Hope that Endures – How Puritan Wisdom Challenges the Modern Soul, by Emily Lucas If you think the Puritans have nothing relevant to say about life today, this book will challenge that assumption! Emily starts by recounting in an honest way her own struggles with the busyness of modern life and how she has found […]

“Bespangled with Divine Grace” – The Spirituality of John Gill, published by Joshua Press in the Classics of Reformed Spirituality series. This little book was recently reviewed well in the Gospel Standard magazine and would be worth checking out: John Gill was the greatest and most accomplished Baptist theologian of the eighteenth century and had […]

The Nicene Creed by Kevin DeYoung, published by Crossway This is an excellent explanation of the Nicene Creed. It would be ideal as an introdution for those who may not be familiar with it already, and certainly not superfluous for those who only need a refresher. DeYoung outlines the historical background to how the Nicene […]

Originally published on our blog Talking Shop, 17th September 2019: It is always a pleasure to read an Ann Benton book. Her style is down-to-earth and practical when writing on family matters, whether it is caring for young children or elderly parents. Her latest offering is no exception.  ‘The Fruitful Home’ is based on her […]

The Good Portion series, published by Christian Focus Publications. When this series was first beginning to be published in 2016 I must admit to being skeptical… why do women need to have books aimed at women and written by women? It all felt a little forced. However, since then I have read one of them […]

The History of the Puritans by Daniel Neal, abridged by Geoffrey Main, published privately. Neal’s four-volume history of the Puritans has here been abridged and condensed into one chunky volume. (This version engages with previous abridgements while also referring back to the first and classic editions.) Note that it is not a summary or a […]

Preaching Christ: The Life of B A Ramsbottom, by Paul Ramsbotttom, published by Gospel Standard Publications Those who knew Mr Ramsbottom (1929-2023) will need little encouragement from me to buy and read this affectionate biography written by his son, Paul. But those who did not have that privilege and perhaps, like me, did not even […]

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity Sometimes I grab a biography from our secondhand bookshelves as some ‘light’ reading. This one proved to be more than just a biography, this is an indepth analysis of the historical accuracy of the Quran against the historical accuracy of the Bible. Nabeel, a devoted Muslim […]

Upheld: A Widow’s Story of Love, Grief, and the Constancy of God If you have never read anything of Christine Farenhorst’s writings, you need to! She has a storytelling way with words that is quite unique: a meditative, thoughtful meander through word meadows which leave you wondering. Most of what she has written is historical […]

Pain of a Particular Kind by Peter Barnes The loss of a child… there are few things that a parent fears more. Here Peter Barnes writes from personal experience: the loss of a grandchild. He writes from the heart, there is no sugar coating of the intensity of the pain. As a Christian the grief […]

Thoughts on Religious Experience by Archibald Alexander The new year seemed like a good time to get stuck into a meaty book again after some easy-reading picks in the busyness at the end of last year. So far this one is proving to be worthy of slow, thoughtful reading. What an enormously complex subject of […]

The Pastor’s Soul – The Call and Care of an Undershepherd by Brian Croft and Jim Savastio, published by Evangelical Press (2018). Conrad Mbewe suggests that this book should be read by pastors at least once a year as a spiritual health check. I agree. Especially Part One where Paul’s command to Timothy (1 Timothy […]