Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Tag Archives: R.C. Sproul


by Leave a comment

THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • Voddie Baucham: A Faithful Witness to Christ. Robert J. Pacienza writes “On September 25, 2025, the church lost one of its great voices. Voddie Baucham is now with the Lord. The news of his passing struck me deeply, not only because Voddie was a personal friend and ally, but because his absence leaves a void in an hour when his voice was needed most.”
  • Voddie Baucham (1969–2025) on the Resurrection. “Voddie Baucham (1969–2025) has gone hometo be with the Lord. In light of the common hope we hold as Christians, we’re looking back at his message from The Gospel Coalition’s 2015 National Conference.”
  • My Life’s Journey with Dr Voddie Baucham Jr. Conrad Mbewe writes “I am greatly indebted to Voddie for the nine years he invested spiritually in our people in Zambia and in Africa. I thank God for the friend he gave me in this man whom I now look forward to meeting in glory together with our son Mwansa. Farewell, Voddie, see you in the morning!”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

R. C. SPROULBOOK REVIEWS

This week we look at two new book releases from R.C. Sproul:

Holy Week: The Week That Changed the World by R.C. Sproul. Ligonier Ministries. 88 pages. 2025
***

R.C. Sproul went to be with the Lord in December, 2017. Fortunately, he left a tremendous amount of teaching material for Ligonier Ministries to release in book form in the years after his death. Ligonier edited and adapted Dr. Sproul’s original material to create this volume, with the assistance of Sproul’s wife Vesta.
This short book looks at one week, from the time in the upper room when Jesus established the new covenant with his disciples through the time Jesus appeared to Thomas after His resurrection.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review and a review of The Great Rescue: Understanding the Saving Work of Christ by R.C. Sproul
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Truths We Confess by  R.C. Sproul
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

What Theological Hills are You Willing to Die On?


In our NXTGEN Pastors Cohort, in which we meet monthly to teach seminary students soft skills, we recently discussed the module “Choosing Wisely: Leadership Triage”. This article is inspired by that module.

A part of the module was based on Gavin Ortlund’s book Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage. The phrase “Not a hill worth dying for” has often been associated with the battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam. The word “triage” comes from the French word trier, “to sort things out.” The word is often used in a medical situation such as “the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care.” In Ortlund’s book, he points to Albert Mohler’s metaphor of theological triage as a system of prioritization (see Mohler’s article “A Call for Theological Triage and Christian Maturity”).

When you consider the doctrines of Christianity, or the theological issues we face, which of those would you consider to be ones that were “worth dying for”? For example, during the Reformation, people were willing to die for theological issues such as justification by faith alone, or the presence of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper. Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Two Crucial Questions Book Reviews from R.C. Sproul

With the release of these books in R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series, there are now 35 books in the series, all of which are free in the Kindle edition.

What is Predestination? by R.C. Sproul. (Crucial Questions) Reformation Trust. 76 pages. 2019

In this book R.C. Sproul writes that no doctrine in the Christian faith engenders more debate than the doctrine of predestination. He also tells us that no other doctrine more clearly demonstrates our utter dependence on divine grace and mercy than the doctrine of predestination. He writes that much is at stake in how we understand predestination, and we must be extraordinarily sensitive and careful in how we handle this doctrine. Studying predestination forces us to ask and answer hard questions, and if nothing else, it forces us to look more closely at the character of God and at our own sinfulness. Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

11 New and Upcoming Books You May Be Interested In

I love to read books in a variety of genres – leadership, professional growth, biography, sports, theology, Christian living, etc. Here are 11 new and upcoming books that you might be interested in:

The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team by Patrick Lencioni  

Here is the Amazon description:

“New York Times best-selling author Patrick Lencioni unveils a truly groundbreaking new model that will change the way we think about work and teams forever.
The 6 Types of Working Genius is the fastest way to help people identify the type of work that brings them joy and energy and avoid work that leads to frustration and burnout.
Beyond the personal discovery and instant relief that Working Genius provides, the model also gives teams a remarkably simple and practical framework for tapping into one another’s natural gifts, which increases productivity and reduces unnecessary judgment.
In classic Lencioni fashion, Pat brings his model to life in a page-turning fable that is as relatable as it is compelling. He tells the story of Bull Brooks, an entrepreneur, husband, and father who sets out to solve his own frustration at work and stumbles into a new way of thinking that changes the way he sees his work, his team, and even his marriage.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
More New and Upcoming Books in Various Genres Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

Reviews of Two Crucial Questions Books from R.C. Sproul

With the release of these books in R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series, there are now 32 books in the series, all of which are free in the Kindle edition.

What is Predestination? by R.C. Sproul. (Crucial Questions) Reformation Trust. 76 pages. 2019

In this new book in his Crucial Questions series (free in the Kindle edition), R.C. Sproul writes that no doctrine in the Christian faith engenders more debate than the doctrine of predestination. He also tells us that no other doctrine more clearly demonstrates our utter dependence on divine grace and mercy than the doctrine of predestination. He writes that much is at stake in how we understand predestination, and we must be extraordinarily sensitive and careful in how we handle this doctrine. Studying predestination forces us to ask and answer hard questions, and if nothing else, it forces us to look more closely at the character of God and at our own sinfulness.
The doctrine of predestination is not limited to only Reformed churches. Sproul writes that every church and every Christian has some doctrine of predestination because the Bible has a doctrine of predestination. He tells us that if we are to grow in maturity in Christ, we must understand the biblical teaching on predestination. And though we may not like it at first, he tells us that with careful study and attention to the witness of Scripture, we can come to see the doctrine’s sweetness and its excellence and to experience it as a great comfort to our souls. Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

What is the Gospel? (Crucial Questions) by R.C. Sproul. Reformation Trust Publishing. 109 pages. 2020. 
****

In this new book in R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series (all of which are free in the Kindle edition), he looks at the important issue of the gospel. We often talk about the gospel, but if asked, would we be able to tell someone just what the gospel is? The gospel isn’t our personal testimony, for example.
Sproul indicates that there is perhaps no more important question for us to answer than what the gospel is, because the answer we give will help to determine our eternal destiny. The gospel tells us how we can be saved from our sin. It is therefore crucial that we search the Scriptures carefully in order to clearly articulate what God tells us about how we may be saved.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEW ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Providence by John Piper I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Good News: The Gospel of Jesus Christ by John MacArthur. Reformation Trust Publishing. 143 pages. 2018
****

In this book about Jesus Christ and the Gospel, from one of our most respected pastors and authors, John MacArthur tells us that a right understanding of Jesus Christ is essential to understanding many other vital truths, particularly the gospel and salvation. He tells us that there is no good news apart from Christ, and how we answer the question “Who is Jesus?” has significant and ultimately permanent consequences. The right answer alone can lead to salvation.
The author addresses that there are even those who identify themselves as evangelicals that teach that there is more than one way to get to Heaven. He tells us that today the word evangelical is so ambiguous that it doesn’t really mean anything. A high percentage (between 45 and 65 percent of so-called evangelical Christians), are convinced that Jesus is not the only way to heaven. He writes that a “radically abridged and ambiguous view” of the gospel has captivated the church today. But there is no “back door” to heaven. If we don’t know the true God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we will suffer the fury of God. Jesus made it clear to people that they needed to repent and believe.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review and a review of Are People Basically Good? (Crucial Questions Book 25) by R.C. Sproul
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

12 Upcoming Books You May Be Interested In

There are a number of books set to be published over the next few months that I think you might be interested in. Here are 12 of them, and I’ve included their description from Amazon except where otherwise noted:

Three books in R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series will be published August 12. All of the books in the Crucial Questions series are free in the Kindle edition.

How Can I Live by Faith?
“Becoming a Christian doesn’t come at the cost of your intellect. In fact, the Christian faith provides the most compelling, logical explanation for life in this world. In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul demonstrates that Christianity is rational because it is based on the promises of God, who has proven His trustworthiness in His Word. These promises provide an unshakable foundation for our salvation, faithful living, and hope for the future.”

 What is the Gospel?
“Many people think that since God is good, He will accept us as long as we lead good lives. But this isn’t good news, because none of us is as good as God. If left to ourselves, we will receive what our lives actually deserve: His judgment. In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul explains the gospel, God’s good news for sinful people like us. While we could never save ourselves from His just condemnation, God calls us to trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, who alone can redeem us through His righteous life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection.”

 What is Biblical Wisdom?
“Wisdom isn’t something only needed by the foolish and immature. All of us are called to grow in wisdom, for true wisdom has to do with pleasing the God who made us. In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul introduces the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. He shows that wisdom goes hand in hand with being godly, and he demonstrates the Bible’s practical guidelines for a well-lived life that honors the Lord.”

Continue reading →


by Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS


New Life in Christ: What Really Happens When You’re Born Again and Why It Matters by Steven Lawson. Baker Books. 224 pages. 2020
****

In this book, pastor Steven Lawson considers the new birth by looking at Jesus’s well-known encounter nighttime encounter with Nicodemus in John 3. I have seen the author preach on numerous occasions, and as Sinclair Ferguson writes in the “Foreword”, you may, as I did, hear his voice preaching as you read this book, which reads like one of his preaching series, and is a nice companion to his Ligonier Ministries teaching series The New Birth.
What does it mean to be born again? The author tells us that being born again means that God implants divine life within our spiritually dead heart. He tells us that there are two sides of the entrance into the kingdom of God. On one side is the person’s activity. The other side involves God’s activity. God must cause a person to be born again, which, in turn, produces saving faith. It is the new birth that enables us to receive Jesus Christ into our life. Similarly, R.C. Sproul would often say that “regeneration proceeds faith”.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review… and reviews of
~ Making a Difference: Impacting Culture and Society as a Christian by R.C. Sproul and
~ I Still Believe: A Memoir of Wreckage, Recovery, and Relentless Love. Russ and Tori Taff with Mark Smeby
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →