The Magazine Podcast

A title which many have appreciated and which is, for the moment, still out of print, is the The Diary of Kenneth A. MacRae, edited by Iain H. Murray. MacRae had a long ministry in the highlands and islands of Scotland. This week we read a collection of his candid and spiritual reflections on the topic of preaching. We trust they will be helpful to preachers and hearers alike.    Featured Resources:  'Thoughts on Preaching from 'The Diary of Kenneth MacRae,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 415 (April 1998).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org  Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine  Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Daniel Funke highlights the unique opportunities of the morning, and the value of sanctifying our waking hour for the glory of God.    Featured Resources:  Daniel Funke, 'Waking the Dawn with Praise,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 752 (May 2026).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org  Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine  Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast   Featured photo in episode artwork by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash. 

This week we read a reflection on the unique, powerful ministry of A. W. Pink, particularly as it was expressed through his periodical, 'Search the Scriptures.' His writing combined great profundity with clarity and spiritual authority. This combination is shown in the second piece we read, a short meditation on 'The Godhood of God.'    Featured Resources:  (Presumed to be by Iain H. Murray), 'The Written Ministry of A. W. Pink,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 10 (February 1958).  A. W. Pink, 'The Godhood of God,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 10 (February 1958).    Banner Resources by or about A. W. Pink: A. W. Pink, Gleanings from Paul: The Prayers of the Apostle A. W. Pink, The Life of Elijah A. W. Pink, Profiting from the Word A. W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God Iain H. Murray, The Life of Arthur W. Pink   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast   Featured episode artwork of Stornoway, Isle of Lewis by Sergey Konstantinov on Unsplash

Does seriousness matter in a pastor? Rev. Daniel Dana, an American Presbyterian writer of the 19th century, argued that it does—profoundly so. This week we read his meditation on the subject which was featured in the eighth issue of the magazine.    Featured Resource:  'The Importance of Seriousness to the Christian Minister,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 8 (August 1957).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast  

Our forthcoming volume, Spurgeon's Pastoral Wisdom, has been compiled and edited by Geoff Chang. Composed of contributions from Spurgeon to the Sword and Trowel magazine on the topic of the church and ministry, it will encourage, inform, and challenge readers to love and serve Christ's church better.  We sit down with Geoff to discuss Spurgeon as a pastor, some of his convictions about the church and ministry, and what readers can expect to find in this new volume.    Geoff Chang is the Curator of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri, where he is also an Assistant Professor of Historical Theology.    Some of Geoff's books (written, compiled, or edited):  Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry US Bookseller: https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/spurgeon-the-pastor-recovering-a-biblical-and-theological-vision-for-ministry-9781087747842?srsltid=AfmBOoo9J5OUv6iKNYdNQ05SK8nKra4Z_VcVFY6P_qp7hsBWwwfxcstd  UK Bookseller: https://www.keithjones.co.uk/spurgeon-the-pastor-9781087747842/?cat=0    The Army of God: Spurgeon's Vision for the Church US Bookseller: https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/army-of-god-spurgeons-vision-for-the-church-9781527108738  UK Bookseller: https://tabernaclebookshop.org/products/the-army-of-god?srsltid=AfmBOopOIuxDsNhJ2_gu4gm5jsXF14P3F8LBsd_xNcbJgkjktDsXPxLh    Charles Spurgeon, Christ Our All: Poems for the Christian Pilgrim, compiled by Geoff Chang.  US Bookseller: https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/christ-our-all-poems-for-the-christian-pilgrim-9781087772745?srsltid=AfmBOopoSbXzGU1EY2ntwroC3ZScvaXgG79V1nzZ4-NVZuHjMLXQRMNA  UK Bookseller: https://icmbooks.co.uk/product/37235/Christ-Our-All-Poems-for-the-Christian-Pilgrim    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This year we have devoted quite a bit of time to considering the Scottish Covenanters (and yes, our fourth Covenanter video is still on the way!). The Covenanters, however, were not the only body of believers to suffer extreme persecution in the seventeenth century. This week we consider the plight of the French Huguenots, with excerpts from an article by Henry Martyn Baird, first published in the Presbyterian Review in 1888.    Featured resource:  'The French Synods of the Desert: 1,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issues 263–4, August–September 1985.    About the author:  Henry Martyn Baird (1832–1906) was an American historian best known for his scholarship on the French Huguenots. He is the author of Theodore Beza: The Counsellor of the French Reformation, published by the Trust.    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

The new minister has arrived. He loves the Lord. He loves the Scriptures. He loves the local church. But all is not well in the congregation he has been called to serve. What is he to do? How is he to build?  Long-time friend of the Banner, veteran pastor Peter Barnes, offers counsel to a young man in such a position.    Featured resource:  Peter Barnes, 'Approaching Pastoral Difficulties,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 392 (May 1996).     Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Elijah's ministry to Israel at a time of rampant backsliding is a challenge and an encouragement to us in the days of apostasy in which we live. But what drove Elijah? What was his abiding concern—his activating conviction? Reed S. Rusniak takes us to the heart of the prophet's motivations.  This week's article, the first of a projected six-part series in the print magazine, is from the June 2026 issue.    Featured resource:  Reed S. Rusniak, 'Standing for God (1): Elijah's Concern for the Honour and Glory of God,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 753 (June 2026).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

The Christian's great hope is the personal return—the Second Coming—of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his article 'Eagerly Awaiting the Saviour,' Mike Riccardi helps us grasp the nature of this hope, and work it out in our own lives.    Featured resource:  Mike Riccardi, 'Eagerly Awaiting the Saviour,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 629 (February 2016).   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Grant Castleberry serves as a Pastor-Teacher at The King's Chapel, Raleigh, North Carolina. Grant recently concluded doctoral research into D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and in this bonus episode we discuss 'the Doctor' and his ministry emphases, as well as hearing Grant's own fascinating testimony to God's faithfulness and gracious calling.    More on The King's Chapel:  https://www.thekingschapel.com/   Grant's book, The Honor of God:  https://store.ligonier.org/the-honor-of-god-hardcover    Grant's resource website:  https://unashamedtruth.org/   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast  

Christian fellowship, contends our editor Mark G. Johnston, is the 'Cinderella' of the means of grace. That is to say, of the various means the Lord uses to build up His people, fellowship is woefully and unjustly neglected. This week on the podcast, we are encouraged to remedy this neglect, and discover afresh that there is no healthy church life–even Christian life–without Christian fellowship.    Featured Resources:  Mark G. Johnston, 'Fellowship: The Cinderella of the Means of Grace,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 737 (February 2025).  Ian Hamilton, 'The Fellowship of Saints,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 633 (June 2016).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

How are we to love and to set apart the Lord's Day? Why are we to love it and set it apart? Maurice Roberts explains, in clear and compelling terms, what relevance the Fourth Commandment has for Christians in the New Covenant.    Featured Resource:  Maurice Roberts, 'Sabbath Observance,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 392 (May 1996).    Be Part of the Next Chapter:  More information about our building project, and how you can pray and give, can be found here:  https://banneroftruth.org/uk/nextchapter/    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Thomas Boston was one of the outstanding Scottish ministers of the eighteenth century. This week we consider his faithfulness in two small parishes in the Scottish Lowlands, and God's sustaining of him in these difficult charges.    Featured Resource:  G. N. M. Collins, 'How Thomas Boston Beheld the Lamb of God which Taketh Away the Sin of the World,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 640 (January 2017)   Be Part of the Next Chapter:  More information about our building project, and how you can pray and give, can be found here:  https://banneroftruth.org/uk/nextchapter/    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Our bonus episode this week is a conversation with Dr Robert Strivens, Banner of Truth Trustee and Director of the recently set-up Reformed Baptist Study Centre. We hear more about Robert, the work of the Banner trustees, and the hopes for the new study centre in this interview recorded at the recent Banner Ministers' Conference in Staffordshire.    Robert's recommendations:  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors Iain H. Murray, The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1 volume) Iain H. Murray, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (2 volumes) John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied   Find out more about the Reformed Baptist Study Centre and its events:  https://rbstudycentre.com/    Be Part of the Next Chapter of the Banner of Truth:  More information about our building project, and how you can pray and give, can be found here:  https://banneroftruth.org/uk/nextchapter/    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week's selection is an excursion into Pastor William Shishko's ministerial library, to see which books have fed him as a Christian and as a minister. The result will be of interest not only to other men called to shepherd the Lord's flock, but to every Christian with an appetite to know more of God.    (In Print) Books Mentioned in the Episode:  John Owen, The Glory of Christ (Volume 1 of The Works of John Owen, comprising Owen's Christologia, Or a Declaration of the Glorious Mystery of the Person of Christ and Discourses and Meditations on the Glory of Christ) Gardiner Spring, The Attraction of the Cross (Out of print).  Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and the Revival of Religion in the Soul Octavius Winslow, No Condemnation in Christ, as Unfolded in the Eighth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans Octavius Winslow, The Work of the Holy Spirit: An Experimental and Practical View J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels Matthew: https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-9/  Mark: https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-10/  Luke (I): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-11/  Luke (II): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-12/  John (I): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-13/  John (II): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-14/  John (III): https://banneroftruth.org/store/commentaries/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-15/  William Hendriksen's Commentaries: https://banneroftruth.org/about/banner-authors/william-hendriksen/    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

The doctrine of the cross of Christ is not merely a constituent part of the Christian system of belief - it is the beating heart of the Christian message, the saving reality which cannot be known or loved by man in a state of sin and rebellion. The cross mocks human wisdom, exposing its strength as weakness. Maurice Roberts helps us see that only divine wisdom, given by the Holy Spirit, enables us to receive the cross of Christ and its implications.    Featured Resource:  Maurice Roberts, 'What Earth's Princes Never Knew,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 370 (July 1994).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

We need regular reminders of the reality and goodness of the glory that awaits those who belong to God. This week, with the help of Eric J. Alexander and R. B. Kuiper, we consider the glorious future of the Church of Jesus Christ.    Featured Resources:  Eric J. Alexander, 'The Coming Glory,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 370 (July 1994).  R. B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ: A Scriptural Appreciation of the One Holy Church (1966, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1967, 2006), p. 364–367 in older editions, p. 372–375 in the clothbound setting of 2025.    The Glorious Body of Christ Product Page   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Infanticide has become normal, acceptable, and even celebrated in the West and around the world. This week we take time to note two events which occurred in March and their significance for the Church's work and witness in defense of unborn children.  Featured Content:  Peter Barnes, 'Abortion: Kermit Gosnell and the Slide to Infanticide,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 599–600 (Aug–Sep 2013).    Christian Institute Report on Abortion Decriminalisation:  https://www.christian.org.uk/news/peers-vote-through-extreme-abortion-measure/   Peter Barnes' booklet:  Abortion: Open Your Mouth for the Dumb   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast  

John Newton was a prolific writer of pastoral letters - letters which have been used of the Lord to encourage, challenge, and counsel many people beyond their original recipients.  In this bonus episode, we talk with Grant Gordon, who has studied and collated many of Newton's letters. His volume Wise Counsel, representing many of Newton's letters to the Baptist pastor John Ryland Jr., has now been updated and we hear a bit more about the features of this new edition.    Grant Gordon has pastored a number of baptistic churches in Ontario, Canada, and elsewhere, and served as an adjunct professor of Christian Ethics at Central Baptist Seminary (now Heritage Seminary, Cambridge, Ontario).    Buy Wise Counsel: John Newton's Letters to John Ryland Jr., edited by Grant Gordon   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast    

This week we continue our reading of R. B. Kuiper's sermon, 'Present-Day Antichrists' from his series of sermons on the 'signs of the times' contained in While the Bridegroom Tarries.  We follow this with a reading from Professor John Murray on Kuiper's final (and unfinished work) The Bible Tells Me So.    Featured Resource:  'Present-Day Antichrists' in While the Bridegroom Tarries (1919, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2010).    Other R. B. Kuiper Books Published by Banner: The Glorious Body of Christ God-Centred Evangelism   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

R. B. Kuiper’s While the Bridegroom Tarries, which we publish in paperback, is a collection of sermons on the ‘signs of the times’ preached in the wake of the First World War. This week’s episode is Part I of his sermon from that collection entitled, ‘Present-Day Antichrists.’ In it, he explains the difference between ‘an Antichrist’ and ‘the Antichrist’, and critiques two contemporary movements falsely claiming to represent the Lord Jesus Christ. We anticipate posting Part II, and some biographical material on Kuiper, next week.   Featured Resource:  'Present-Day Antichrists' in While the Bridegroom Tarries (1919, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2010).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast    

Many listeners will know that John Rawlinson, Banner of Truth General Manager since 1999, is soon to retire. John was recently asked to give an address summing up lessons he has learned over the years in Reformed publishing and resourcing.  On reflection, we felt that John's address, which has the character of a 'final charge' and exhortation, might be of interest to our podcast listeners and so share it as a 'bonus episode' this week.    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Few maladies are more common among Christians than 'too many books, not enough time!' What we often lack, however, is not time so much as the will and the strategy to read the books we have. Maurice Roberts helps us remedy this, and makes a number of excellent suggestions for the struggling reader.    Featured resource:  Maurice Roberts, 'Preparing a Methodical Assault on our Unread Books,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 331 (April 1991).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast    

The third instalment of The Covenanter Story tells of the martyrdom of John Brown at his home at Priesthill, Ayrshire. In this bonus episode we talk a little more about the place itself, and read a beautiful poem from George Paulin (1812–1898) which reflects on John Brown's life, death, and heavenly home-going as the poet himself conducts a visit to Priesthill.    Watch John Brown of Priesthill | The Covenanter Story, Part 3 Read J. H. Thomson's The Martyr Graves of Scotland (Internet Archive version) Read Poets and Poetry of the Covenant, Compiled, With An Introduction by the Rev. David McAllister (1894, Internet Archive Version)   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week, as our host recovers from a time of illness, we read a short selection from Adolphe Monod's Farewell (currently out of print). In this excerpt, Monod recalls a special time of Bible reading which caused him great humiliation as he pondered the use he had made of the inspired Scriptures.    Featured resource:  'On Reading the Bible,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 221 (February 1982). This is an extract from Adolphe Monod's Farewell.    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast  

In The Principle of Readiness and Acceptance, James Bruce III describes a pattern in God's dealings with us that is gracious and encouraging to all believers, and perhaps especially to those who, in the Lord's providence, are unable to do all that they would like for him.    Featured resource:  James Bruce III, 'Neglecting the Soul,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 491—492 (August–September 2004).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Are you neglecting your soul?  The Scriptures make it plain that it is possible for us to do the outward works proper to the Christian—and to look impressive in doing them—while our hearts are far from God.  This is a perilous place to be. In this week's piece, with prophetic precision and pastoral encouragement, Maurice Roberts calls us from neglect of soul to an earnest tending of 'God's acre' within us.    Featured resource:  Maurice Roberts, 'Neglecting the Soul,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 491—492 (August–September 2004).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Puritans and Covenanters alike have garnered a reputation for being austere and glum. Sometimes that reputation is deserved, but often it is a most unjust caricature.  In this week's bonus episode we meet a jovial Covenanter - a man who, although serious and earnest in ministry, was approachable and joyful. He was also not averse to casting a fly.  William Guthrie of Fenwick was cousin to James Guthrie, who is the subject of the first episode in our four-part series, The Covenanter Story, which is now available to watch.    Featured resource:  Blaikie, William G., The Preachers of Scotland: From the Sixth to the Nineteenth Century (1888, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2001), pages 122–129.    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

The Lord has given fathers and mothers a solemn responsibility in relation to their children. It is their high calling and great privilege to hold out the word of life to their sons and daughters by their gospel-sharing words—crucially—and in their gospel-displaying deeds, their example and personal piety.  This week's meditations from John Flavel and Ernest Reisinger awaken us to the gravity of this call, and highlight some practical ways we can work it out in our own families.    Featured Resources:  John Flavel, The Works of John Flavel (1820, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1968, 2023), Volume 4, pages 373–5.  Ernest Reisinger, 'The Family and Evangelism,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 298 (July 1988) and 491 (August–September 2004).     Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast    

In the month of February we hope to focus on the story of the Scottish Covenanters. To help us grapple with the topic we sat down with David Whitla, Professor of Church History at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Whitla is a trustee of the Banner and did his doctoral work on the Covenanting lawyer Archibald Johnston of Wariston (1611–1663), and so he is well-placed to aid us in getting to grips with this important movement.    Find out more about Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

How can we judge which books will be most profitable to us? Should a minister pursue breadth in reading or depth of reading early in his ministry?  These and other questions are addressed in this week's reading from Iain H. Murray's 1996 address, 'The Preacher and Books.'    Resource read:  Iain H. Murray, 'The Preacher and Books,' Banner of Truth Magazine Issue 389 (February 1996).    Similar resources:  The Preacher and Books (Part 1) The Pastor and His Study    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

What is the proper relationship between a preacher and his books? How can a minister prioritise the most helpful kinds of reading and study?  These and other questions were addressed by the Rev Iain H Murray in his address to the Bethlehem Pastors' Conference in early 1996. We read part of his address this week.    Resource read:  Iain H. Murray, 'The Preacher and Books,' Banner of Truth Magazine Issue 389 (February 1996).    Similar resources:  The Pastor and His Study    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

We were saddened to hear of the recent death of Paul Helm (1940–2025). Paul, who is perhaps best known for his work in philosophical theology, has had a long and fruitful association with the Banner of Truth.  Daniel J. Hill, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool, has written a tribute to Paul. We are grateful to Dr Hill for reading it for us on the podcast.    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937) is noted for his earnest and powerful contending for the truth of the Bible and of the historic Christian faith in the early part of the Twentieth Century. Early on in his life, however, he almost fell prey to the liberalism that was sweeping through the seminaries and churches of the Western world. This encounter with liberalism, and the grace of God in preserving him from it, set him in good stead to warn others of its dangers.  This week, with the help of Nick Needham, we delve deeper into the story of J. Gresham Machen, a man whose courage and love of the truth we desperately need today.    Featured Resource:  – Nick Needham, 'Shapers of Christianity: J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937),' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 713 (February 2023).    Read more like this:  Nick Needham, Shapers of Christianity (paperback, 112 pages)   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

In this standalone short episode, we provide some details of an exciting opportunity at the Banner of Truth Trust. With our General Manager nearing retirement, the trustees are prayerfully seeking a Chief Operations Officer to guide the work into the future. Could that be you, or someone you know? Will you pray for the right person to be appointed?  Read more about the role: https://banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/announcements/2025/retirement-recruitment-and-a-unique-opportunity-to-serve/    To apply:  Please email your CV and a covering letter describing your suitability for the post and your interest in the ministry of the Banner of Truth Trust to: [email protected]. The closing date for applications is Friday 16 January 2026. It is expected that interviews will be held in Edinburgh in the week of 26 January 2026. Please note: only those with the right to live and work in the UK should apply for this role. 

A hundred years ago, the great New Testament scholar J. Gresham Machen sounded the alarm about educational freedom in America. He believed that the state had begun to encroach in a most grievous way upon the sphere of the family, assuming duties it had no warrant to perform.  Machen's words of caution are most timely for us. We live in an epoch in which, informed by UN policy goals, western governments are showing fresh determination to become arbiters and guarantors of the education of each and every child. This week we look in detail at what is happening in the UK, and consider what a faithful Christian response to these pressures might look like.    Featured resources:  – Excerpt from J. Gresham Machen, 'Shall We Have a Federal Department of Education?' – Excerpt from Ned B. Stonehouse, J. Gresham Machen: A Biographical Memoir (1954, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1987, 2020), p. 468.  – Joshua Kellard, 'When the State Presumes to Educate', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issues 743–4 (August–September 2025).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast  

In this short bonus episode, we read an apt New Year meditation from the pen of Professor John Murray: 'Memory and Prospect.'    Featured Resource:  – John Murray, 'Memory and Prospect', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 172 (January 1978).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week we review some of the ground we have covered on the podcast in 2025, and read an article from our editor, Mark G. Johnston, 'When Preachers Sing the Blues'.  The article reminds us that the charge to preach God's word is often, perhaps always, accompanied by a heavy spiritual burden. While the Lord's grace is sufficient for every preacher, that sufficiency is proved in and through very trying times. May this editorial be a spur to all to pray for ministers and elders, and an encouragement to them to keep going, even in the darkness.    Featured resource:  – Mark G. Johnston, 'When Preachers Sing the Blues,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 748 (January 2026).    Most-downloaded episodes of 2025:  5. The Life of John Newton 4. A Holy Minister: Robert Murray M'Cheyne 3. The Seafarer's Friend: John Flavel 2. The Prince of Puritans: John Owen 1. Let's Study Romans, with Sinclair B. Ferguson   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast  

Maurice Roberts, who edited the Banner of Truth Magazine for many years, is noted for his poignant editorials. This one, from the December 1994 issue of the magazine, is typically probing and helpful. Are we battle-weary? Are we disappointed? Are we, dare we admit it, spiritually sleepy?  If so, Rev. Roberts' article can help us see our need and seek the Lord for the grace of repentance and the gift of renewal.    Featured Resource:  – Maurice Roberts, 'Are You Battle-Weary?', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 375 (December 1994).    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

The gospel of God is to be offered freely to all. Accordingly, all who hear the gospel have a warrant to believe it. As Samuel Rutherford wrote, 'reprobates have as fair a warrant to believe as the elect have.' This week we consider the offer of the gospel made freely by God, addressed to every sinner—indeed, addressed to you and to me.    Featured resources: – Iain H. Murray, 'The Free Offer of the Gospel,' Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 11 (June 1958).  – Robert Murray M'Cheyne, excerpt from his sermon 'The Acceptable Year of the Lord' on Isaiah 61:1–3, found in Andrew Bonar, Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1844, repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1966, 2024), pages 583–4.    Banner Resources on the Free Offer of the Gospel:  Andrew Fuller, 'The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation' in The Works of Andrew Fuller (clothbound, 1012 pages) Iain H. Murray, Spurgeon vs. Hyper-Calvinism: The Battle for Gospel Preaching (paperback, 168 pages) John Bunyan, The Jerusalem Sinner Saved (paperback, 144 pages) John Murray, The Free Offer of the Gospel (booklet, 32 pages)     Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This summer the Trust brought out a new, retypeset edition of William Cunningham's Historical Theology (1863). This week we read its new introduction by Banner Trustee Donald John MacLean, to find out why this work is of unique value to the 21st Century reader.   Read Material: – 'William Cunningham's Historical Theology – An Introduction', Donald John MacLean, in William Cunningham, Historical Theology (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1960 and 2024). First edition 1863.   Buy the work (2 volumes): https://banneroftruth.org/store/theology/historical-theology-3/   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us a voice message: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

The poor are a priority to God, and must be a priority for us, too. This week we focus on this aspect of the biblical witness with the help of Peter Barnes (Revesby Presbyterian Church, NSW, Australia) and Thomas E. Peck, the nineteenth-century Southern Presbyterian minister and teacher.    Featured resources: – Peter Barnes, 'Looking After the Poor: Biblical Principles', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 502 (July 2005).  – Thomas E. Peck, 'The Gospel Preached to the Poor' in The Writings of Thomas E. Peck (repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1999), Vol. 1, pp. 25, 27–8.      Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

There are many pitfalls in preaching. One area which many preachers struggle with is application. And yet, in a sense, application is the whole of preaching. David Vaughn's letter to a fellow Christian leader in the December 2025 issue of the magazine addresses this very subject.    Featured resources: – David Vaughn, 'What can we learn from John Knox?', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 514 (March 2006). Excerpted from A Scottish Christian Heritage.      Resources Mentioned by David Vaughn:  D. A. Carson and J. D. Woodbridge, Letters Along the Way (Wheaton: Crossway, 1993), p. 99-100. Available free as a pdf.  A. T. Pierson, The Divine Art of Preaching, (New York: The Baker and Taylor Company, 1892), pp. 24-27.  Jay Adams, Review of John Stott's Between Two Worlds in The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (Vol. VIII, No. 2, 1986), p. 62.  The Works of Jonathan Edwards, (repr. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987), vol. 1, p. cxc.  Ron Taylor anecdote from an article in The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (Vol. 4, No. 4, 1980), p. 109.  John Broadus, A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1896), p. 230.      Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week's normal Magazine Podcast episode will be delayed. In the meantime, we are publishing Iain H. Murray's address, The Benefits and Dangers of Controversy from the Ministers' Conference in Leicester in 2012.     

This week, by kind permission of Dr Robert Tracy McKenzie, we read his insightful piece on the motivations of the Mayflower Pilgrims. As we mark 405 years since they made landfall in Provincetown, Massachussetts, what can we learn of spiritual benefit from their reasons for going to the 'New World'?    Original article:  https://faithandamericanhistory.wordpress.com/2017/11/12/why-the-pilgrims-really-came-to-america-2/    Books by Robert Tracy McKenzie: The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us About Loving God and Learning from History We the Fallen People: The Founders and the Future of Democracy   More on the podcast about the Pilgrims:  Episode II: The Congregation on Two Continents   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast  

Part II of Warren Peel's preaching on Proverbs 4:23 from the 2025 Australia Conference.   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Of all of the great imperatives found in Scripture, few are more crucial than that found in Proverbs 4:23:    'Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.'   If we fail to do this, all else will be in vain. This text was taken by Warren Peel, pastor at Covenant Christian Fellowship in Galway at the recent Banner Conference in Australia (February 2025). The conference theme was 'A Lifetime in Ministry.' We will post both instalments of this message on the podcast in the next week.    Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week we consider the life and legacy of the great Scottish Reformer John Knox (c. 1514–1572). In particular, we focus on his preaching and ask what made it so effective.   Featured resources: – Iain H. Murray, 'What can we learn from John Knox?', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 514 (March 2006). Excerpted from A Scottish Christian Heritage.  – D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, 'Remembering the Reformation', featured in John Knox and the Reformation and Knowing the Times.    Books by or about John Knox:  – The Works of John Knox (clothbound, six volumes, 3824 pages) – The Select Practical Writings of John Knox (clothbound, 336 pages) – John Knox and the Reformation (paperback, 144 pages)   Episode 73: The College Master: Laurence Chaderton   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

There is much talk of awakening, revival, and 'quiet revival' in the churches in the West at present. While we wish to avoid the extremes of sensationalism and cynicism, it is right for us to hunger to see God move again, and to give ourselves afresh to studying how the Lord has moved in the past. This week's piece helps us to reflect on one aspect of the Great Awakening of the eighteenth century: the Lord's work among young people and children.   Featured resources: – Ian Shaw, 'Young People in the Great Awakening', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 169 (October 1977).   On the Great Awakening and men associated with it:  – Jonathan Edwards, Thoughts on the New England Revival: Vindicating the Great Awakening (Clothbound, 304 pages) – Joseph Tracy, The Great Awakening (Clothbound, 472 pages) – Select Sermons of George Whitefield (paperback, 200 pages)   More from the author: – Ian Shaw's article, Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), in the present issue of the Banner of Truth Magazine (November 2025, no. 746).     Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

This week's bonus episode is an interview with Jeremy Walker, a pastor at Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, West Sussex, just south of London. Jeremy has long been a friend of the Banner and serves as book reviews editor for the magazine.  We sat down with Jeremy to talk about his Christian pilgrimage, call to ministry, some favourite books and, well, where he stands on the pronunciation of John Flavel's name.    Note: Jeremy mentioned a book chapter that had helped him towards greater assurance and he identified that as a chapter on the fruits of the Spirit in B. B. Warfield's The Saviour of the World. In retrospect, we think that the chapter in question is actually that on 'The Spirit's Testimony to Our Sonship, Romans 8:16' in Warfield's Faith and Life.    Resources Mentioned or Relevant From the Heart of Spurgeon Podcast If you enjoy the Banner Magazine podcast, you are likely to find From the Heart of Spurgeon most valuable. The episodes, of which to date there are 260, consist of Spurgeon sermons read by Jeremy Walker.    Bunyan, John, The Pilgrim's Progress Fuller, Andrew, The Works of Andrew Fuller (Banner one-volume edition).  Spurgeon, C. H., Pictures from Pilgrim's Progress Spurgeon, C. H., The Saint and His Saviour (available in a free pdf and epub version from Monergism) Walker, Jeremy, The Brokenhearted Evangelist (Reformation Heritage Books) Walker, Jeremy, Passing the Baton: How to Equip the Next Generation of Pastors and Teachers (EP Books) Read Brad Franklin's review at 9Marks.  Walker, Jeremy, Rooted and Grounded: A Light Modernisation of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith (EP Books) Warfield, B. B., Faith and Life   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast