P&R – Page 10 – Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing

New Series Release — Blessings of the Faith

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Kim

Today is the official release of our new series, Blessings of the Faith. Written for the church, the Blessings of the Faith series introduces and celebrates Reformed doctrine and practice—each book features a brief and practical overview of its topic with discussion questions and an extensive Q&A section.

Covenantal Baptism by Jason Helopoulos

Many are aware of the debate about infant baptism without knowing the biblical and theological case for it. In this pastoral introduction to the topic, Jason Helopoulos argues from Scripture for infant baptism in the context of the covenant God enters into with his people and the great blessings that flow from it. The practice of infant baptism benefits the children themselves, their parents, and the congregation as a whole. As do all books in the Blessings of the Faith series, this short volume concludes with answers to frequently asked and pertinent questions on the topic.

Informative and encouraging, this brief book will serve as a helpful primer and quick reference tool regarding Presbyterian baptism for pastors, elders, prospective new church members, parents, and family members of children.

Endorsements

“Jason Helopoulos has provided a concise yet robust resource for anyone who wants to know more about the truth and beauty of covenant baptism.”—Julius J. Kim, President, The Gospel Coalition

“Biblically enlightening, doctrinally sound, experientially balanced, and practically helpful. The Q&A section is superlative—so succinct, so wise, so ‘spot-on.’ . . . Highly recommended!” —Joel R. Beeke, President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

“An immensely helpful study of God’s Word on a very important topic. . . . If you want to understand Reformed teaching on baptism, look no further.” —Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

Expository Preaching by David Strain

Expositional preaching is highly regarded in Reformed churches—but do you sometimes wonder why? Isn’t it more efficient to study God’s Word in our own quiet times? Isn’t it more fun to discuss Scripture in a small group?

As a means of grace, preaching has a unique sin-killing, life-giving power that brings great blessing into our lives. Pastor David Strain establishes the basic biblical and theological foundations of preaching, highlights historical examples, and answers questions, fears, and objections about expositional preaching in a Reformed church.

Informative and encouraging, this short book serves as a helpful primer for pastors, study groups, and laypeople on expositional preaching and its place in the life of a Christian and the worship of the church.

Endorsements

“A thoughtful, engaging, stimulating primer. . . . Strain understands how vital it is for church members to hear God’s Word rightly and have it shape how they think and live.” —Ian Hamilton, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

“A book written with ‘wisdom from above’ on hearing the Word preached. . . . Biblical, readable, and engaging.”—Harry L. Reeder III, Senior Pastor, Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Birmingham

“How refreshing to read a work that insists on the supremacy of preaching in the local church.”—Dale Ralph Davis, Minister in Residence, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina

Persistent Prayer by Guy M. Richard

Praying should be as urgent and necessary to us as breathing—yet all too often we’re bored by it, distracted from it, or uncertain of its purpose. We don’t really know why we should pray.

We have many reasons to be excited about prayer, as Guy Richard shows us. It is the relationship glue that bonds our hearts more and more to the Lord. God commands us to pray, and he graciously answers our prayers. As we pour out our hearts to him, we and the world around us will be changed.

Informative, encouraging, and practical, this brief book will serve as a helpful primer for pastors, elders, study groups, and Christians who seek encouragement and instruction on prayer and its blessings. As do all books in the Blessings of the Faith series, this short volume concludes with answers to frequently asked and pertinent questions on the topic.

Endorsements

“Be prepared: after reading this book, you’ll want to pray big, God-honoring prayers.” —Christina Fox, Author, A Holy Fear: Trading Lesser Fears for the Fear of the Lord

“I love this book! . . . Thank you, Guy, for giving us such clear answers, anchored in the Scriptures, for why we should pray. What a gift.” —Crawford W. Loritts Jr., Author; Speaker; Radio Host

“Guy Richard is such a mentor. . . . Here’s a rich source of encouragement to spend time with our loving God!” —Sean Michael Lucas, Senior Pastor, Independent Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee

Foreword by Ligon Duncan (Ethics As Worship)

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Kim

Many of us live in a society in which sexual orientation and gender identity, climate change and care for the environment, capital punishment and criminal justice reform, racism and poverty, abortion, euthanasia, and physician-assisted suicide are hotly debated and polarizing issues. Who would have thought they were all about worship? Allow me to explain.

Christians believe that two aspects of worship are very important for the believing life: congregational worship and worship in all of life. In congregational worship (which is sometimes called corporate worship or public worship), God’s people gather on the Lord’s Day to meet with God and give him the glory due his name according to his Word, as his Word is read, preached, prayed, and sung, and as baptism and the Lord’s Supper (his “visible words,” Augustine called them) are administered. This aspect of worship (public worship) actually disciples Christians in how they are supposed to live the rest of their lives (worship in all of life).

Worship in all of life is what Paul is especially talking about in Romans 12:1–2: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” This passage begins an extended treatment of ethical issues in Romans 12–15. There, Paul is especially exhorting us about our whole manner of life, what we do in the totality of our thoughts, desires, speech, and actions. In other words, he is calling us to live our whole lives as worship to God. He wants believers to approach their lives by viewing themselves as living, breathing, walking, talking offerings to God (hence “living sacrifices”). To say it yet another way, Paul wants us to give our whole selves, the whole of our lives, to God as an act of worship. This means that how we live is worship. It shows our ultimate allegiance and our highest priority. It reveals our deepest convictions.

This is why Elizabeth Payson Prentiss, in her novel disguised as a journal, Stepping Heavenward, has Ernest say to Katy, “Every act of obedience is an act of worship.” What we believe, desire, say, and do are all expressions of worship. Hence, ethics is worship—the very thing that the writers of this book, Ethics as Worship, are considering. Personally, I believe that this aspect of the work, in and of itself, is worth the price of admission. They ask us to consider all our conduct, private and public, internal and external, individual and corporate, as worship.

And so whether we are considering justice and social engagement, race, ethnicity, and kingdom diversity, wealth and poverty, creation care and environmental stewardship, capital punishment, war, abortion, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and end-of-life decision-making, sexuality, marriage, divorce, and remarriage, contraception, birth control, and reproductive technologies, and the like, it’s all about worship. Whom we worship, from the heart, according to his instruction, in all of life, will show itself in our ethics. In fact, Liederbach and Lenow define Christian ethics as “a Christ-centered response of thanksgiving, rightly ordered by Scripture to be a service unto God in obedient love that is formed and embodied in a discipleship that is oriented missionally, such that all creation might once again do what it was created to do: maximally render unto God all the praise, honor, and glory that he is due.”

The very first course I taught as a newly minted systematic theology professor at Reformed Theological Seminary was Pastoral and Social Ethics. I wish I had had this volume to help me put that course together. Numerous features in this book stand out to me. For one, the tables sprinkled throughout the book are especially useful, for students and teachers alike, and I can see this volume as providing great assistance to both.

Their discussion of worldview (an idea that has undergone a serious cross-examination in the last few years) in relation to ethics is very helpful. Their inclusion of topics sometimes overlooked in evangelical ethical discussion (racism, societal justice, culturally embedded sin patterns, etc.), and their clear, calm, careful treatment of them, would make many of our current arguments better. I love their embrace and deployment of the threefold aspect of the law, and of the so-called third use of the law, as well as their gracious and compelling articulation of complementarianism, biblical sexuality, and more.

Liederbach and Lenow also engage knowledgeably and widely with the historic Christian tradition’s teaching on ethics and with the Protestant confessional legacy, thus grounding their consideration of Scripture in the wisdom of the church’s reading of the Scriptures. At some points, I would go in a little different direction from the one that they chart out. For instance, concerning marriage, divorce, and remarriage, my views are those of Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 24, helpfully elaborated by the PCA Study Committee Report on Divorce and Remarriage (1992)—but this does not take away at all from the help and clarity that I get from their treatment of even that topic.

This is a volume that I will use myself and commend to others for use in seminaries, universities, schools, and churches. Pastors, in particular, looking to disciple Christians in order that they would obey all that Jesus has commanded (Matt. 28:20) will be edified and equipped by this volume.

May your careful reading of this book help you to become a more grateful and faithful hearer and doer of God’s Word (Matt. 7:24), and so to worship God.

— Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary

Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship by Mark D. Liederbach & Evan Lenow

Available from:

Amazon ($49.99)
Christianbook ($38.99)
P&R Publishing ($37.50)

PCA Bookstore ($38.99)
Reformation Heritage Books ($27.00)
WTS Books ($34.99)

August New Releases

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Kim

We have two new releases today.

Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship by Mark D. Liederbach & Evan Lenow
When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer by Kevin P. Halloran

Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship by Mark D. Liederbach & Evan Lenow

Often we think of ethics as a system of codified rules and behavior modification. But when ethics takes our personal, saving God into account, it rightly becomes a system in which an attitude of worship shapes our hearts and actions.

Examining the biblical, theological, and philosophical foundations and application of Christian ethics, Ethics as Worship offers a coherent ethical system that emphasizes the worship of God as motivation, method, and goal of the ethical endeavor. It concludes with an exploration of how worship ought to shape a response to particular ethical topics and issues most relevant in our day: from justice, race, and environmental stewardship to sexuality and reproductive technologies.

Virtue and character formation in conformity to Christ must be guided by—and wed to—the biblical ethical norms revealed in Scripture. Readers will ultimately see every aspect of their lives as a response to God’s gift of salvation.

Endorsements

“The very first course I taught as a newly minted Systematic Theology professor at Reformed Theological Seminary was ‘Pastoral and Social Ethics.’ I wish I had had this volume to help me put that course together. Numerous features in this book stand out to me. For one, the tables sprinkled throughout the book are especially useful, for students and teachers alike, and I can see this volume as providing great assistance to both.”

—Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary, in his foreword to the book

“This is ultimately a book about God, his worthiness, and the praise that he is due. . . . I hope and pray that it will become a standard in the field of ethics for years to come—it is that well done.”

—Daniel L. Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Ethics as Worship provides desperately needed ballast for our souls amid a sea of ethical confusion.”

—David Platt, Author, Radical, Follow Me, and Counter Culture

“Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow get to the heart of ethics. . . . Their work is an asset to the field of Christian ethics and will be a valuable resource for years to come.”

—Rashan Frost, Executive Director, 1 Charleston

When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer by Kevin P. Halloran

“I’m not sure why prayer really matters.”

“I don’t know what to pray about.”

“God just doesn’t seem to hear me.”

“I’m too busy to pray.”

“I get so distracted.”

If you struggle to pray, be encouraged! The struggle reveals a desire to pray, and when you have that desire, you can address the obstacles to prayer by facing them head-on. Writing as a sympathetic and practical guide, Kevin Halloran helps you to pinpoint areas of weakness in your prayer life and take immediate steps to overcome them. We learnhow gospel truths speak into our common struggles in prayer

how gospel truths speak into our common struggles in prayer
how we can move forward in prayer in practical ways
how believers from past and present have overcome obstacles, persevered in prayer, and grown in their love for God

Examine your heart, implement practical measures, and experience the joys of faithfully drawing near to God.

Endorsements

“A treasure chest of wise and practical counsel. . . . This book will expand your horizons and give you a new vision for how you can pray more effectively.”

—Colin S. Smith, President, Unlocking the Bible

“Kevin Halloran’s book offers a wise combination of theological reflection and practical helps—both of which are intended to drive us to our knees in prayer to the One who knows and loves us.”

—Trevin Wax, General Editor, The Gospel Project

“We’ve been encouraged and blessed by [this] down-to-earth, relatable, and practically helpful approach to addressing the most typical hindrances to our prayer lives—and to addressing how we can grow to see prayer as a gift and joy rather than a duty or struggle.”

—Jeff and Sarah Walton, Authors, Together through the Storms

“Before I started, I wasn’t aware of how much I needed the wisdom in this book.”

—Jairo Nemnún, Director for International Coalitions, The Gospel Coalition

Two New Releases in July 2021

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Kim

We are excited to release these two titles today:

Hope: Living Confidently in God by John Crotts
Work That Makes a Difference by Daniel M. Doriani

Hope: Living Confidently in God by John Crotts

About

How do we persevere in hard times? When platitudes and “positive thinking” fail us, God gives us lasting hope through his Word. This sustaining certainty is based not on our state of mind but on the security of God’s character expressed consistently and reliably through his promises. In this 31-day devotional, John Crotts brings hope to the hearts of troubled Christians by showing how God’s power, plans, and care offer substantive hope for every kind of trial and failure.

In the 31-Day Devotionals for Life series, biblical counselors and Bible teachers guide you through Scripture passages that speak to specific situations or struggles, helping you to apply God’s Word to your life in practical ways day after day.

Endorsements

“John has excelled in this devotional format, turning the angles of biblical hope like a diamond, bringing forth the true hope we have in Jesus and his hope-giving Word.”

—Brian Borgman, Founding Pastor, Grace Community Church, Minden, Nevada

“John has written what I’d like to call ‘spiritual B12 shots of hope.’. . . I encourage readers of this great book to take their own ‘daily dose’ of hope in God and his promises and to spread it around.”

—Stuart W. Scott, Professor of Biblical Counseling, Graduate Program of The Master’s University

“John’s personal faith runs as a thread throughout the whole book, bringing authentic wisdom and encouragement to the life of any Christian who seeks to be reminded afresh of the unshakeable hope Christ provides in a broken world.”

—Brian Croft, Founder and Executive Director, Practical Shepherding

“This devotional will get the brother or sister who needs hope back into the Word on a daily basis through bite-sized portions.”

—Jim Newheiser, Director of the Christian Counseling Program, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte

Work That Makes a Difference by Daniel M. Doriani

About

If you’ve ever wondered how you can best serve God and your neighbor faithfully in your work, this study provides welcome encouragement and guidance. Discover what makes your work both good and strategically valuable—then develop a concrete plan to make a difference in your corner of the world.

Endorsements

“For the last year, Dan Doriani and I have empowered multicultural leaders with weekly meetings using Work That Makes a Difference. I highly recommend Dan’s book and invite you to join the team of multicultural faith-and-work disciple makers who live out the love of Jesus daily in the marketplace.”

—Brad Wos, Multicultural Director, Evangelical Free Church of America Central District

Praise for Dan Doriani’s Previous Book on Work

“Dan is an academic who wears his considerable scholarship lightly as he writes a theologically rich but accessible book on the Christian and work.”

—Timothy Keller, Author, Every Good Endeavor

“Dan was teaching on the relationship between faith, work, and culture long before this topic became popular. With a great love for the gospel and the hope of Christ’s kingdom stirring in his heart, Dan has given us a wonderful introduction to a biblical theology of work.”

—Scotty Smith, Teacher in Residence, West End Community Church, Nashville

Preface from Work That Makes a Difference by Dan Doriani

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Kim

PREFACE

This book aims to equip disciples to serve, love, and lead in the workplace and for the common good. At times, this book focuses on leaders and potential leaders, because leaders have so much influence on work. I interviewed hundreds of people for this project and often began by asking, “Do you like your job, and why?” So often, the reply began, “I like my work because my boss . . .” But this book is for everyone who works, leaders and ordinary laborers, paid or unpaid.

As the title of this book suggests, most of us want to make a difference, small or large, by our work. We may want to make our corner of the world a better place. Or we may aspire to earn a little more money or to work in a more positive place. In doing that we also make a difference. So then, whether we schedule appointments, clean buildings, fill orders, or run a small business, we can do it well or poorly, with a smile or a frown. In that way, everyone shapes their immediate neighborhood and perhaps the wider world.

I wrote this book during a pandemic that demonstrated how little we control our work. Overnight, a virus altered the economic landscape. Jobs disappeared. Businesses died and were born. The office lost importance. The disruption was staggering, even for economies that are accustomed to perpetual change and “creative destruction.”

Anyone can read a book alone; I designed this book to be discussed in a community of eight to twenty people. The chapter discussion questions were written for the cohort ministry of the Center for Faith and Work, St. Louis. Ideally, cohorts meet for seven to ten sessions and end with a project aimed at changing one small corner of the world. To learn more about starting a cohort, visit the website for the Center for Faith and Work, St. Louis: www.faithandworkstl.org.

Preliminary Reflections

Take time to jot down notes on each question before the first group discussion.

List three to five aspects of your work that most enliven you, aspects of work that make you eager to start the morning. They are tasks you might do for free, if you didn’t need income.
List concrete ways you can show your love for God while at work. When does it seem hard to love God or neighbor at your job?
What are some recent times when your work felt hard, even grueling? What are recent times when it felt like a calling from God?

—Daniel M. Doriani, Work That Makes a Difference (releasing 7/21/21)

AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER AT:

Amazon: $12.99
Christianbook: $10.99
PCA Bookstore: $10.13