The Great Return: Why Only a Restoration of Christianity Can Save Western Civilisation. By Jamie Franklin. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2025. 272 pp. $24.99 (hardcover). Settled beliefs are, by their nature, difficult to disrupt. Indeed, a dramatic occurrence of some kind is often a necessary impetus for people to re-evaluate their deepest assumptions. For many,…
Come down, O Love divine, seek thou this soul of mine, and visit it with thine own ardour glowing; O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing. There’s a lie working its way around the Church. It’s a lie almost as old as the human race itself. It…
Introduction One of the most cherished parts of the Anglican Liturgy is the comfortable words. These words reflect a theological and pastoral concern to communicate assurance and comfort to believers. Though unique to Anglican Liturgy, the comfortable words are in keeping with a deep importance of comfort in scripture. This scriptural theme was important to…
Part 2 of 2 Rather than give an exhaustive account of lying, it will suffice for present purposes to arrive at a basic understanding of what a lie really is. In the process it will become apparent that while all lies are deceptions, not all deceptions are lies. Once the true definition of a lie…
The Hours: Poems. By Matthew J. Andrews. Anaheim, CA: Solum Literary Press, 2025. 87 pp. $16.11 (paper). The Hours is a new collection of poetry by Matthew J. Andrews, one that uses dense and cryptic imagery to examine the Christian experience of our broken humanity. Structurally, as the name foreshadows, the volume is divided into…
I just a poor wayfaring stranger, Trav’ling through this world of woe. There’s no sickness, no toil, nor danger In that bright land to which I go. I’m going there to see my Father; I’m going there no more to roam. I’m just going over Jordan, I’m just going over home. How long are you…
A Critical Review Matthew Bates declares victory over historical understandings of baptism, but it feels like trading steak dinner for porridge. His attempt to reframe baptism and salvation through ‘allegiance’ to Christ’s kingship oversimplifies the sacramental theology that has long been foundational to Christian tradition. While innovative, Bates’s view diminishes the richness and depth of…
Part 1 of 2 Not long ago, Ben Crenshaw—Contributing Editor at American Reformer—suggested in an article that deception is sometimes commendable. The claim was incidental to the larger point of the article in question, but Carl Trueman—Professor of Biblical & Religious Studies at Grove City College—took issue with it in an article of his own….
The King of love my shepherd is, whose goodness faileth never; I nothing lack if I am his, and he is mine for ever. Shepherds and shepherding are constant themes throughout the Scriptures, beginning in Genesis (46:32-34, 49:24) and proceeding throughout the New Testament. Joseph’s brothers are shepherds along with his father, Jacob. Moses becomes…
Introduction A serious study of what was taught in centuries past will always reveal a greater diversity of thought than is popularly claimed, for the past continually falls victim to generalizations. Sometimes the majority view is innocently mistaken to be the only one, other times minority views are ignored for the purpose of giving an…