Practical Theology / Preaching

  • A Hopeful Offense by John Starke

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2012

    In my neighborhood, there are almost thirty Jewish synagogues. These congregations include Reformed, Orthodox, and Hasidic Judaism. And, of course, our city is full of secular Jews who have long left any traditional form of their faith. So, on any …Read More

  • The Church and Idolatry by Jared Wilson

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

    “Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God” (1 Chron. 22:19). All sin is idolatry because every sin is an exercise in trust of something or someone other than the one true God to satisfy …Read More

  • Grace to You: An Interview with John MacArthur by John MacArthur

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2012

    TT: How did the Grace to You radio program begin, and how many people does it reach today? John MacArthur: It began in kind of a roundabout fashion. Sometime in the early 1970s, we began to get letters from Baltimore …Read More

  • The Bible, the Whole Bible, and Nothing but the Bible: An Interview with Eric J. Alexander by Eric Alexander

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2012

    Tabletalk: Describe how God first called you to ministry. Eric Alexander: From as early as I can remember, if anyone had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would not have hesitated to answer, “I …Read More

  • God-Centered Preaching by Bernie van Eyk

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2012

    “People are starving for the greatness of God,” observes John Piper, “but most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives. The majesty of God is an unknown cure. There are far more popular prescriptions on the …Read More

  • Beauty and the Princeton Piety by Andrew Hoffecker

    The Princeton Theology was an attempt to maintain Reformed theology and experience in America during the nineteenth and the opening decades of the twentieth centuries. The men at Princeton staunchly defended the objective elements in the Christian faith against the …Read More

  • The Pastor – His Identity and Authority by John White

    We have ceased to think theologically about the ministry. Instead, we characterize it almost exclusively in functional or institutional terms. There are at least two reasons for this shift in emphasis. On the one hand there are the new developments …Read More

  • The Coming of the Kingdom by R.C. Sproul

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2012

    The gospel of Mark is notable for its lack of extended accounts of Jesus’ teaching. Furthermore, Mark gives us noticeably fewer parables than do Matthew and Luke. However, in chapter 4 of his gospel, Mark records four parables. He begins …Read More

  • The Origin of Calvinism by John Piper

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2011

    Of course, like every other man besides Jesus Christ, John Calvin was imperfect. His renown is not owing to infallibility but to his relentless allegiance to the Scriptures as the Word of God in a day when the Bible had …Read More

  • Happy Pastors by C.J. Mahaney

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2011

    As the star of the television series Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe suits up and labors in some of the most dirty and dangerous work environments possible. To date, he hasn’t tried pastoring. But pastoring qualifies as a dirty job …Read More

  • An Outpost of Jesus’ Kingdom: An Interview with Mark Driscoll by Mark Driscoll

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2011

    Tabletalk: What do you believe is the ultimate purpose of the church? Mark Driscoll: The biblical marks of the church universally and its expressions locally are many (for example, the Word, sacraments, discipline, discipleship, mission/evangelism, love), but their overarching …Read More

  • Preaching Christ by R.C. Sproul

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2011

    The church of the twenty-first century faces many crises. One of the most serious is the crisis of preaching. Widely diverse philosophies of preaching vie for acceptance among contemporary clergy. Some see the sermon as a fireside chat; others, as …Read More

  • Potent Preaching by R.C. Sproul Jr.

    We don’t understand God. What is it about Him that so often leads Him to mute His power, to hide behind the weak and lame? It’s not as though He doesn’t understand His own power. His Word …Read More

  • Get Real by Keith Mathison

    FROM TABLETALK | June 2010

    I do not care for shopping malls. I have not reflected on the reasons for my dislike for any significant amount of time. It’s just a gut-level, visceral reaction I have when I enter one of these buildings. I …Read More

  • Preaching Grace

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2010

    Doctrine is the necessary basis for a sound spiritual life, and defective doctrine almost inevitably leads to a distorted spiritual life. Nowhere is this truth more evident than in understanding the relationship between the old covenant law and the gospel …Read More