In which I find that I might be a legalist

Last updated on: August 27, 2018 at 1:11 pm By Coyle Neal

If you had asked me before reading Sinclair Ferguson’s The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, & Gospel Assurance—Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters whether I lean towards the false doctrine of legalism or the false doctrine of antinomianism, I’d have said “antinomianism” without hesitation. Having read Ferguson’s excellent book, I’d still say “antinomianism”, but with a good deal of hesitation. The Whole Christ has its origins in a book published in the 1640s called The Marrow of Modern Divinity. This earlier book is... Read more

Review of “Demanding Liberty” by Brandon O’Brien

Last updated on: August 27, 2018 at 1:35 pm By Coyle Neal

There are lots of things I’m ignorant of, but one field where my ignorance shames me most is that of Baptist history. Which makes Brandon O’Brien’s Demanding Liberty: An Untold Story of American Religious Freedom an interesting introductory read. Overall it is well-written, informative, and, from what I can tell, a good way to get a taste of the Baptist struggle for religious liberty in the mid- to late-1700s. O’Brien focuses (rightly) on the life and writings of Isaac Backus and... Read more

‘Support the Girls’ Shows Sympathy Toward Deeply Flawed Characters

Last updated on: August 24, 2018 at 1:00 pm By Coyle Neal

A day in the life of a group of working-class women brings a light touch to important issues like sexism, sisterhood and the struggle to raise a family. Read more

Review of “Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition” by Craig Bartholomew

Last updated on: August 20, 2018 at 8:47 am By Coyle Neal

Kuyper mania is sweeping the nation! Okay, not really. But at least in obscure corners of Evangelicaldom, including my desk in rural Missouri, people are excited to see the writings of Abraham Kuyper being translated into English. Although expensive, these volumes are surely going to be essential reading for any Christian who wants to think carefully about the relationship between church and the culture. Which means those who have long been interested in Kuyper have found their moment. We’ve seen... Read more

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Last updated on: August 13, 2018 at 4:28 pm By Coyle Neal

A Review of "Made for Friendship" by Drew Hunter Read more

Formulaic Fun Feels Fresh Again in “Crazy Rich Asians”

Last updated on: August 12, 2018 at 2:34 pm By Coyle Neal

It’s taken 25 years, since “The Joy Luck Club” for Hollywood to offer another film with a primarily Asian-American and Asian cast. “Crazy Rich Asians” is so enjoyable that a similar gap before the next such film is unthinkable. Read more

BlacKkKlansman Ending Packs a Punch, but Getting There Is Tough

Last updated on: August 11, 2018 at 8:35 am By Coyle Neal

If you’re the type of viewer who values subtlety and nuance, BlacKkKlansman will wear out is welcome quickly. But if you like your urgent moral messages repeated and without ambiguity, Lee’s film could be the vehicle you seek. Read more

First Thoughts on “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”

Last updated on: August 6, 2018 at 2:50 pm By Coyle Neal

To clear up something that I’ve apparently just been wrong about ever since seeing the classic Disney version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea some ~30 years ago: the “20,000 leagues” in the title is the distance they travel from the Sea of Japan to the coast of Norway, not the distance they travel straight down. In my defense, a “league” wasn’t exactly standard unit of measure in rural Montana (a “rod”, on the other hand…). But having finally read the book,... Read more

Third Time Far From Heavenly for Detective Dee

Last updated on: July 31, 2018 at 3:19 pm By Coyle Neal

The third chapter of the Detective Dee series comes across as stale by comparison to its predecessors, even as it ups the supernatural ante with its Buddhist tale of gods, sorcery, mystical clans and dragons. Read more

In Russia, it’s cold and dark and then you die…

Last updated on: July 30, 2018 at 3:44 pm By Coyle Neal

Thanks to an undergraduate class taught by a Soviet emigre (or refugee, his accent was thick and I couldn’t always tell what he was saying), I have had extensive exposure to Soviet literature. I have been delighted to read We, Doctor Zhivago, The Foundation Pit, Master and Margarita, and many others as result. But the book which we didn’t have time to get to in the class, and which it has taken me more than a decade to get around to, is possibly the... Read more