Primer is a project I’ve been working on
with the FIEC. It’s written for gospel workers to help them put good theology
into practice in the life of the church.
In each issue of Primer we take one pressing topic and
over the course of 80 pages or so we offer a kind of theological digest;
summarising contemporary debate, drawing on at least one classic historical
text, and always keeping the realities of ministry in view. In the first issue
we covered the doctrine of Scripture. The second issue (released today) looks at the doctrine of
sin. What does that look like? Well,
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We gave Graham Beynon
a pile of books recently published on the topic and asked him to go away and
juice them for us, discussing the various ways in which they define the essence
of sin.
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Then we asked Tim Ward
to reflect upon the ways in which we customarily preach sin. He considers the
dominant models we use to explain sin to unbelievers (idolatry and rebellion),
and then asks how well our preaching to believers about their sin stacks up
against the New Testament.
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Next we reprint a classic
passage from Calvin’s Institutes on the extent of human sinfulness. It’s
a fantastic passage that takes us into the depths of the human condition in a
way that leads us back out to God’s grace as the only possible remedy. To help that medicine go down, we have Mark
Troughton, a serving pastor, guiding us through the text. He sets the passage in its context and helps us follow the argument and apply it to ministry today.
Beyond that, three articles have a more practical focus:
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Kirsten Birkett explores
addiction and its relationship to sin from both a medical and theological
perspective (looking at it through the lens of Augustine’s account of sin).
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Next, John Frame gives
some short sharp answers to some FAQ’s about sin in the Christian life (Why do
we confess sin if we’re forgiven? How does God feel about us when we sin? etc.)
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And finally, I’ve written
on how we can communicate sin in a culture of entitlement and victimhood. How
do we explain sin when everything is someone’s fault?
Primer is published twice a year and is
available from the Good Book
Company…