BR > Crossway

Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy

Tony Reinke BR > Crossway, Cross of Christ, Cross-centered life, Gospel, Paul David Tripp, Sin, spurgeon

9781433502309Surely one of the most valuable gifts God has given the church are surgeons of the soul. Men capable of cutting with the sharp edge of scripture, separating the outward surface of the torso, cutting through the muscle and spreading the chest, looking for the most dangerous problems, those not obvious on the outside, surgeons with determination to find the source of a deep root, a deadly problem found in the now exposed heart, a sin that can be cured only through precise wisdom and the sober application of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if you can find one of these surgeons—one who knows his way around the deep inner workings of the heart, one who can scale to the very heights of the glorious gospel, and one who is a gifted communicator, able to write his words carefully for the benefit of us all—you have uncovered a gem.

Paul David Tripp is one of these treasures.

In his book Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy (Crossway, 2008), Tripp has written for us, partly in prose and partly in poetry, 52 brief devotional pieces that cover the scope of Psalm 51—covering the many contours of David’s sin with Bathsheba, and the experience of God’s grace in light of David’s sin. If you are brave enough to go under the surgeon’s knife, Tripp will guide you to see the darkness of sin at work in your own heart, before skillfully applying the restorative grace of the gospel.

There are a number of excerpts I want to share, but the one that I return to most often is a poem that recounts the ministry of Nathan in confronting David for his sin (see 2 Samuel 12:1-15). In part Tripp writes:

…Just a humble prophet
Telling a simple story
A sinner with a sinner
Not standing above
Alongside, together
Wanting to be an instrument
Hoping to assist a blind man to see
But no trust in self
Speaking calmly
Speaking simply
And letting God
Do through a familiar example
Painted with plain words
What only God can do
Crack the hard-shell heart
Of a wayward man
And make it feel again
See again
Cry again
Pray again
Plead again
Hope again
Love again
Commit again
To a new and better way. (p. 63-64)

Tripp’s poem is a beautiful epigraph upon the granite of Nathan’s legacy. And a video of the author reading from this chapter is available online. Enjoy:

Title: Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy
Author: Paul David Tripp
Boards: paper
Pages: 154
Topical index: no
Scriptural index: no
Text: perfect type
Publisher: Crossway
Year: 2008
Price USD: $12.99 / $8.96 at Westminster
ISBNs: 9781433502309, 1433502305

Not Your Father’s L’Abri

Tony Reinke BR > Crossway, Francis Schaeffer

… Though they sometimes come seeking debate, students and workers today [at L’Abri] have no use for Schaeffer’s presuppositionalist apologetics, which he adapted from the teachings of his professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, Cornelius Van Til. …

More from Christianity Today.

Thankfully, Schaeffer’s legacy has been preserved on paper. His Complete Works are available from Crossway. I hope to write more on Schaeffer in the near future, as this CT article and a forthcoming biography will stir some interest.

New: Young, Restless, Reformed

Tony Reinke BR > Crossway

In our culture the influences upon young men and women include everything from vocal atheism (God Is Not Great) to influences within the church culture towards postmodern originality (Everything Must Change). Yet the demographic of young Calvinists—those returning to ancient theological roots—is growing. Young men and women are confessing that God is great and the need for all-out change within the church is exaggerated alarmism.

This fascinating growth in Calvinism among young Christians caught the attention of Christianity Today editor Collin Hansen. Hansen invites others to ride “shotgun” as he travels across the country discovering the far reaches of the emerging Calvinism in his new book—Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey With the New Calvinists (Crossway, 2008).

This is one of the most engaging and adventurous books we’ve seen in 2008. Read it to meet the cast of characters behind this rise; read it to discover the far-reaching influences of Calvinism on the lives of young men and women; read it for the excellent and descriptive perception of the author.

Young, Restless, Reformed is a must-read and now available from Crossway.

Young, Restless, and Reformed

Tony Reinke Book announcement, Book reviews, BR > Crossway, Calvinism, Doctrine, Doctrines of Grace, Reformed theology, spurgeon

youngrestlessreformedcollinhansen.jpgRecently I had the honor of reading Collin Hansen’s Young, Restless, and Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey With the New Calvinists (Crossway). Hansen is an editor at Christianity Today. From my perspective, the book reads like the reader is riding shotgun as Collin travels around the country in search of discovering the far reaches of the emerging Calvinism so obvious among large groups of young Christian men and women.

The book does not set out to answer the question: “Where’d all the Calvinists come from?” But it does document the rise in a fascinating and engaging way and looks closely at the major figures and movements and how they shape the theology of the next generation of Calvinists.

Read it for the details. Read it to discover the influences among young folks. Read it it to hear stories of how individuals have been transformed by the doctrines of grace. Read it for the descriptive perception of the author. If you watch for new and excellent books, this one by Collin Hansen is a must-read coming your way in 2008. Due out April 30th from Crossway.

A new look for Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

Tony Reinke BR > Crossway, C.H. Spurgeon, spurgeon

Hello from Maryland, to all you faithful (and very patient) TSS readers. Today I draw attention to a new edition of Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening, which is perhaps the best written and most popular devotional in church history.

The new edition from Crossway appears in a multi-colored, Truetone (leather-like) cover. The editions break Spurgeon’s classic into two volumes, Morning by Morning and Evening by Evening. It’s nice to have two volumes since (as my wife noted) morning and evening reading are often completed in different areas.

As for the edited text of this version, the biblical texts are replaced with the ESV and the editing was completed by Alistair Begg who writes, “most of the changes are minor and will go largely undetected”. This edited version of the text was originally published in 2003 as one hardcover volume.

Overall, the volumes are very attractive and will make for a great gift idea for around $26.00. Consider snagging a set for your own devotional reading, too.

Here are some photographs of the unboxing to give you a glimpse of what to expect from the new Crossway edition. Click for larger views.

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