The Ministry of Small Things is narrow in its scope—it addresses those ordinary, and often overlooked, aspects of pastoral care through which the Lord is pleased to work.
While Carl Trueman discourages any direct comparisons to C.S. Lewis and his book The Abolition of Man, it is not hard to see why many do make that comparison. Trueman, in the opinion of this reviewer, is serving the church in a similar way as Lewis did, helping us make sense of the world around us in times of great social upheaval. Christians in every age need to understand how, why, and towards what the culture’s moral intuitions are changing. Trueman borrows the term social imaginary to describe those intuitions. At the root of the change, as Trueman has described...
The cloud of witnesses from church history are role models who help us “run with endurance the race that lies before us” (Heb 12:1). For me personally, the life and writings of ordinary yet remarkable Christians have been a well of refreshment and nourishment. The 18th Century, for example, furnishes us with several godly role models, including the evangelistic zeal of George Whitefield and John Wesley; the theological precision of John Gill; the God-centeredness of Jonathan Edwards; and the warm pastoral and fatherly wisdom in the letters of John Newton. Sometimes, however, for people not in pastoral ministry or missions...
Understanding history is essential, and this book, A “phoenix of women:” Puritan spirituality in the letters of Brilliana Harley, introduced and edited by Michael A.G. Azad Haykin, helps us to do just that. By carefully examining the lessons, experiences, and wisdom in the writings of Lady Brilliana Harley, we are better equipped to thoughtfully shape a more meaningful and purposeful future for our own children. We are living in a day where knowledge of our past is limited. As a society in general, we do not know what our ancestors believed, and as Christians, we do not know how they...
I like stories about heroes who fight for what is right with integrity and virtue, defeating the villains fairly and decisively without sinking to the level of the evil they oppose. I also like true stories from history. Unfortunately, I have discovered that these two kinds of stories rarely intersect. History, even Christian history, is full of men and women who accomplish great and important tasks, make great discoveries, do great things for God, all while being deeply flawed and sinful. Of course, Christians should be the last people to be surprised by this reality. If we have a proper...
