Issue
Spiritual (Re)formation
Vol. 22, No. 4 • Jul/Aug 2013
There were several editions of the Book of Common Prayer during the Reformation. The first English language prayer book, replacing the ubiquitous Latin, was in 1549. This was further strengthened in a more Reformed theological direction by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1552, after advice from the continental reformers Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr Vermigli. The […]
All Articles (14)
Book of Common Prayer Timeline
There were several editions of the Book of Common Prayer during the Reformation. The first English language prayer book, replacing the ubiquitous Latin, was in 1549. This was further strengthened in a more Reformed theological direction by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1552, after advice from the continental reformers Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr Vermigli. The […]
Hipster or Herald?
In his noteworthy book Hipster Christianity, Brett McCracken describes the modern faddish approach to the Christian faith as being “more concerned with its image and presentation and ancillary appeal” than with real substance. “It assumes that mere Christianity isn’t enough or isn’t as important as how Christianity looks and is perceived by the outside world.” […]
The Reformation & Spiritual Formation
Luther and Calvin have a lot to teach us about heady doctrines like justification and election. We have to look elsewhere, though, when it comes to the brass tacks of Christian living. Any real engagement with the Reformers’ work, however, dispels this widespread misunderstanding. They knew nothing of the modern dichotomy between doctrine and life; […]
Listening to the Scream
On my last visit to New York, I went to the Museum of Modern Art to see The Scream, a little drawing in pastel by Edvard Munch on loan from a private collector. It is one of four versions that the artist made of the famous subject: a genderless figure, standing on a bridge, holding […]
Spiritual Classics
On Your Nightstand Communion with Christ, John Owen The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Jeremiah Burroughs The Pearl of Christian Comfort, Petrus Dathenus Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer On Your Reading List The Law of Perfect Freedom, Michael S. Horton Knowing God, J. I. Packer Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges Growing in Holiness, J. V. Fesko […]
“Friends of the Law: Luther’s Use of the Law for the Christian Life” by Edward A. Engelbrecht
This useful and well-researched volume addresses an issue familiar to most readers of Modern Reformation: the threefold use of the law of God. Although Edward Engelbrecht’s primary concern is with Martin Luther and the Lutheran tradition, his consideration of how theologians in the early and medieval churches handled this issue, as well as a brief […]
Christian Living
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Help! Saved but Still Sinning
Sanctification isn’t effortless. The act of dying to sin implies spiritual battle and life-long war against sin. Living unto righteousness implies costly, intensive labor that daily says “no” to sin and “yes” to Christlikeness. So what do we do when we fail yet again? How can we overcome feelings of failure, defeat, and self-loathing when we sin?
Fearing Death Isn’t a Sin. Here’s Why.
“To the one who is afraid of death, dear brother or sister, Don’t let your fear turn into faithlessness, but instead offer it to God.” Jesus’s death and resurrection have transformed what death means for the Christian. Pastor Adriel shares that feeling fear at the approach of death is not automatically sinful, however, the real […]
The Weight of Steadfastness
What if the discomfort we’ve avoided—the very trial we’ve begged God to remove—is the instrument our loving Father is using to bring us to completion, the place where lasting joy is found?
Assurance in the Shadow of Doubt
The coexistence of assurance and doubt is not a contradiction, but a reflection of the Christian life lived between justification and glorification. True assurance rests not in the strength of one’s faith, but in the object of that faith—Jesus Christ—and the presence of doubt, while unsettling, does not nullify genuine belief.
