Personal Reflections: A Dozen Interesting Reads (Listens) in 2024

 

Personal Reflections: A Dozen or So Interesting Reads (Listens) in 2024

Though I prefer old-fashioned reading of a book to listening I did break down and subscribe to Audible last year and this helped me get back on track for meeting my annual reading goals. I’ve recorded something similar the last couple years (2021, 2022, 2023). Here is a dozen or so highlights from 2024 (in no particular order):

1.    Keith Underhill, Planted by the Providence of God (Broken Wharfe, 2023).

This is three books in one: A memoir of Underhill, a pioneer RB missionary in Kenya; a history of the RB movement in Kenya; and a manual on church planting. Underhill shares transparently and forthrightly about time of peace and conflict, highs and lows, over decades of cross-cultural ministry. I’ve written an extended review which I hope will be published in 2025.

2.    Ibrahim Ag Mohamed, God’s Love for Muslims: Communicating Bible Grace and New Life (Metropolitan Tabernacle, 2015, 2016).

This brief, clearly written booklet is the best and most accessible resource I have found on Christian understanding of and ministry to Muslims.

3.    Hercules Collins, An Orthodox Catechism: Being the Sum of Christian Religion Contained in the Law and Gospel (PBHB, 2020).

Collins was an English Particular Baptist Pastor who penned this Baptistic version of the Heidelberg Catechism in 1680. I used this beautiful hardback edition with KJV Proofs, along with the paperback edition published by RBAP in 2014, as a supplement as I preached through the Heidelberg Catechism at CRBC in 2024.

4.    P. Gardner-Smith, Saint John and the Synoptic Gospels (Cambridge, 1938).

Finally got to read this year this influential little book, which argues that the Fourth Gospel does not demonstrate any knowledge of or dependence upon the so-called Synoptic Gospels. I totally disagree with the thesis.

5.    Karen H. Jobes and Moisés Silva, Invitation to the Seputagint, Second Edition (Baker Academic, 2000, 2015).

I was greatly helped by reading this introduction to the status questionis in modern Septuagintal studies, in preparation for the 2024 Reformation Bible Society conference on “The Reformation Text and the Septuagint.” I was also helped by reading Edmund Gallagher’s Translation of the Seventy: History, Reception, and Contemporary Use of the Septuagint (Abilene Christian University Press, 2021).

6.    John T. McNeil, The Celtic Churches: A History, A.D. 200 to 1200 (University of Chicago Press, 1974).

I started reading this in preparation for a trip to Cornwall and a desire to understand better my own Celtic roots. Solid and intriguing history of Celtic Christianity from Brittany to Cornwall to Wales to Ireland and Scotland. This also sent me on a listening spree, including Thomas Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization (Anchor, 1996); Jim Webb, Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America (Crown, 2005); and J. D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy (Harper Collins, 2026), as well as reading Janet Backhouse, The Lindisfarne Gospel (The British Library, 2000).

7.    Pierre Viret, A Simple Exposition of the Christian Faith (Zurich Publications, 2013, 2017).

I appreciated this devotional instrument of discipleship, under the guise of a dialogue or conversation between two men, Matthew and Peter, originally written in French by Viret, the Reformer of Lausanne. I also enjoyed learning more about the author by reading Jean-Marc Berthoud, Pierre Viret: A Forgotten Giant of the Reformation (Zurich Publications, 2010).

8.    Nicholas P. Lunn, The Gospels Through Old Testament Eyes: Exploring Extended Allusions (Apollos/IVP Academic, 2023).

This book is a creative and fascinating study not of direct quotations or citations but allusions to OT passages and backgrounds in the canonical Gospels. It brought to light various connections I had not previously seen. I plan to write a review of this book, DV, in 2025.

9.    Richard J. Mouw, He Shines in All That’s Fair: Culture and Common Grace (Eermans, 2002); and David J. Engelsma, Common Grace Revisited: A Response to Richard J. Mouw’s He Shines in All That’s Fair (RFPA, 2003).

I picked up both these slim volumes for a song at the used section of the Baker bookstore while I was in Grand Rapids in November and got started reading them on the plane ride home. This is an old controversy among the Dutch Reformed that resulted in a cordial public debate between the two men, attended by thousands in Grand Rapids, in the early 2000s regarding “common grace.” Engelsma carries the day in this pamphlet war, IMHO.

10.                        Matthew Thiessen, Jesus and the Forces of Death (Baker Academic, 2021).

There are not too many academic NT books available on Audible. I found this one to be a stimulating listen and now must get the book to read. Thiessen challenges conventional readings of “ritual purity” in contemporary NT scholarship. I did not always agree with him but especially want to chase down his sources suggesting that Biblical leprosy (lepra) is not the same as Hansen’s disease.

11.                       Nicholas Orme, The History of England’s Cathedrals (Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 2017).

I ordered this after my visit to Salisbury Cathedral in October. Not just a history of Cathedrals but really a history of Christianity in England. Of late I’ve also gotten interested in reading about Anglicanism. I’ve gotten a couple works underway but did finish last year Arthur Middleton, Reforming the Anglican Mind (Gracewing, 2008), as well as the somewhat related work, Brad Littlejohn and Chris Castaldo, Why Do Protestants Convert? (Davenant Press, 2023).

12.                       Stephen J. Nichols, R. C. Sproul: A Life (Crossway, 2021).

This was one of my beach reads on summer vacation last year. It was easy to read, full of anecdotes. Enjoyed especially the inside account of Sproul’s work in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. I had a harder time getting through Collin Hanson, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual Life and Intellectual Formation, 2023). At the start of the year, I finished Allen C. Guelzo, Robert E. Lee: A Life (Knopf, 2021) and had an animated discussion at a wedding reception with a friend who is also (like Guelzo) a Christian and a Lincoln scholar about the book’s presentation of Lee.

“when thou comest, bring with thee… the books” (2 Timothy 4:13).

JTR

Personal Reflections: A Dozen Memorable Events of 2024

 

Image: Preaching at the Salisbury Conference, October 5, 2024 in Salisbury, England.

The ending of one year and the beginning of another naturally lends itself to reflection. For the fourth consecutive year, here are a dozen memorable events from the year past (see 2021, 2022, and 2023 reflections) in rough chronological order:

First: I had two books published (or republished in new editions) this year: First, my book on the doctrines of grace, Before the Foundation of the World: Doctrines of God’s Free Grace (Broken Wharfe, 2024). Second, my simplification and abridgement of John Owen’s work on ecclesiology, Gospel Church Government (Grace Publications, 2024).

Second: I attended and participated in the 25^th Year Anniversary Banquet, Faculty Conference, and Graduation Ceremonies at International Reformed Baptist Seminary (IRBS) May 16-18, 2024 in Mansfield, Texas.

Third: I joined three brothers from a sister RB church in Virginia for a ministry trip to Costa Rica, May 30-June 3, 2024. I had the privilege of teaching in a Bible Conference at the San Jose RB Church and then preaching on the Lord’s Day at the RB church in Liberia. Thankful for Luke Peterson for organizing the trip.

Fourth: I had the privilege of teaching the children of CRBC in our summer Bible School on the great writing prophets of the OT (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Jonah), June 17-21, 2024.

Fifth: I enjoyed a week of vacation with family at Topsail Beach, North Carolina, June 24-29, 2024.

Sixth: I had the privilege of teaching the youth of CRBC using Peter Masters’ book Steps for Guidance in the Journey of Life  at our annual Youth Conference held at the Machen Conference Center in Highland County, VA, July 19-20, 2024.

Seventh: I has the privilege of serving as the founding chairman of the Reformation Bible Society and participating in our first annual conference on August 3, 2024 at the Liberty Mountain Conference Center at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, where I presented a plenary address titled, “How Did the Early Church Use the Septuagint?”

Eighth: Our family reached a milestone when my youngest son left home to begin engineering studies at Virginia Tech in late August, 2024.

Ninth: We hosted my friend Pastor Miklos Chiciudean (from Soli Deo Gloria BC in Budapest, Hungary) and his wife Kinga, September 26—October 2, 2024. This included attending the 2024 Keach Conference at Grace Baptist Chapel in Hampton, VA on September 28, 2024 where Pastor Miklos and Pastor D. Scott Meadows, from Calvary RBC in Exeter, NH, preached on the perseverance of the saints.

Tenth: I preached at the 2024 Salisbury Conference, October 4-6, 2024, at Emmanuel Church in Salisbury, England, addressing four conference messages on the theme, “Experiencing the Word of God” and preaching on the Lord’s Day. Our generous host was Pastor John Thackway and wife Margaret. After the conference my wife and I enjoyed a few days of travel in Cornwall (including Newquay, St. Ives, and Port Isaac) and Wales (Cardiff).

Eleventh: I had several book reviews and articles published throughout the year in Puritan Reformed Journal, Bible League Quarterly, Biblical Theology Bulletin, and the TBS’s Quarterly Record. These included, “Verses with ‘Zero-Support’ in the Modern Critical Text of the Greek New Testament,” QR No. 649 (October-December, 2024): 21-26.

Twelfth: I enjoyed a ministry trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 18-21, 2024. I spoke at the annual conference of the Trinitarian Bible Society-USA on Monday, November 18 on the topic, “Why the KJV is still the best Bible in English: A dozen (or so) reasons as to why one might justifiably prefer to use (or continue to use) the AV translation of the Bible.” I also visited with some faculty, staff, and students at Puritan Seminary and did some planning/preparation for the 2025 Reformation Bible Society meeting, which will be held, DV, in GR.

“My times are in thy hand” (Psalm 31:15).

SDG!

JTR

Personal Reflections: A Dozen Interesting Reads in 2023

 

“…when thou comest, bring with thee… the books….” (2 Timothy 4:13). Both ministry and scholarship require constant reading. Here are a few notes on a dozen interesting books, of various stripes, read in 2023 (listed in no particular order). I posted similar articles on reading in 2021 and 2022.

One: Richard M. Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences, Expanded Edition (University of Chicago, 1948, 2013): 203 pp.

This is the best-known work of Weaver (1910-1963), the Southern philosopher, historian, and literary critic, with roots in Asheville, North Carolina, who taught at the University of Chicago. Weaver critiques the “hysterical optimism” of modern post-WW2 American society, including the “Great Stereopticon” and the “Spoiled-Child Psychology” of modern life.

Two: Eusebius Pamphilus, The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine (original 337; Aeterna Press, 1845, 2014): 243 pp.

The “father of church history” wrote this glowing account of the Roman Emperor who brought an end to the Diocletian persecution of Christianity and became a patron and protector of the fledgling Christian movement.

Three: Robert P. Ericksen, Theologians Under Hitler (Yale University Press, 1885, 1986): 245 pp.

This book offers a compelling survey and analysis of the life and writings of three German theologians whose reputations were tarnished by their association with National Socialism: Gerhard Kittel (editor of the famed multi-volume Bible dictionary); Paul Althaus; and Emmanuel Hirsch.

Four: Robert C. Gregg, Trans. and Introduction, Athanasius: The Life of Anthony and the Letter to Marcellinus (Paulist Press, 1980): 166 pp.

This book presents a translation of two works by Athanasius, the fierce defender of the Trinitarian orthodoxy. The work on Anthony offers a glimpse into the ascetic piety of the famed desert father and his influence on monasticism.

Five: B. H. Streeter, The Four Gospels: A Study of Origins (MacMillan, 1925): 622 pp.

This groundbreaking work by the English New Testament scholar Streeter famously expanded upon the “two source” hypothesis solution to the so-called Synoptic Problem by suggesting four sources (Mark, Q, M, and L). The “assured results” of source criticism have since (rightly) fallen on hard times, but this work still offers an interesting look into what was “cutting edge” scholarship in the early twentieth century. 2024 will mark the 100^th anniversary of this book.

Six: Francis Watson, The Fourfold Gospel: A Theological Reading of the New Testament Portraits of Jesus (Baker Academic, 2016): 207 pp.

Watson offers a “theological reading” of the four Gospels. Of special interest are his references to how the Eusebian canons represent an early effort to provide a harmonious understanding of the fourfold Gospel.

Seven: Geoffrey Thomas, In the Shadow of the Rock (Reformation Heritage Books, 2022): 325 pp.

I read this biography of the Welsh Calvinistic Baptist preacher anticipating his speaking at the 2023 Keach Conference. An interesting memoir of 50 years in pastoral ministry in one church, but also offering insight into Westminster Seminary (where Thomas studied) in its “glory days” and anecdotes on various key figures in evangelicalism, including D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Albert Martin, and others. I’ve written a review of the book that I hope will be published in 2024.

Eight: C. H. Spurgeon, Commentary on Matthew: The Gospel of the Kingdom (Banner of Truth, 1893, 2019): 442 pp.

I read this work, the only complete commentary on a NT book penned by Spurgeon, section by section as I preached expositionally through Matthew and finished it last year when I completed the sermon series. It offers a treasure trove of homiletical insights and pithy aphorisms for the preacher. Very useful for those preaching through the First Gospel.

Nine: Iain R. K. Paisley, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans: Prepared in a Prison Cell (Marshall, Morgan, and Scott, 1968): 191 pp.

I got this book after returning home from a trip this year to Northern Ireland and stopping by the Martyrs Memorial Presbyterian Church in Belfast where this controversial Ulster politician and Free Presbyterian minister served. It is a “prison epistle” written while the author was jailed for his political activity in 1966. Like Spurgeon’s Matthew commentary, loaded with quotable quotes. A book written by a gifted orator. For a list of quotes, see this blog article.

Ten: Alister E. McGrath, A Life of John Calvin (Baker Academic, 1990, 1991, 1995): 332 pp.

I got this before going to the Calvin Congress in Grand Rapids and finished reading it shortly afterwards. Though I did not agree with every area of analysis, one of the best biographies of Calvin and overview of his writings I have read.

Eleven: John P. Thackway, Ed., Valiant for Truth: The Collected Writings of Bishop D. A. Thompson (Bible League Quarterly, 2020): 352 pp.

I worked my way slowly through this book last year. D. A. Thompson was a former bishop in the Free Church of England and editor of the Bible League Quarterly from 1961-1970. These are a collection of his devotional and scholarly articles from his days as BLQ editor. Thompson was a pious, erudite, winsome and capable defender of the “Reformation Text.” I’ve written a review of the book that I hope will be published in 2024.

Twelve: Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons (original 1862; Oxford World Classics, 2008): 296 pp.

I heard a mention of this book while listening to a podcast and was intrigued enough to give it a listen on LibriVox. Then I had to get a hard copy. It is a short, very readable novel. The central figure is Bazarov, a “nihilist” who comes home from university to challenge the views of his elders. It rejects the notion that overthrowing tradition is warranted in the name of “progress” and is especially poignant given what would happen in Russia just a few decades later.

JTR

Personal Reflections: A Dozen Memorable Events of 2023

 

Image: CRBC Meeting House, Louisa, Virginia

Here are a few reflections on at least a dozen highlights from 2023 in general chronological order. I’ve composed similar lists the last couple of years. Look here for 2021 and 2022 reflections.

First: My oldest daughter Hannah was married to her husband James on January 7, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. I was honored to walk her down the aisle and co-officiate at the wedding with their Pastor.

Second: On Friday, April 14, 2023 I was happy to serve as host Pastor for the inaugural Presbyterion, Spring Pastors’ Fraternal, hosted by the Reformed Baptist Fellowship of Virginia, meeting at CRBC, and to offer a review of a chapter, along with three other brothers, of James Renihan’s Exposition of the 1689 Confession.

Third: I greatly enjoyed teaching a weeklong intensive course on the Gospels for IRBS-UK in Ramsbottom, England from April 24-28, 2023. I also had the privilege of preaching at the Trinity Baptist Church in Charlesworth and the Trinity Grace Church in Ramsbottom on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

Fourth: My second daughter Lydia was married to her husband Brendon on June 3, 2023 in Alexandria, Virginia. I was honored to walk her down the aisle and to co-officiate at the wedding with one of their Pastors.

Fifth: I traveled to the UK June 12-17, 2023 to speak at two Trinity & Text conferences for the Trinitarian Bible Society. I gave lectures on “The Providential Preservation of Scripture” and on “The Trinity and the Text of John 1:18” in Lisburn, Northern Ireland on June 14 and in London on June 16. I enjoyed good fellowship and travel with Samet Sahin of Turkey and Jonathan Arnold of TBS. I also preached in midweek meetings at Westminster Baptist Church in central London and Ridley Hall Evangelical Church in Battersea.

Sixth: I taught the Life and Teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Luke to the children of CRBC during our annual Vacation Bible School, June 19-22, 2023 in Louisa, Virginia. Later in the summer, on July 21-22, 2023, I organized and oversaw the 2023 Virginia Reformed Baptist Youth Conference at Machen Retreat and Conference Center in Highland County, Virginia.

Seventh: I enjoyed a week of vacation with my family at the beach in Topsail Island, North Carolina July 10-15, 2023, which included a 90^th birthday celebration for my father-in-law.

Eighth: My booklet Why John 7:53—8:11 Is In The Bible was published by the Trinitarian Bible Society. Along with several other articles and book reviews which appeared in various places, I also wrote an extended essay titled “Retrieving the Bibliology of John Owen” for the 2023 Journal of International Reformed Baptist Seminary.

Ninth: I attended the International Congress on Calvin Research, held at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 25-28, 2023, where I presented a paper on “John Calvin as Textual Critic in his Commentary on John” and got to visit the Meeter Center for Calvin Research. Some of my family came along for the trip and we got to watch several baseball games along the way including Tigers-Giants in Detroit and Pirates-Phillies in Pittsburg, as well as the minor league White Caps-TinCaps in Grand Rapids.

Tenth: I attended the 2023 Keach Conference at Covenant Reformed Baptist Church in Warrenton, Virginia on Saturday, September 30, 2023 where I delivered the annual “Orientation” to the conference and enjoyed meeting and hearing Pastor Geoffrey Thomas of Wales.

Eleventh: I officiated at the wedding service for my niece and her husband at Ash Lawn Highland in Albemarle County, Virginia on October 28, 2023 and got to spend time with my siblings and their families.

Twelfth: I attended and had the privilege of giving two lectures on the “Authenticity of Scripture” and the “Accuracy of Scripture” at the 2023 Kept Pure in All Ages Conference hosted by the Five Solas OPC Church in Reedsburg, Wisconsin on November 3-4, 2023.

I am thankful for the Lord’s kindness in these and many other memorable moments in 2023. I am very blessed to pursue and do many things that I greatly enjoy.

SDG!

JTR

Personal Reflections: A Dozen or So Interesting Reads in 2022

 

I generally like to do some reflection at the end of one year and the beginning of another, including thinking about the reading I’ve done. I used to make it my goal to complete one book each week (so c. 52 books a year). The last few years have not allowed me as much time for sustained reading as I would like. I have the tendency to get started in a book and then leave it when another catches my eye. I’m also more prone to just read a chapter or two from a book that addresses a topic of interest or research. New books seem always to be piling up. I’ve kept a reading journal for many years. I also try to write book reviews (some of which I post to my blog, submit to journals for publication, or just keep for myself). I find that this discipline has helped me remember the contents of my reading better and the reviews/notes also serve as a resource for my preaching, teaching, and writing. Though I have a specific interest in text and translation of the Bible, I am overall a generalist (as most ministers are) and enjoy reading in various areas of theology and church history and in other genres too.

All that said, here are a Dozen or So Interesting Reads in 2022 (in no particular order). Here is a similar article I did last year on Ten Interesting Reads in 2021.

One: Matthew Barrett, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit (Baker Books, 2021).

This was the Christianity Today book of the year in 2021. Though pitched at a popular level, it still required careful reading. It helped me think through the doctrine of the Trinity and to be more careful when speaking and writing about God.

Two: The Van Kleeck trilogy: Peter Van Kleeck, Jr. A Philosophical Grounding for a Standard Sacred Text: Leveraging Reformed Epistemology in the Quest for a Standard English Version of the Bible (2021); Peter Van Kleeck, Sr. An Exegetical Grounding for a Standard Sacred Text: Toward the Formulation of a Systematic Theology of Providential Preservation (2021); Peter Van Kleeck, Sr and Peter Van Kleeck, Jr., A Theological Grounding for a Standard Sacred Text: An Apologetic Bibliology in Favor of the Authorized Version (2022).

Though the Van Kleecks defend the traditional text (“Standard Sacred Text”) of the Bible from a perspective not exactly the same as my own, I found plenty that was helpful in their books on epistemology, preservation, and Bibliology.

Three: Arnold Dallimore, Spurgeon: A New Biography (Banner of Truth, 1985, 2009):

My family started reading this book aloud together after supper in the fall of 2021, before we made a trip to visit Metropolitan Tabernacle, and finished it up early in 2022. A lively survey of Spurgeon’s life, sometimes bordering on hagiography, that provoked lots of helpful family discussion on everything from historiography to smoking cigars.

Four: The Sentences of Sextus (Scholars Press, 1981).

This slim diglot (Greek and English) of 451 pithy maxims, opens a window into an early effort to blend Christianity with Stoicism, and still offers some sage counsel. A few examples:

Sentence 171b: When among believers listen rather than speak.

Sentence 262: If you want to live happily, do not do too many things; for if you do more than you should, you will do it poorly.

Five: Thomas Oden, A Change of Heart: A Personal and Theological Memoir (InterVarsity Press, 2014).

Oden spent the first half of his life as a modern theological liberal and the second half trying to retrieve the wisdom of the ancient church (including his magnum opus, editing the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series).

A few other memoirs I read last year: Frank Schaeffer, Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes in God: How to Give Love, Create Beauty, and Find Peace (Schaeffer, 2014); Luke Timothy Johnson, The Mind in Another Place: My Life as a Scholar (Eerdmans, 2022); Charles Marsh, Evangelical Anxiety: A Memoir (HarperOne, 2022).

Six: John S. Barnes, Ed., A Stone, A Leaf, A Door: Poems by Thomas Wolfe (Scribner’s, 1945).

The cover of this slim hardback caught my eye when browsing through one of my favorite used bookstores in Charlottesville. Wonderful collection of poems from a writer with whom I share Western North Carolina roots.

Seven: Samuel D. Renihan, Crux, Mors, Inferi: A Primer and Reader on the Descent of Christ (2021).

I’ve been thinking of “the descent” the last couple years, having read the takes of Daniel Hyde, Matthew Emmerson, and Hilarion Alfeyev. Renihan adds more fuel to the fire, but I’m not quite settled on it yet.

Eight: John O’Malley, Trent: What Happened at the Council (Belknap Press, 2013).

A respected Roman Catholic scholar offers a survey of Trent and its response to the Protestant Reformation. What stood out to me was the astounding corruption of the Roman leadership, and this made me admire only more the courage and tenacity of the Reformers.

Nine: Joshua Schooping, Disillusioned: Why I Left the Eastern Orthodox Priesthood and Church (Theophany Press, 2022).

We hear quite a bit about former Protestants and Evangelicals who convert to Rome or Constantinople, but this brief work describes a pilgrimage in the opposite direction.

Ten: Brent Nongbri, Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept (Yale, 2013).

I’ve appreciated Nongbri’s writings on the text of the Bible and his challenging the dating of some manuscripts. This made me want to read some of his other writings, including this one on the comparative study of religion. He makes the argument that the very use and definition of the word “religion” has been influenced by modern Protestantism and inappropriately applied both to “world religions” and “ancient religions.”

Eleven: Gregory R. Lanier and William A. Ross, The Septuagint: What It Is and Why It Matters (Crossway, 2021).

This book provides some good information and makes some good points, like the term “Septuagint” is fuzzy, and it’s better simply to talk about the “Greek Old Testament.” Negative: It assumes the LXX (aka Greek OT) should be used to “correct” the Hebrew. Positive: Good discussion of how to understand quotations of the LXX (Greek OT) in the NT.

Twelve: Frank Furedi, Why Borders Matter: Why Humanity Must Relearn the Art of Drawing Boundaries (Routledge, 2021).

This isn’t a book about immigration but about borders or boundaries as a sociological concept. Some interesting applications for religion and even for Bibliology.

JTR

Personal Reflections: A Dozen Memorable Events of 2022

 

Image: Preaching at the SDG Reformed Baptist Church, Budapest, Hungary, October 2022.

At the end of last year I noted a dozen memorable events of 2021. Looking back on 2022 I thought I’d do the same. Here are ten select highlights (in general chronology order), along with a few links, from 2022:

1.     I got to see my youngest two sons start on the Grace Christian School baseball team and win a second consecutive VACA state championship (this time over Smith Mt Lake CS) held on the campus at Liberty University on May 14. My son Isaiah won the tournament MVP for the second consecutive year. I also got to see Isaiah graduate from Grace in May and begin college in August.

2.     I enjoyed a week of vacation with my family at Topsail Island, North Carolina, June 27—July 2.

3.     I had the privilege of giving three lectures on “Received Text Apologetics” at the 2022 Kept Pure in All Ages Conference at the Five Solas OPC in Reedsburg, Wisconsin on July 22-23.

4.     The book Why I Preach from the Received Text, which I co-edited with Christian McShaffrey and to which I contributed a chapter, was released by The Greater Christian Heritage in July 2022 and became the publisher’s all-time best-seller. I also had several articles published throughout the year including “A Defence of the Traditional Text of Scripture,” in Sword & Trowel (Metropolitan Tabernacle, London) (2022 No. 1); “One Thing is Needful: An Exposition of Luke 10:38-42” in Reformation Today (No. 305, July-September, 2022); and “In Defense of the Traditional Text of Philippians 4:13” in Bible League Quarterly (July-September, 2022). In addition, the Ukrainian edition of my book The Doctrines of Grace: An Introduction to the Five Points of Calvinism was also published in December.

5.     I baptized my youngest son Joseph, along with several others, on Sunday, August 14 at the Woolfolk’s pond in Louisa. I have now had the privilege of baptizing all five of my children upon their profession of faith.

6.     My oldest daughter Hannah became the first of my children to be engaged to be married [to a fine young man from Texas] (the wedding will be in early 2023).

7.     I gave a challenge-to-the-candidate ordination message in the service to install my friend Andrew McCaskill to the eldership on August 28, at Emmanuel RBC, Verona, Virginia.

8.     I had the privilege of speaking on “The Case for the Received Text” at the Text and Translation Conference sponsored by the Trinitarian Bible Society in their offices in  London on September 15. I then attended the 191^st Annual General Meeting of the Trinitarian Bible Society, held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle Church in London on September 17. I also preached at Westminster Baptist Church in London in the morning and evening services on Sunday, September 18 (the day before the Queen’s funeral).

9.     I gave the “Orientation to the 2022 Keach Conference” at the 21^st annual meeting of this theology conference, held on September 24 at Grace Baptist Chapel in Hampton, Virginia.

10.I gave three lectures on “The Reformation and the Text of the Bible” in a conference sponsored by the Soli Deo Gloria Baptist Church in Budapest, Hungary on October 29 and then preached the morning and evening services there on October 30. I enjoyed the hospitality of Pastor Miklos Chiciudean (and his family). Miklos had been one of my students in the Hungarian Baptist Seminary thirty years ago.

11. My youngest son Joseph started for Grace when they won their first ever VACA state championship in soccer on October 29 in Harrisonburg over Blue Ridge CS (but I was in Hungary and had to miss seeing it in person!).

12. I passed the 30^th anniversary of my ordination to pastoral ministry, which took place at Beulah Baptist Church in Lyells, Virginia on November 15, 1992.

SDG!

JTR

Thirty Years Ago Today

 

From my twitter @Riddle1689:

Thirty years ago today I was ordained to the gospel ministry at age 27 by the first church I served as Pastor, Beulah Baptist Church in Lyells, Virginia. The deacons gave me this Cambridge KJV Bible.

My father J. C. Riddle preached the ordination sermon. We sang this hymn I had written to the ST. ANNE tune in the service. My mother-in-law later created this calligraphy work of the lyrics and gave it to me as a gift. It hangs in my bedroom, so I see it every day.

At this point, I had just come back from two years in Hungary. Before that there had been four years of summer ministry as a college student and three years of seminary where I served in chaplaincy and teaching in my local church.

Over these 30 years I have served three churches as pastor, moving from SBC to RB life, and planting the church I now pastor, 12 years ago.

Ministry is hard. I've seen both the best and worst of myself and others. There have been many Mondays when I wanted to quit and have a normal job. I'll never forget the man I met at the DMV counter one day who told me through tears how he used to be in the ministry.

Through it all, Christ has constantly proved himself faithful and worthy of the greatest admiration. I love him and want to serve him with my life so much more than I did 30 years ago. SDG.

JTR

Marking 20 Years of Friendship

I took this photo Sunday after church of me with my friend Bonnie Beach. It was twenty years ago this summer that I first met Bonnie Beach. We worked together for 13 of those years. She taught my oldest daughter Hannah in preschool and later became my ministry assistant when I served an SBC church in Charlottesville. She now does the bulletin each week at CRBC as part of her member duties. Bonnie has been a blessing to me and my family in many ways (not the least of which is that she takes care of our dog when we're out of town!). She is a kind and generous friend with a servant's heart who has been like a sister to me. We also greatly appreciate her husband John, a graduate, as he tells it, of O.I.C. and the school of hard knocks, who's always been ready to lend me a hand when I've needed his expert counsel for home projects. I am blessed and thankful.

JTR