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What is the Westminster Shorter Catechism? Who wrote it, and why? How can it help us?

As we begin our journey through the Shorter Catechism, with a view to using it to enrich our Christian lives and equip us to teach others, we need to know a bit about the document itself and how it was shaped. 

In this bonus Westminster Wednesday episode, Dr Chad Van Dixhoorn of Reformed Theological Seminary helps us go 'behind the scenes' at the Westminster Assembly, the historic gathering of Christian ministers who cared so much about the unity of Christ's church in the truth of Christ's word. 

Dr Chad Van Dixhoorn is Professor of Church History and Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the editor of The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly, 1643-1652 (Oxford University Press, 2012) and author of Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith (Banner of Truth, 2014). Chad is married to Emily, and they have five children. 

N.B. For more on the catechist Thomas Lye and his 'Seven Rules for Catechizing,' see below: 

https://banneroftruth.org/resources/articles/2026/seven-rules-for-catechizing/

Recommended Resources: 

Chad Van Dixhoorn, Confessing the Faith: A Reader's Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith

https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/confessing-the-faith/ 

Emily Van Dixhoorn, Confessing the Faith Study Guide

https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/confessing-the-faith-study-guide/

#WestminsterAssembly #WestminsterWednesdays #Catechism

The Shorter Catechism begins with an end—our end, in fact—where ‘end’ means our ultimate purpose or reason for being. 

In the first instalment of Westminster Wednesdays we discuss Question and Answer 1 of the Shorter Catechism: 

‘Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.’ 

With us to discuss this question and answer is Dr Chad Van Dixhoorn, Professor of Church History and Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina. Chad is the editor of The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly, 1643-1652 (Oxford University Press, 2012) and author of Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith (Banner of Truth, 2014). 

Be sure also to watch or listen to our launch-day bonus episode with Dr Van Dixhoorn: 

https://youtu.be/oKeEJQQaPdw

Recommended Resources: 

Chad Van Dixhoorn, Confessing the Faith: A Reader's Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith

https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/confessing-the-faith/  

Emily Van Dixhoorn, Confessing the Faith Study Guide

https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/confessing-the-faith-study-guide/ 

Thomas Brooks, An Ark for All God's Noahs in a Gloomy Stormy Day

https://banneroftruth.org/store/christian-living/an-ark-for-all-gods-noahs/ 

Brooks opens up, for the instruction and comfort of the true Christian, what it means to have God himself as our portion. 

#WestminsterWednesdays #Catechism #Purpose

This week we complete our reading of Iain H. Murray's article on Spurgeon's departure from the Baptist Union in the 1880s. 

In the final part of the article, Murray notes Spurgeon's response to those who argued he might best serve the interests of orthodoxy by remaining within the Union, in spite of its aberrations. 

Featured Resource: 

Iain H. Murray, 'C. H. Spurgeon: The Downgrade and Denominational Loyalties,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 34 (July 1964). 

Other Spurgeon-related Episodes: 

C. H. Spurgeon: The Ministry the Churches Need — https://bannerpodcast.podbean.com/e/c-h-spurgeon-the-ministry-the-churches-need/ 

The Forgotten Spurgeon — https://bannerpodcast.podbean.com/e/the-forgotten-spurgeon/ 

Spurgeon's Pastoral Wisdom: Geoff Chang Interview — https://bannerpodcast.podbean.com/e/spurgeons-practical-wisdom-geoff-chang-interview/ 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

As we begin an 80-week journey through the Westminster Shorter Catechism, today we read a segment from Eifion Evans on Christian nurture and its connection with catechesis. 

Featured Resource: 

Excerpt from Eifion Evans, 'Christian Nurture,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issues 82–83 (July–August 1970). 

Help us spread the word about Westminster Wednesdays: 

Article: What Can I Expect from Westminster Wednesdays? 

Video: For the Christian who longs to grow...

Video: Calling Christian Parents...

This week's reading continues Iain H. Murray's article on Spurgeon's treatment of the doctrinal 'Downgrade' in the Baptist Union in the 1880s. 

In a context of doctrinal compromise, Spurgeon saw, most clearly, that denominational loyalty is not the same thing as the pursuit of true Christian unity.

Featured Resource: 

Iain H. Murray, 'C. H. Spurgeon: The Downgrade and Denominational Loyalties,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 34 (July 1964). 

Listen to the 'Lost Recording' of Martyn Lloyd-Jones' 1966 address:

https://www.mljtrust.org/blog/evangelical-unity-an-appeal-recording-found/ 

Other Spurgeon-related Episodes: 

C. H. Spurgeon: The Ministry the Churches Need — https://bannerpodcast.podbean.com/e/c-h-spurgeon-the-ministry-the-churches-need/ 

The Forgotten Spurgeon — https://bannerpodcast.podbean.com/e/the-forgotten-spurgeon/ 

Spurgeon's Pastoral Wisdom: Geoff Chang Interview — https://bannerpodcast.podbean.com/e/spurgeons-practical-wisdom-geoff-chang-interview/ 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Good Tidings of Great Joy is a feast for the soul that longs to know the Lord Jesus Christ better. From the pen of C. H. Spurgeon, this book of short meditations on the person and work, and especially incarnation, of Christ, draws our gaze upwards to the glory of the God-Man. 

This week we read just one of the 38 meditations, and consider with Spurgeon the 'fullness' of Christ. 

Buy the book: https://banneroftruth.org/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

How ought the godly to respond when the church body, denomination, or union of which they are members becomes overrun by false teaching? Should unity be preserved at all costs, or is there a time to separate? If separation occurs, what are the implications for the unity of the true church? 

These questions concerning the unity and purity of the church are not straightforward to answer. 

This week, the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust will make publicly available the audio of an address given by Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Central Hall in October 1966. The address, 'Evangelical Unity: An Appeal,' treats of these themes. 

With the topic of unity and purity on many minds, we turn this week to consider again the way in which C. H. Spurgeon faced these questions in the 1880s. 

Featured Resource: 

Iain H. Murray, 'C. H. Spurgeon: The Downgrade and Denominational Loyalties,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 34 (July 1964). 

Listen to the 'Lost Recording' of Martyn Lloyd-Jones' 1966 address:

https://www.mljtrust.org/blog/evangelical-unity-an-appeal-recording-found/ 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week's Friday Extra is a reading, by William Boekestein, of the entry for Psalm 13 in the new Banner title he has co-authored with Rob Ventura, God is Our Refuge and Strength: 150 Devotionals Through the Psalms. 

The book releases in North America on 13 October, and will be available in the UK and World store from early December. 

Buy the book/sign up for the Waitlist: https://banneroftruth.org/store/devotional-books/god-is-our-refuge-and-strength/

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

We're delighted to announce a new series coming to the Banner Podcast and Youtube channel—Westminster Wednesdays—starting, Lord-willing, on Wednesday, 28 October. 

In a Christian world saturated with discipleship resources, the Westminster Shorter Catechism has stood the test of time as an edifying summary of Christian truth, well adapted to use in churches and in the Christian home. 

But how can we deepen our meditation on the truths of the catechism? How can we get ready to teach it to others? 

For the pastor or Christian parent wondering how to unlock this treasury of truth for their congregation or children, or indeed for the Christian wanting to go deeper in the faith, we hope Westminster Wednesdays is a user-friendly way in to catechesis. 

Joining Joshua to make this announcement is a special guest who has recently joined the work of the Banner of Truth Trust. 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be Christians, but there are irreconcilable differences between the teachings of the Watchtower and the teachings of the Bible. We focus on three of these key differences for this week's Magazine Monday episode, as we read a letter from a former Jehovah's Witness who came to a real faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

'Footnote': 

As mentioned in the audio, here are further texts to prove that faith in Jesus Christ is the sole factor in salvation: 

John 1:12; 3:14–18; 5:24; 6:35–40; 7:39; 9:35; 11:26; 12:44–46; 14:1; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 15:11; 20:21; Romans 3:26; 4:5; 9:33; 10:4. 

Featured Resource: 

J. B. Archer, 'The Differences Between Jehovah's Witnesses and Orthodox Christians,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 98 (November 1971). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

It's often helpful to know something of the backstory of a book. In this Friday Extra, Banner trustee Dr Donald John MacLean helps us get to grips with a church controversy that broke out in and around London in the 1690s. 

One of the happy results of that unhappy conflict was a short book on salvation written by the Scottish Divine and survivor of the Bass Rock, Robert Traill (1642–1716). His little book Justification Vindicated teaches, against legalism and antinomianism, what he terms 'the good old way' of the Protestant doctrine of justification. 

Buy the book: https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/justification-vindicated/

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

We continue the remarkable story of Charlotte Geddie, whose witness to the gospel consisted in her brave, self-denying ministry as a wife, mother, and helpmeet to her missionary husband John. 

This week we pick up the story as the Geddies, recently bereft of two of their children, continue making plans to minister in the New Hebrides. 

Featured resource: 

Joan Kingswood, 'From Island to Island: The Witness of Charlotte Geddie (2)' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 757 (October 2026). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

David Bissett has served Clifton Park Community Church in upstate New York since 1995. We sat down with him at the East Coast Minister's Conference, where he was kind enough to commend three of his favourite Banner books. 

Books mentioned: 

Iain H. Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography

Thomas Manton, Sermons on Psalm 119 (In volumes 6–9 of Manton's Works)

Iain H. Murray, Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750–1858

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Charlotte Geddie was called to be a wife, mother, and helpmeet to her husband James Geddie in almost unimaginably difficult circumstances in the South Seas. 

Joan Kingswood began to relate her remarkable testimony in the Summer double issue of the magazine. She writes that Charlotte's life of loving service proved to be a 'living introduction to the message of the gospel her husband proclaimed.' 

We read the first instalment of her stirring story on this week's Magazine Monday. Why not listen, be encouraged, and share it with a young woman you know who is eager to follow the Lord's call on her life?

Featured resource: 

Joan Kingswood, 'From Island to Island: The Witness of Charlotte Geddie (1)' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issues 755–756 (August & September 2026). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

The Scottish Church, or Kirk, has been blessed with an abundance of theologically-minded pastors and pastorally-gifted theologians in the centuries since the Reformation. Without a survey of these men and their works, however, it can be difficult to know where to start reading. 

James Walker's The Theology and Theologians of Scotland can help in this area. The fruit of his 1870–71 Cunningham Lectures on the subject, this is a book which will help the interested reader prize open the treasure chest of Reformed, evangelical Scottish theology. 

We read a couple of sections from Walker's first chapter, on John Knox and Thomas Boston, respectively.

First published by T & T Clark, Edinburgh, in 1872, this new clothbound edition in a modern typesetting is based on the second (revised) edition of 1888. Readers will be interested to know that this edition includes seven sermons from the author, the Rev James Walker. 

Buy the book: https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/theology-and-theologians-of-scotland/ 

Banner Trustee Donald John MacLean interviewed on The Theology and Theologians of Scotland: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP9gZ-GcHAQ 

Many of us struggle with a critical spirit, and a lack of patience with the foibles and weaknesses of others. In such a context, how we need the example and challenge of Barnabas the encourager!

This Monday we continue our consideration of Barnabas and his gift of encouragement with the help of Cecil Siriwardene's 2007 article. 

Featured resource: 

Cecil Siriwardene, 'Sons and Daughters of Encouragement,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 526 (July 2007). 

Listen to Part I: 

A Son of Encouragement

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

What is God's response to a world that rails against him? 

Rob Ventura, co-author with William Boekestein of our forthcoming devotional book on the Psalms, God is Our Refuge and Strength, reads the entry for Psalm 2. 

Listen to the full author interview with Rob Ventura and William Boekestein: 

https://bannerpodcast.podbean.com/e/interviewing-the-authors-god-is-our-refuge-and-strength/ 

Join the Waitlist for God is Our Refuge and Strength: 

https://banneroftruth.org/store/devotional-books/god-is-our-refuge-and-strength/ 

Barnabas, the 'son of encouragement,' was a man willing to give generously, advocate for the misunderstood, and bear patiently with the weaknesses of others. 

Today's reading invites us to appreciate afresh those we know who have the gift of encouragement, and to seek to be encouragers ourselves. 

Featured resource: 

Cecil Siriwardene, 'Sons and Daughters of Encouragement,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 526 (July 2007). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

God is Our Refuge and Strength: 150 Devotionals Through the Psalms releases in October.

Through brief, practical expositions of all 150 psalms, this volume proclaims, explains, and applies each one in light of the New Testament and the finished work of Jesus Christ the Lord. These reflections are designed to enlighten the mind, warm the heart, strengthen the hands, point to the Saviour, and encourage the soul.

In this Friday Extra we discuss the book with its authors, William Boekestein and Rob Ventura.

Among other things we ask the following: 

— Why write another book on the Psalms? 

— Why should we seek greater familiarity with this biblical book? 

— What do we do with the 'imprecatory Psalms'? 

— How can we read a Psalm with profit when we don't feel like we are connecting with it on an emotional level?

Join the Waitlist: 

https://banneroftruth.org/store/devotional-books/god-is-our-refuge-and-strength/ 

Prayer is indispensable—it is the key ingredient in truly fruitful life and ministry. This week's Magazine Monday looks at a group of nineteenth-century Scottish ministers who knew this to be the case to an extraordinary degree. 

Featured resource: 

Jonathan Watson, 'John Milne of Perth and the Importance of Prayer,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 617 (February 2015). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week's Friday Extra is a short snippet from David McKay, author of Last Things: Preparing for the Future in the Present. This volume is one of our Banner Mini-Guides, concise introductions to essential areas of Christian belief and life. 

More on the book: 

https://banneroftruth.org/store/christian-living/last-things/ 

What makes a Reformed pastor? Ian Hamilton draws out some lessons from the strengths and weaknesses of the seventeenth-century Scottish pastor, Samuel Rutherford. 

Featured resource: 

Ian Hamilton, 'Marks of a Reformed Pastor: Lessons from Samuel Rutherford,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 617 (February 2015). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

What do we need to know when melancholy comes knocking? Where do we turn when the darkness does not lift? 

This week's Magazine Monday is a reading from the Edinburgh minister John Colquhoun (1748–1827). The October 1971 issue of the magazine included the following excerpt from Colquhoun's Treatise on Spiritual Comfort (1814). 

Featured resource: 

John Colquhoun, 'Directions to Christians Afflicted with Melancholy,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 97 (October 1971). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

In this Friday Extra, Rufus Burton, Minister at First Presbyterian Church, Martinsburg, West Virginia, recommends Chad Van Dixhoorn's Confessing the Faith: A Reader's Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith. 

Buy the book: 

https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/confessing-the-faith/

Study guide, authored by Emily Van Dixhoorn: 

https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/confessing-the-faith-study-guide/ 

'Endeavour with all your might to make a conquest of all those enemies that be within you.' So wrote the Puritan Thomas Brooks (Works, vol. 6, p. 385). 

This week we take a closer look at the virtue of self-control, without which we are left vulnerable to all of the predations of Satan and sin. Heaven-bound saints cannot afford to neglect self-control. 

Featured resource: 

Mark J. Larson, 'The Virtue of Self-Control,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issues 515–516 (August–September 2006). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

In this Friday Extra, the Chair of the Banner board, Rev. Jeff Kingswood, recommends one of our more obscure biographical titles, Faith Cook's William Grimshaw of Howarth. 

Buy the book: https://banneroftruth.org/store/history-biography/william-grimshaw-of-haworth-2/ 

The subject of health, and what is now called 'mental health,' comes up a great deal today, even in connection with ministry. While the treatment of the subject may sometimes leave much to be desired—biblically, theologically, or medically—it is at least firmly on the agenda. 

That was not the case when Dr Brian Beardsworth was asked to speak on the topic of 'The Pastor and His Health' at the 1992 Leicester Ministers' Conference in England. 

The substance of this address was published in two parts in Issues 358 and 359–60 (July and August–September 1993) of the magazine. Rather than read these, we have included Dr Beardsworth's address in its original form in this week's instalment of Magazine Mondays. 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

In this Friday Extra, we explain a little bit about some exciting new podcast developments at the Banner of Truth.

Following that 'service announcement' we hear from the Chair of the Banner board, Rev. Jeff Kingswood, about a little-known but highly significant title published by the Trust. 

More info. on T. J. Crawford's The Mysteries of Christianity: 

— Short review by David Campbell

— Excerpt: 'The Mystery of God's Oneness'

— Excerpt: 'The Mystery of the Trinity'

Buy the book: https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/the-mysteries-of-christianity/ 

We readily accept that preachers need to be familiar with the Scriptures and with theology. But church history? Surely it is a matter of indifference whether or not a preacher has much knowledge of the often-complicated history of the church? 

Peter Barnes disagrees, and lays out the case for the studied and accessible use of the church's history in evangelical preaching and teaching. 

Featured Resources: 

Peter Barnes, 'The Use of Church History in Preaching,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 287–8 (August–September 1987). 

Books noted in the article:

J. C. Ryle, Five English Reformers

J. C. Ryle, Christian Leaders of the Eighteenth Century

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week we read a gripping article on a man whose ministry, despite sorrow and ill-health, was faithful and blessed—in Perth, Scotland, as well as Calcutta, India. 

Featured Resources: 

David Campbell, 'John Milne: "A flower of rare beauty and sweetness of odour"' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 754 (July 2026). 

Buy the book: 

Horatius Bonar, The Life of John Milne of Perth

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

A title which many have appreciated and which is, for the moment, still out of print, is the The Diary of Kenneth A. MacRae, edited by Iain H. Murray. MacRae had a long ministry in the highlands and islands of Scotland.

This week we read a collection of his candid and spiritual reflections on the topic of preaching. We trust they will be helpful to preachers and hearers alike. 

Featured Resources: 

'Thoughts on Preaching from 'The Diary of Kenneth MacRae,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 415 (April 1998). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Daniel Funke highlights the unique opportunities of the morning, and the value of sanctifying our waking hour for the glory of God. 

Featured Resources: 

Daniel Funke, 'Waking the Dawn with Praise,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 752 (May 2026). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org 

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine 

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Featured photo in episode artwork by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash. 

This week we read a reflection on the unique, powerful ministry of A. W. Pink, particularly as it was expressed through his periodical, 'Search the Scriptures.' His writing combined great profundity with clarity and spiritual authority. This combination is shown in the second piece we read, a short meditation on 'The Godhood of God.' 

Featured Resources: 

(Presumed to be by Iain H. Murray), 'The Written Ministry of A. W. Pink,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 10 (February 1958). 

A. W. Pink, 'The Godhood of God,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 10 (February 1958). 

Banner Resources by or about A. W. Pink:

A. W. Pink, Gleanings from Paul: The Prayers of the Apostle

A. W. Pink, The Life of Elijah

A. W. Pink, Profiting from the Word

A. W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God

Iain H. Murray, The Life of Arthur W. Pink

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Featured episode artwork of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis by Sergey Konstantinov on Unsplash

Does seriousness matter in a pastor? Rev. Daniel Dana, an American Presbyterian writer of the 19th century, argued that it does—profoundly so. This week we read his meditation on the subject which was featured in the eighth issue of the magazine. 

Featured Resource: 

'The Importance of Seriousness to the Christian Minister,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 8 (August 1957). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org

Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine

Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Our forthcoming volume, Spurgeon's Pastoral Wisdom, has been compiled and edited by Geoff Chang. Composed of contributions from Spurgeon to the Sword and Trowel magazine on the topic of the church and ministry, it will encourage, inform, and challenge readers to love and serve Christ's church better. 

We sit down with Geoff to discuss Spurgeon as a pastor, some of his convictions about the church and ministry, and what readers can expect to find in this new volume. 

Geoff Chang is the Curator of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri, where he is also an Assistant Professor of Historical Theology. 

Some of Geoff's books (written, compiled, or edited): 

Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry

US Bookseller: https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/spurgeon-the-pastor-recovering-a-biblical-and-theological-vision-for-ministry-9781087747842?srsltid=AfmBOoo9J5OUv6iKNYdNQ05SK8nKra4Z_VcVFY6P_qp7hsBWwwfxcstd 

UK Bookseller: https://www.keithjones.co.uk/spurgeon-the-pastor-9781087747842/?cat=0 

The Army of God: Spurgeon's Vision for the Church

US Bookseller: https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/army-of-god-spurgeons-vision-for-the-church-9781527108738 

UK Bookseller: https://tabernaclebookshop.org/products/the-army-of-god?srsltid=AfmBOopOIuxDsNhJ2_gu4gm5jsXF14P3F8LBsd_xNcbJgkjktDsXPxLh 

Charles Spurgeon, Christ Our All: Poems for the Christian Pilgrim, compiled by Geoff Chang. 

US Bookseller: https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/christ-our-all-poems-for-the-christian-pilgrim-9781087772745?srsltid=AfmBOopoSbXzGU1EY2ntwroC3ZScvaXgG79V1nzZ4-NVZuHjMLXQRMNA 

UK Bookseller: https://icmbooks.co.uk/product/37235/Christ-Our-All-Poems-for-the-Christian-Pilgrim 

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This year we have devoted quite a bit of time to considering the Scottish Covenanters (and yes, our fourth Covenanter video is still on the way!). The Covenanters, however, were not the only body of believers to suffer extreme persecution in the seventeenth century. This week we consider the plight of the French Huguenots, with excerpts from an article by Henry Martyn Baird, first published in the Presbyterian Review in 1888. 

Featured resource: 

'The French Synods of the Desert: 1,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issues 263–4, August–September 1985. 

About the author: 

Henry Martyn Baird (1832–1906) was an American historian best known for his scholarship on the French Huguenots. He is the author of Theodore Beza: The Counsellor of the French Reformation, published by the Trust. 

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The new minister has arrived. He loves the Lord. He loves the Scriptures. He loves the local church. But all is not well in the congregation he has been called to serve. What is he to do? How is he to build? 

Long-time friend of the Banner, veteran pastor Peter Barnes, offers counsel to a young man in such a position. 

Featured resource: 

Peter Barnes, 'Approaching Pastoral Difficulties,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 392 (May 1996).  

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org

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Elijah's ministry to Israel at a time of rampant backsliding is a challenge and an encouragement to us in the days of apostasy in which we live. But what drove Elijah? What was his abiding concern—his activating conviction? Reed S. Rusniak takes us to the heart of the prophet's motivations. 

This week's article, the first of a projected six-part series in the print magazine, is from the June 2026 issue. 

Featured resource: 

Reed S. Rusniak, 'Standing for God (1): Elijah's Concern for the Honour and Glory of God,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 753 (June 2026). 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org

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The Christian's great hope is the personal return—the Second Coming—of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his article 'Eagerly Awaiting the Saviour,' Mike Riccardi helps us grasp the nature of this hope, and work it out in our own lives. 

Featured resource: 

Mike Riccardi, 'Eagerly Awaiting the Saviour,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 629 (February 2016).

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org

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Grant Castleberry serves as a Pastor-Teacher at The King's Chapel, Raleigh, North Carolina. Grant recently concluded doctoral research into D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and in this bonus episode we discuss 'the Doctor' and his ministry emphases, as well as hearing Grant's own fascinating testimony to God's faithfulness and gracious calling. 

More on The King's Chapel: 

https://www.thekingschapel.com/

Grant's book, The Honor of God: 

https://store.ligonier.org/the-honor-of-god-hardcover 

Grant's resource website: 

https://unashamedtruth.org/

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Christian fellowship, contends our editor Mark G. Johnston, is the 'Cinderella' of the means of grace. That is to say, of the various means the Lord uses to build up His people, fellowship is woefully and unjustly neglected. This week on the podcast, we are encouraged to remedy this neglect, and discover afresh that there is no healthy church life–even Christian life–without Christian fellowship. 

Featured Resources: 

Mark G. Johnston, 'Fellowship: The Cinderella of the Means of Grace,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 737 (February 2025). 

Ian Hamilton, 'The Fellowship of Saints,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 633 (June 2016). 

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How are we to love and to set apart the Lord's Day? Why are we to love it and set it apart? Maurice Roberts explains, in clear and compelling terms, what relevance the Fourth Commandment has for Christians in the New Covenant. 

Featured Resource: 

Maurice Roberts, 'Sabbath Observance,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 392 (May 1996). 

Be Part of the Next Chapter: 

More information about our building project, and how you can pray and give, can be found here: 

https://banneroftruth.org/uk/nextchapter/ 

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Thomas Boston was one of the outstanding Scottish ministers of the eighteenth century. This week we consider his faithfulness in two small parishes in the Scottish Lowlands, and God's sustaining of him in these difficult charges. 

Featured Resource: 

G. N. M. Collins, 'How Thomas Boston Beheld the Lamb of God which Taketh Away the Sin of the World,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 640 (January 2017)

Be Part of the Next Chapter: 

More information about our building project, and how you can pray and give, can be found here: 

https://banneroftruth.org/uk/nextchapter/ 

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org

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Our bonus episode this week is a conversation with Dr Robert Strivens, Banner of Truth Trustee and Director of the recently set-up Reformed Baptist Study Centre. We hear more about Robert, the work of the Banner trustees, and the hopes for the new study centre in this interview recorded at the recent Banner Ministers' Conference in Staffordshire. 

Robert's recommendations: 

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors

Iain H. Murray, The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1 volume)

Iain H. Murray, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (2 volumes)

John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied

Find out more about the Reformed Baptist Study Centre and its events: 

https://rbstudycentre.com/ 

Be Part of the Next Chapter of the Banner of Truth: 

More information about our building project, and how you can pray and give, can be found here: 

https://banneroftruth.org/uk/nextchapter/ 

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This week's selection is an excursion into Pastor William Shishko's ministerial library, to see which books have fed him as a Christian and as a minister. The result will be of interest not only to other men called to shepherd the Lord's flock, but to every Christian with an appetite to know more of God. 

(In Print) Books Mentioned in the Episode: 

John Owen, The Glory of Christ (Volume 1 of The Works of John Owen, comprising Owen's Christologia, Or a Declaration of the Glorious Mystery of the Person of Christ and Discourses and Meditations on the Glory of Christ)

Gardiner Spring, The Attraction of the Cross (Out of print). 

Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and the Revival of Religion in the Soul

Octavius Winslow, No Condemnation in Christ, as Unfolded in the Eighth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans

Octavius Winslow, The Work of the Holy Spirit: An Experimental and Practical View

J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

Matthew: https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-9/ 

Mark: https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-10/ 

Luke (I): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-11/ 

Luke (II): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-12/ 

John (I): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-13/ 

John (II): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-14/ 

John (III): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-15/ 

William Hendriksen's Commentaries: https://banneroftruth.org/about/banner-authors/william-hendriksen/ 

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The doctrine of the cross of Christ is not merely a constituent part of the Christian system of belief - it is the beating heart of the Christian message, the saving reality which cannot be known or loved by man in a state of sin and rebellion. The cross mocks human wisdom, exposing its strength as weakness. Maurice Roberts helps us see that only divine wisdom, given by the Holy Spirit, enables us to receive the cross of Christ and its implications. 

Featured Resource: 

Maurice Roberts, 'What Earth's Princes Never Knew,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 370 (July 1994). 

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We need regular reminders of the reality and goodness of the glory that awaits those who belong to God. This week, with the help of Eric J. Alexander and R. B. Kuiper, we consider the glorious future of the Church of Jesus Christ. 

Featured Resources: 

Eric J. Alexander, 'The Coming Glory,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 370 (July 1994). 

R. B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ: A Scriptural Appreciation of the One Holy Church (1966, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1967, 2006), p. 364–367 in older editions, p. 372–375 in the clothbound setting of 2025. 

The Glorious Body of Christ Product Page

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Infanticide has become normal, acceptable, and even celebrated in the West and around the world. This week we take time to note two events which occurred in March and their significance for the Church's work and witness in defense of unborn children. 

Featured Content: 

Peter Barnes, 'Abortion: Kermit Gosnell and the Slide to Infanticide,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 599–600 (Aug–Sep 2013). 

Christian Institute Report on Abortion Decriminalisation: 

https://www.christian.org.uk/news/peers-vote-through-extreme-abortion-measure/

Peter Barnes' booklet: 

Abortion: Open Your Mouth for the Dumb

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John Newton was a prolific writer of pastoral letters - letters which have been used of the Lord to encourage, challenge, and counsel many people beyond their original recipients. 

In this bonus episode, we talk with Grant Gordon, who has studied and collated many of Newton's letters. His volume Wise Counsel, representing many of Newton's letters to the Baptist pastor John Ryland Jr., has now been updated and we hear a bit more about the features of this new edition. 

Grant Gordon has pastored a number of baptistic churches in Ontario, Canada, and elsewhere, and served as an adjunct professor of Christian Ethics at Central Baptist Seminary (now Heritage Seminary, Cambridge, Ontario). 

Buy Wise Counsel: John Newton's Letters to John Ryland Jr., edited by Grant Gordon

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This week we continue our reading of R. B. Kuiper's sermon, 'Present-Day Antichrists' from his series of sermons on the 'signs of the times' contained in While the Bridegroom Tarries. 

We follow this with a reading from Professor John Murray on Kuiper's final (and unfinished work) The Bible Tells Me So. 

Featured Resource: 

'Present-Day Antichrists' in While the Bridegroom Tarries (1919, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2010). 

Other R. B. Kuiper Books Published by Banner:

The Glorious Body of Christ

God-Centred Evangelism

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