel Valley is Israel’s breadbasket. A beautiful plain of fertile fields and winding roads, it’s hemmed in by rolling...
The star of Bethlehem is one of the most recognizable elements of the Christmas story, and yet its true nature and meaning are shrouded in mystery.
The Christmas season easily overwhelms, and meaning can be lost in the busyness. But a new Christmas devotional by Mark M. Yarbrough, Tidings of Comfort & Joy: 25 Devotions Leading to Christmas, reminds us why we celebrate with 25 short...
How should Christians relate to the Old Testament? Was the author of Hebrews against it? Adrio König explores these questions in this excerpt adapted from Christ Above All: The Book of Hebrews The basic message of Hebrews is that Christ is...
Mark WardRemember always to go on to theology. — Mark Ward In preaching and other Bible teaching, your big strength can become a weakness. If you are good at careful analysis of biblical texts, don’t stop there. Remember always to go on to theology. Analysis...
Guest AuthorIn this first of a two-part article excerpted from Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Essays on the Relationship between Christianity and Judaism, David Rudolph considers the sometimes hotly...
When we’re talking about eschatology (that’s the study of the end times), it’s easy to get confused by the different terms people use. Before you really dig into the topic, it’s helpful to know the four main views of the end...
Mary JahnkeEvery year, Christianity Today announces their “picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture.” That’s a tall order, and it makes the winners well worth looking at. For 2020, two Lexham Press titles carved out a...
This excerpt is adapted from James: Verse by Verse by Grant R. Osborne. *** James [1:19–26] begins with three characteristics of what we may call “people of the word,” those who truly center their lives on God’s principles for a proper walk with...
This post is adapted from Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do by Dayton Hartman. I used to suffer from chronological snobbery, but that wasn’t my only problem. I was also arrogant, rude, and condescending to...
Michael S. HeiserThis post is excerpted from The Bible Unfiltered by Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus 14 has been spectacularly depicted several times for television and movies. But anyone who retraces the steps of Moses and the...
By David Instone-Brewer, adapted from Moral Questions of the Bible: Timeless Truth in a Changing World. Prison is a great place to find Jesus. A friend of mine in Cambridge offered to work in a prison as a chaplain and found that prisoners...
This post on knowing Christ is adapted from In Season and Out: Sermons for the Christian Year by David A. deSilva. This title is available through Lexham Press. *** Paul, of course, was not just a seeker of Christ on Sundays. His passion for...
Matthew BoffeyA couple years ago, we asked some of our team members who attended seminary to share some of their experiences—what is the one piece of advice each one would want to leave for current seminarians. I hope the reflections are helpful to you. Many of...
In this adaptation below, we read about the gutsy step preachers should take with their preaching. *** In an issue of Leadership journal, Lee Eclov tells the story of a researcher named Hillary Koprowski, who was a leader in the search for the polio...
How does Scripture talk about great leaders? *** We begin as servants and, if we are faithful, we become leaders. You find this pattern illustrated throughout Scripture. Joseph was hated by his brothers, sold as a slave, and taken to Egypt. He was...
by Richard Rohlfing | Durham University Most of us are aware that 35-40% of the Hebrew Bible can be described as poetic (not to speak of the poetic dimensions of Hebrew narrative). Yet, what theological difference does it make that poetry is the...
By Scott M. Gibson, adapted from Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry. Charles Gore, formerly bishop of Worcester, Birmingham, and finally Oxford, wrote more than a century ago, “The disease of modern preaching is its search...
By Walter C. Kaiser Jr., adapted from I Will Lift My Eyes Unto the Hills: Learning from the Great Prayers of the Old Testament In Daniel 9:1–27, we are told that Daniel opened his windows toward Jerusalem three times daily in order to pray to God...
There is no shortage of writings on the nature of human wisdom. But what of divine wisdom, the wisdom that is unique and specific to the triune life of God? This, after all, is the source of any other reality we might call wisdom. Philosophical and...
Over the years I’ve developed, in good Lutheran fashion, ten theses on spiritual cure, the care of souls. Spiritual care comes from God My first thesis is this: All spiritual care is provided by God the Holy Trinity through his word in spoken and...
The Old Testament consistently teaches the distinct, creative agency of the Spirit of God over the cosmos and all that is in it, including humankind. Not only does the Spirit of God [ruach] create all things but he also sustains them (Gen 6:3)...
When students ask for recommended books on pastoral ministry before entering seminary, I usually have Paul Tripp’s Dangerous Calling at the top of my list. Tripp points out many of the common heart problems related to pastoral ministry. But this...
By Walter C. Kaiser Jr., with Tiberius Rata, on the issue of two Jeremiah scrolls, adapted from Walking the Ancient Paths: A Commentary on Jeremiah. Editor’s note: the textual issues surrounding Jeremiah are among the most difficult in all the...
Adam B. ShaefferThis may come as a surprise to some, but it’s possible to finish a seminary MA and a PhD in theology and not learn Greek, and I am living proof of this. My programs of study were specialized enough that the need never arose (and it was never...
By Harold L. Senkbeil Some years ago while traveling in Great Britain I watched a televised sheepdog competition, a contest testing the ability of shepherds and their dogs to guide a small flock of sheep through a maze. It astonished me to see how...
By Kevin Vanhoozer This excerpt from Kevin Vanhoozer highlights the importance of not just hearing God’s voice but truly listening with the intent to obey what he says. In perhaps the most famous Arabian Nights story, Aladdin discovers a magic...
Did you hear? The best of Christianity Today is being collected into books! These books mark the beginning of a three-year project between CT and Lexham Press, the publishing imprint of Faithlife, makers of Logos Bible Software. Since 1956...