James Austin

Having carefully read Holiness, by J.C. Ryle, I sought to put forth an effort to better understand what holiness is. To inform my spirit what it specifically is from the authority of biblical imperatives and …

The book O Come O Come, Emmanuel is a devotional compilation of materials structured in liturgical form. It is a work of beautiful material that follows the liturgical format of Be Thou My Vision. The …

“Rock and Sand: An Orthodox Appraisal of the Protestant Reformers and Their Teachings” by Dr. Josiah Trenham significantly contributes to the ongoing dialogue between Orthodox Christianity and Protestantism. Published in 2015, this work aims to …

After the Puritan period of Christian faith and practice, few figures drew as much reverence as Jonathan Edwards. Born on October 5, 1703, in East Windsor, Connecticut, Edwards emerged as a figure who significantly influenced …

“Story of a Soul” (“L’Histoire d’une Âme”) is an autobiographical work by St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin), a Carmelite nun and one of the most venerated figures in modern Catholicism. Thérèse The book …

In “All of Grace,” Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the renowned 19th-century Baptist preacher, offers a timeless exploration into the heart of Christian theology: the doctrine of grace. Not merely a theoretical exposition for academic theologians, this …

“Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers” is a book by Dane Ortlund that delves into the character and heart of Jesus Christ. Published in 2020, the book provides readers with …

Tollhouses, in Eastern Orthodox theology, refer to a somewhat controversial and debated concept about the soul’s journey after death. The term “tollhouse” is a bit of a metaphor, suggesting that just as one might have …

In the turbulent backdrop of the 16th-century Reformation, a profound voice emerged that would shape the contours of Protestant theology for generations to come. In his seminal work “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” John Calvin …

C.S. Lewis’s “The Abolition of Man” is a defense of objective values against the encroachments of subjectivism and relativism. While Lewis’s arguments are informed by various sources, the classical Greek philosophies of Plato and Aristotle …

In the book “In The LORD I Take Refuge,” the author, Dane Ortlund, wrote a commentary alongside each chapter of the book of Psalms. As a Presbyterian pastor with a Ph.D., he offers reflections and …

Mere Christianity is a profound work of theological literature written by British writer and lay theologian C.S. Lewis. First published in 1942, the book is a timeless and influential work in Christian apologetics. Much of …

Having read The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, it is helpful to understand Bunyan’s background as the author of this widely-known book. The Pilgrim’s Progress is a long-time classic about living as a Christian throughout …

A couple of weeks ago, I finished reading Confessions by Augustine. It was the first written work of Augustine I read as a whole, and it is a classic on a personal reading list of …

There are various opinions and views about what it means to attain eternal salvation. And I am inclined to consult commentaries, Greek Lexicons, and other intertextual references about the meaning of the Hebrews 5:9 passage …

The purpose of reading Plato’s Republic is to develop a deeper and richer understanding of Augustine’s The City of God. Before beginning to fully absorb The City of God, Plato’s Republic, written in 375 B.C., …

Over the past several weeks, I made my way through the Letter of James in the New Testament. While doing so, the various passages accompanied a personal prayer. In response to each message of James …

This post examines how Puritans of the 17th-century thought and wrote about the biblical topics of sin and repentance. As this topic is explored from historical writings of well-known Puritans of their time, various additional …