The Gospel Coalition Booklet Collection (12 vols.)

by Sam Storms; Kevin DeYoung; Sandy Willson; D. A. Carson; Timothy Keller

and

9 more

Publisher:

Crossway

, 2011

Overview

Important aspects of Christianity are in danger of being muddied or lost as relativism takes root in our churches today. What was historically agreed upon is now readily questioned and the very essentials of the Christian faith are in jeopardy. It’s time to reclaim the core of our beliefs.

To that end, D. A. Carson and Tim Keller, together with a team of pastors and leaders, have created a set of booklets designed for defend core principles of the gospel and strengthen the church. The Gospel Coalition Booklet Collection will help you join in the movement—the movement dedicated to a Scripture-based reformation of ministry practices and the centrality of the gospel—and stand united under the conviction that what holds us together is worth fighting for.

Key Features

• Includes twelve concise booklets each covering an essential aspect of theology to the gospel
• Pastorally focused and accessibly written
• Written by a strong group of contributors from a variety of walks of life, all passionate for the evangelism

Product Details

• Title: The Gospel Coalition Booklet Collection (12 vols.)
• Editors: D. A. Carson and Timothy J. Keller
• Series: The Gospel Coalition Booklet Series
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2011
• Volumes: 12
• Pages: 344
• Christian Group: Evangelical
• Resource Type: Synopsis
• Topic: Theology

Baptism and the Lord's Supper

• Authors: Thabiti Anyabwile and J. Ligon Duncan III
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 32

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper have played an important role in the church since its earliest days. There has also been much disagreement within the church about how to understand them.

Pastors Thabiti Anyabwile and J. Ligon Duncan have teamed up to outline the Bible’s basic teaching about baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Speaking from different traditions, they bring perspective to the discussion while both observing that baptism and the Lord’s Supper should be fundamentally understood as pointing to something greater. This new booklet from the Gospel Coalition will bring clarity for those wanting to understand the importance of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Thabiti M. Anyabwile (MS, North Carolina State University) serves as a pastor at Anacostia River Church in Washington, DC, and is the author of numerous books. He serves as a council member of the Gospel Coalition, is a lead writer for 9Marks Ministries, and regularly blogs at The Front Porch and Pure Church. He and his wife, Kristie, have three children.

Ligon Duncan (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is the chancellor & CEO and the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. He previously served as the senior minister of the historic First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, for seventeen years. He is a cofounder of Together for the Gospel, a senior fellow of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and was the president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals from 2004-2012. Duncan has edited, written, or contributed to numerous books. Ligon and his wife, Anne, have two children and live in Jackson, Mississippi.

Can We Know the Truth?

• Author: Richard D. Phillips
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 32

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

In today’s postmodern world truth is increasingly difficult to define and defend. The quintessential questions we find ourselves asking are, “Is there such a thing as truth?” And, if so, “How are we to define what truth is?” The Bible is very clear: all truth comes from God, and he has made it known to us.

In this Gospel Coalition booklet, Richard D. Phillips answers the question, “Can we know the truth?” He points us to the Bible as the revelation of God’s character and his design for our lives. Refuting postmodern objections, Phillips explains the role of truth in the Christian life and demonstrates truth put into practice. This is a great booklet to distribute to those asking if we can know anything with absolute certainty.

Richard D. Phillips (DD, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary) is the senior minister of Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina. He chairs the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology and coedits the Reformed Expository Commentary. He is also a chairman of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, a council member of the Gospel Coalition, and a trustee of Westminster Theological Seminary.

Christ's Redemption

• Author: Sanders L. Willson
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 24

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

What separates Christianity from other religions? What makes the Christian message distinctly Christian? In this new booklet from the Gospel Coalition, pastor Sandy Willson demonstrates that Christianity is most fundamentally Christ’s redemption.

Willson traces the life of Christ, noting his humility before the cross and his exaltation after his death. He shows how Christ redeems us by accomplishing what we could not do. As our representative and substitute, Christ restores us to fellowship with God. This booklet is a helpful resource for those wanting to understand why the Christian message is distinctive.

Sanders (Sandy) L. Willson (DD, Crichton College) has been the senior minister at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee since 1995. Sandy is a cofounder of the Memphis Center for Urban Theological Studies as well as a cofounder and chair of the Nexus leadership mentoring program. He also serves on the boards of the Gospel Coalition, World Relief, Union University, and Reformed Theological Seminary. Sandy and his wife, Allison, have five children and ten grandchildren.

The Church: God's New People

• Author: Tim Savage
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 32

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The church of Jesus Christ is the locus of God’s plan for creation—a plan to reclaim all things for his glory. In The Church: God’s New People, Savage shows how it is within this corporate body that the larger dimensions of God’s plan for creation receive breathtaking definition.

This booklet examines hallmarks of the universal church, including unity and love toward God and man, giving practical shape to each characteristic as it is manifested in the local body. Because the church is the corporate dwelling place of God’s Spirit and his continuing witness to the world, Savage contends that it loves the world most faithfully when it embodies what the world does not have. The church’s radiant love as the body of Christ is the only sure antidote to a postmodern world mired in sin and despair and has the power to actually transform all that it touches.

Tim Savage (PhD, University of Cambridge; ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary) has been senior pastor of Camelback Bible Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona, since 1988. Tim and his wife have two adult sons.

Creation

• Authors: Andrew David and Peter J. Akinola
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 32

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

It is abundantly clear that God has created the universe, a natural revelation that can be observed in the everyday world around us. But the universe was made for a reason, and in the Bible we find the nature and purpose of creation. In this new Gospel Coalition booklet Andrew Davis summarizes the Bible’s teaching on creation. He traces the creation of the world and humanity through the first two chapters of Genesis, emphasizing that all things, especially humans, were created to display God’s glory. He moves into the tragic consequences of the Fall and points us to the glorious truth of the eventual New Creation. Perfect for distribution to those wrestling with questions of their purpose in this world.

In this new Gospel Coalition booklet Andrew Davis summarizes the Bible’s teaching on creation. He traces the creation of the world and humanity through the first two chapters of Genesis, emphasizing that all things, especially humans, were created to display God’s glory. He moves into the tragic consequences of the Fall and points us to the glorious truth of the eventual New Creation. Perfect for distribution to those wrestling with questions of their purpose in this world.

Andrew M. David (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Durham, NC. In addition to his PhD, he also holds an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He served as a church planter in Japan from 1994 to 1998.

Peter Jasper Akinola is the former Anglican Primate of the Church of Nigeria. He is also the former Bishop of Abuja and Archbishop of Province III, which covered the northern and central parts of the country. When the division into ecclesiastical provinces was adopted in 2002, he became the first Archbishop of Abuja Province, a position he held until 2010. He is married and a father of six.

The Gospel and Scripture: How to Read the Bible

• Author: Mike Bullmore
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 24

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

When Christians read the Bible, they’re often unaware of the ways in which their reading influences their interpretation. This is particularly evident when Christians are asked to show how the gospel is related to all of the Bible, not just the first four books of the New Testament. In this new booklet from the Gospel Coalition, Mike Bullmore brings clarity to the relationship between the gospel and all of Scripture.

Bullmore begins by laying a theological foundation for understanding the gospel and the nature of God’s Word. He then outlines principles for seeing Christ in Scripture and discusses helpful strategies for reading and interpreting the Bible properly. This booklet is an important resource for all Christians who don’t understand that Scripture and the gospel are inextricably connected.

Mike Bullmore (PhD, Northwestern University) serves as the senior pastor of Crossway Community Church in Bristol, Wisconsin. He was formerly professor of homiletics/practical theology and department chair at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Mike lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with his wife, Beverly. They have three children.

Gospel-Centered Ministry

• Authors: D. A. Carson, Timothy J. Keller
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 16

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

In this Gospel Coalition booklet, D. A. Carson and Timothy Keller recount the origins of the Gospel Coalition and the purpose for which it was formed: to propagate a robust understanding of the gospel’s content and to encourage gospel-centered ministry.

Grounding their vision in the cross, Carson and Keller show how biblical theology flows toward Jesus and the gospel. They also demonstrate how Christian ministry flows from Jesus and the gospel. This summary of gospel-centered ministry is a great resource for pastors and others interested in the Gospel Coalition. Gospel-Centered Ministry offers a thoughtful explanation for the Gospel Coalition’s confessional statement. The Gospel Coalition is an evangelical renewal movement dedicated to a scripture-based reformation of ministry practices.

D. A. Carson (PhD, Cambridge University) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he has taught since 1978. He is a cofounder of the Gospel Coalition and has written or edited nearly 120 books. He and his wife, Joy, have two children and live in the north suburbs of Chicago.

Timothy J. Keller is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. He is the best-selling author of The Prodigal God and The Reason for God.

The Holy Spirit

• Author: Kevin DeYoung
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 32

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

The Holy Spirit is perhaps the least understood, and least acknowledged, member of the Trinity, but his work in the gospel is indispensable. In this new booklet from the Gospel Coalition, Kevin DeYoung looks to Scripture to outline fundamental doctrine about the personhood and work of the Holy Spirit.

DeYoung describes the Holy Spirit as our ultimate gift. Jesus promised his followers that a “helper” would be given to them. It is through this helper that we actively experience the power and presence of God. In this booklet DeYoung notes the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives, including his role in conviction, conversion, glorification, and the imparting of spiritual gifts.

Kevin DeYoung (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina. He serves as a council member at the Gospel Coalition and blogs at DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed. He is assistant professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte) and a PhD candidate at the University of Leicester. He is the author of several books, including Just Do Something; Crazy Busy; and The Biggest Story. Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have seven children.

Justification

• Author: Philip Graham Ryken
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 32

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

What does it mean to be justified? Humanity is in a desperate state; our sins separate us from the holy God. To be justified through Christ means we are covered in his righteousness and God no longer looks on us as guilty sinners. In this joyous action there is a depth of meaning and theology, and in this new booklet from the Gospel Coalition Philip Ryken directs us to the Bible’s rich teaching on the subject.

He begins with our need for justification as found in the opening chapters of Romans and moves on from there, covering the source of justification, the basis for justification, and the place of imputation in justification. This booklet makes for an accessible introduction to this central doctrine.

Philip Graham Ryken (DPhil, University of Oxford) is the eighth president of Wheaton College. Formerly, he served as senior minister of Philadelphia’s historic Tenth Presbyterian Church. He has written or edited more than 40 books, including the popular title Loving the Way Jesus Loves, and has lectured and preached at universities and seminaries worldwide.

The Plan

• Author: Colin S. Smith
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 32

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

From eternity past God has had a perfect plan for the world. The Fall and entrance of sin into the world did not surprise him, nor did it detract from his plan. All things have been sovereignly worked to this end. What exactly is this plan, and where do we learn about it?

In this new booklet from the Gospel Coalition, Colin Smith demonstrates that God’s plan is shown in the Bible and centers around his promise to bring sinners to eternal life, through Christ, for his glory. The Old Testament tells the story of the making of the promise, which is fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God’s people, the church, spread the good news of this promise to the world, and the Holy Spirit is given to believers as the seal of the promise.

Colin S. Smith is the senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, IL, where he has been since 1996. He is the author of The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life and can be heard on his Unlocking the Bible broadcast with Moody radio.

The Restoration of All Things

• Author: Sam Storms
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 32

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

“Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again!” This foundational liturgical refrain reminds us that what God has already achieved in the past through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is the foundation for what Scripture says he will do in the future, at the consummation of all things. In this booklet Sam Storms examines the essential elements of Christian eschatological hope—including bodily resurrection, judgment, hell and eternal punishment, and heaven in the presence of God—to show that this hope is a confident expectation rooted in the historical reality of what transpired in the life and death of Christ.

Storms examines the inauguration of God’s sovereign rule in the first coming of Christ in order to explore the implications of the consummation of the kingdom of God, the “blessed hope” of the Christian, and the controlling theme of biblical eschatology.

Sam Storms (PhD, University of Texas at Dallas) has spent more than four decades in ministry as a pastor, professor, and author. He is currently the senior pastor at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was previously a visiting associate professor of theology at Wheaton College from 2000 to 2004. He is the founder of Enjoying God Ministries and blogs regularly at SamStorms.com.

Sin and the Fall

• Author: Reddit Andrews III
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2012
• Pages: 24

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

A quick glance at a newspaper will indicate that all is not right in the world. Where did hatred, death, and suffering come from? Why do we lie, cheat, and steal, and why does all this seem to be an unending cycle? Nothing is more important in understanding the human condition than to recognize the presence of sin in the world.

In this new booklet from the Gospel Coalition, Reddit Andrews lays out the Bible’s teaching on sin and the fall. He notes that we were not always this way, and that sin is something foreign to God’s original design for creation. By defining sin and exploring its effects, Andrews shows readers that sin is absolutely pervasive, is completely universal, and leads to death.

Reddit Andrews III believes all good theology should be practical. Born in Hartford, CT, Andrews studied theology at Trinity International University and was assistant professor practical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. He currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

About the Editors

D. A. Carson (PhD, Cambridge University) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he has taught since 1978. He is a cofounder of the Gospel Coalition and has written or edited nearly 120 books. He and his wife, Joy, have two children and live in the north suburbs of Chicago.

Timothy J. Keller is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. He is the best-selling author of The Prodigal God and The Reason for God.