The latest addition to Crossway’s excellent series “Theologians on the Christian Life” is all about J.C. Ryle, and it lives up to the quality of the rest of the series. Andrew Atherstone’s Ryle on the Christian Life is superb and should be on your shelf with the rest of these books. I don’t know if it’s the best of them (it’s been so long since I’ve read some of them that I can’t really compare them in that way), but it’s definitely going near the top of the list.
Some of this is of course due to J.C. Ryle. Like his Baptist contemporary Charles Spurgeon (and do catch Spurgeon on the Christian Life as well), Ryle is very quotable and you could probably put together a book just of Ryle quotes and have a saleable book. (You might even call it Truth Spoken in Love…)
In case you don’t believe me, here’s a good one from Ryle that Atherstone highlights:
“If Christ crucified has not His rightful place in your sermons, and sin is not exposed as it should be, and your people are not told plainly what they ought to be and do, your preaching is of no use.”
But Atherstone does more than simple share quotes, he brings Ryle’s theology and preaching to life in the contemporary world.
And we do need Ryle in the contemporary world! In a time when all things have gone mad, the quiet reminder of the Gospel that shoots through the alternating chaos and attempts at establishing order is exactly what we all need. Ryle knew that and said it clearly, and this book has brought his clarity to our muddled lives.
Highly recommended.
Dr. Coyle Neal co-hosts the City of Man Podcast and is an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog). He teaches Political Science, Philosophy, and History in Southwest Missouri.
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