Biblical Spirituality Press

Category: Puritan

  • The Reformed Theology of Grace and Its Influence on Puritan Spirituality

    The Reformed theology of grace, as articulated in the Canons of Dort, informed and influenced the spirituality of the Puritans. These Canons of Dort, also called the Five Articles against the Remonstrants, consist of doctrinal statements adopted by the Synod of Dort in 1618–19 against the Five Articles of the Remonstrants (conditional election based on…

  • Working Prayerfully: A Lesson from Jonathan Edwards

    One of my favorite writers is Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), often considered to be the last Puritan. Through his writings, Edwards taught me a lot, especially with regard to prayer. For instance, he taught me to work or study prayerfully. As a pastor, I learned from Edwards to prepare for my sermons prayerfully. As a PhD student,…

  • Four Lessons I’ve Learned From the Puritans

    Note: Today I have Dave Arnold as my guest blogger. He is a pastor and writer living in the Monroe-area of Michigan. He has authored five books and contributed to The Jonathan Edwards Encyclopedia. You can contact him at davejarnold16@gmail.com Although I was exposed to a few of the Puritans when I was in college –…

  • An Interview with Paul M. Smalley about his co-authored book Prepared by Grace, for Grace: The Puritans on God’s Ordinary Way of Leading Sinners to Christ.

    Brother, congratulations on your well-researched co-authored book with Dr. Joel Beeke. I am confident that Prepared by Grace, for Grace is destined to be a standard work on the subject. Paul Smalley: Thank you, Pastor Najapfour. We hope that by God’s grace the book will be useful. Here are some of my questions for you…

  • 8 Pressures in Pastoral Ministry

    In their book, Encouragement for Today’s Pastors: Help from the Puritans, Joel R. Beeke and Terry D. Slachter enumerate eight pressures in pastoral ministry that can weaken our passion for ministry. We must not allow these pressures to stop us from serving our Lord Jesus Christ. As the author of Hebrews says, “Let us hold…

  • A Sketch of Christian Spirituality: From the Patristic Period to the Evangelical Era (Part 4 of 5)

    Puritan Reformed Spirituality The problem with medieval Catholic spirituality is that it does not purely stem from God’s Word. Consequently, it often produces unscriptural mysticism. In contrast, Puritan Reformed spirituality is essentially based on the Bible and in dependence on the Holy Spirit. The by-product is biblical piety. Anyone who studies Puritan Reformed spirituality should…

  • Seven Causes of Pastoral Discouragement

    In their new book—Encouragement for Today’s Pastors: Help from the Puritans (2013), Joel R. Beeke and Terry D. Slachter, borrowing from Archibald D. Hart’s work—Coping with Depression in the Ministry and Other Helping Professions (1984), list seven causes of pastoral discouragement, depression, or burnout.   First, the ministry is a people-oriented calling to lead a…

  • Forthcoming Book—Jonathan Edwards: His Doctrine of & Devotion to Prayer

    “In giving Jonathan Edwards to the church, God did her an inestimable favor. In giving Jonathan Edwards to the reader, Brian Najapfour has done the Christian a great favor. Edwards rightly stands at the fountainhead of a great theological tradition. The depth of Edwards’ theology, however, often overwhelms the uninitiated. In response, the reader turns…

  • New Book on John Bunyan (1628-1688)

    The Very Heart of Prayer: Reclaiming the Spirituality of John Bunyan   “Najapfour advances a well-researched thesis that Bunyan was in fact a sectarian Puritan. While Bunyan was not a Puritan in the sense of a reformer within the Church of England, Najapfour demonstrates that Bunyan embraced a Reformed and Puritan spirituality—godliness empowered by biblical truth.…

  • A Book Review of Taking Hold of God: Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer

    Click here to read Alasdair Macleod’s review (Free Church Witness): “here is a rare book that has actually impacted my personal spiritual life for good.” Then click here to read Tony Bickley’s review (Evangelical Times): “I would describe this book as being probably the best book on prayer for a generation.”