The Banner of Truth

There are some magazines that are widely read that really don't deserve to be. An example is People magazine. For the most part the magazine consists of articles and many, many photographs of celebrities, who, for the most part, are inherently uninteresting.

There are other magazines that have small circulations that should be more widely read. The Banner of Truth is one such publication that comes to mind.

The Banner of Truth, which published its 500th issue this month, and coincidentally celebrates its 50th year of publication, is a magazine dedicated to the study and discussion of classical Reform Christianity. It is a small magazine, usually not more than 36 pages. But the pages are full of carefully written text; not photos. The magazine has probably, over the years, done more to revive interest in, and publish works by the great Puritan preachers and teachers of the past such as John Owen, John Bunyan and Richard Sibbes.

This month's issue prints the first of a projected four part series entitled Redemptive History and the Preached Word by Stefan T. Lindblad. It is an article many a preacher would benefit by and many church members must read if they want to find out why they are bored and/or frustrated by topical sermons that kick off with quotes from Winnie the Pooh or greeting card philosophy.

The magazine is hard to find in bookstores, even Christian bookstores. It's not colorful, busy, youth or entertainment oriented. It's meat, not milk.

The people who produce the magazine deserve a great deal of gratitude. Sinclair Ferguson, Iain H. Murray, Walter J. Chantry, Maurice J. Roberts and many others have all done heroic and often unthanked work in promoting the theology and doctrines of the Reformation.

There is an on-line version of The Banner of Truth. The address is Banner of Truth Trust General Articles . From this link one can subscribe to the magazine, order books and read articles that aren't published in the magazine. To spend time navigating through the site is definitely not wasted time.

Congratulations to all at Banner of Truth for holding firm to the truth of Christianity and not changing with the times.