This article below is adapted from chapter two of The Character of Christ: The Fruit of the Spirit in the Life of Our Saviour, by Jonathan Landry Cruse (Banner of Truth, June 2023). Do you think of Jesus as being a happy person? Does a joyful Jesus seem incongruous to you? After all, dealing with […]
Thursday, 24 August, 2023 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
Dr. Leland Ryken has done it again. After recently completing a trilogy of devotionals on the best of Christian hymnody, Ryken and P&R have partnered once more to release—in time for this year’s Lenten season—a beautiful anthology entitled Poetry of Redemption: An Illustrated Treasury of Good Friday and Easter Poems. Ryken served for decades as […]
Monday, 27 March, 2023 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
*** See, resting softly, in Bethlehem’s manger There is a Savior, as God had long-sworn. Mighty Messiah, to keep us from danger, Now, come in weakness, is finally born. King in the manger, without any splendor, Gave up the riches and yielded the crown. These are the least that the King will surrender: Rescuing rebels, […]
Sunday, 01 January, 2023 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
Perhaps you’ve had the experience of ordering food at a restaurant, let’s say a burger, and you ask for the kitchen to hold the bacon (why you would do such a thing, I have no idea, but hey, it’s your order, not mine) and are promptly informed that this particular establishment permits no substitutions or […]
Friday, 21 October, 2022 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
Ephesians 4:1–16 is a manual for church health and growth—an infallible one at that, not penned by so-called experts or gurus, but by the Holy Spirit himself. To the question, Who is to do the work of ministry? we find a surprising answer. The inspired Apostle Paul writes that Christ has given pastors and teachers […]
Monday, 03 October, 2022 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
It used to be a question that only plagued television producers, but in today’s world it is legitimately on the minds of many. In the past year the term “cancel culture” has accurately described a growing trend: the removal of support from public figures due to objectionable behavior or unpopular opinions. Just as a show […]
Friday, 29 July, 2022 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
How does God save sinners? This is one of the richest theological questions a person can ask, and the answer requires a mind-stretching and heart-enlarging quest that spans the whole of the Bible. The “how” of salvation takes us into the eternal counsels of the Triune God, through the covenant promises and relationships of redemptive […]
Monday, 15 November, 2021 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
I had the providential pleasure this past Labor Day of reading Work That Makes a Difference (P&R, 2021) by Dan Doriani, completing a pair of books now dedicated to the subject. The recent holiday is proof that as a nation we do—or did—honor work. This is a good thing, considering that God created us for […]
Wednesday, 22 September, 2021 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
This issue of identity is an important matter, and we know this innately. We know that there is a lot on the line if we get our identity wrong. Writing about transitioning to a male identity, Hollywood celebrity Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page), said, “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am […]
Monday, 12 July, 2021 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
Every Christian should be reading First Peter right now. Of course, all of Scripture is always relevant is profitable. But Peter’s words are powerfully applicable to us today. Why is that? Peter writes to instruct God-fearing saints in how they should conduct themselves in a godless society, as citizens living in a “pre-Christian” culture. That […]
Monday, 17 May, 2021 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
A Peculiar Orthodoxy: Reflections on Theology and the ArtsBy Jeremy S. BegbieBaker Academic, 2018224 pages (hardcover), $33.00 In our increasingly secular age, we have all but divorced the arts from theological consideration. It wasn’t long ago that many of the most famous artists in the West were inspired to create out of adoration and exploration […]
Saturday, 01 May, 2021 by Jonathan Landry Cruse
The General Social Survey reports that only 30% of Americans agreed with the statement that “most people can be trusted.”[1] I think 70% percent of those surveyed gave an answer based on an honest assessment of their own hearts. We live in a world of deception, filled with deceivers—people just like you and me. We […]
Monday, 15 March, 2021 by Jonathan Landry Cruse