The Magazine Podcast
Bringing to light the riches of the Banner of Truth Magazine archive for the encouragement of believers today.
Episodes
Jeremiah Burroughs was a peace-loving Puritan. Without sacrificing the truth, he sought unity among those who professed it, and prayed, preached, and pleaded to that end. Indeed, Richard Baxter, who felt keenly the need for peace but struggled himself to promote it, once remarked that if all the Episcopalians had been like Archbishop [James] Ussher, all the Presbyterians like Stephen Marshall, and all the Independents like Jeremiah...
In Psalm 31, David prays the following about those who fear the Lord:
'In the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
from the strife of tongues.'
In a world in which deception so often seems to prevail, and good reputations are tarnished by falsehoods, we need to realise afre...
The system of false teaching known as Socinianism proved a thorn in the side of the Reformed churches for more than two centuries. Even today, the essential tenets of Socinianism are still with us, and aspects of it pop up in the teaching of such movements as Unitarian Universalism, 'Oneness' Pentecostalism, Christadelphianism, and among the Jehovah's Witnesses.
As such, it is well for us to take a closer look at this movement, it...
As summer turns to autumn in the northern hemisphere, we do hope this note finds you doing well. This week we bring you an audio recording of Iain H. Murray speaking on 'John Knox' at the 2003 Youth Conference in Leicester, England.
More resources on John Knox:
– The Select Practical Writings of John Knox (Clothbound, 336 pages)
– The Works of John Knox (6 Volumes, 3824 pages)
– D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Knox and the Reformati...
This week we bring you a conversation with Rev Jim McCarthy of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Statesboro, Georgia. Jim is the author of a new exposition of the two (yes, two) minor prophets who were sent by God to Nineveh, a leading city (and later capital) of the Assyrian empire. Join us as we consider what these two biblical books have to say to us today.
The Two Prophets To Nineveh (paperback, 120 pages) will be released on Octob...
This week we read some words of comfort and counsel suitable for all weary believers, and especially for pastors who feel stretched beyond what they can bear.
Featured Resources:
– C. H. Spurgeon, 'The Minister's Fainting Fits,' in The Minister's Self-Watch & The Minister's Fainting Fits (booklet), (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2025), p. 40–42. This lecture also appears in Lectures to My Students by the same author.
Arnold Dallimore's name has long been associated with the Banner of Truth. Noted for his biographies of Spurgeon and Whitefield, Dallimore (d. 1998) was an Ontarian 'small-town pastor' whose writing labours took place against a backdrop of financial pressure and ministerial responsibility, and without the advantages of local research facilities. We take time this week to go 'behind the scenes' and find out more about this patient s...
This week on the podcast we focus on the contents and impact of one particular Banner book: Iain H. Murray's The Forgotten Spurgeon. First published in the Banner of Truth Magazine, and then in paperback in 1966, it has proved valuable in teaching many about the central importance of the doctrines of grace, and underscoring the need for a theologically rich gospel witness.
Featured Resources:
– Ian S. Barter, 'The Forgotten Spu...
4 August 2025 marks three-hundred years since the birth of John Newton: pastor, author, and hymnwriter. This week we depart from our usual format to supply an audio recording of Iain H. Murray speaking on 'The Life of John Newton' at the 2007 Ministers' Conference in Leicester, England.
Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org
Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine
Le...
To learn the backstory of a hymn can be a richly rewarding exercise. The same applies with hymnwriters. This week we consider the life and faith of two wonderful hymnists of yesteryear: Isaac Watts (1674–1748) and Frances Ridley Havergal (1836–1879).
Featured Resources:
– Mark S. Shuttleworth, 'Isaac Watts: The Man Behind the Hymns', The Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 221, February 1982.
– Pamela D. Bugden, 'Sweet Singer and P...
There is, writes the Preacher of Ecclesiastes, 'a time to die' (Ecclesiastes 3:2). The believer in Christ is called to be mindful of this time, to prepare for it, and then, when it comes, to commit his or her soul to a faithful Heavenly Father.
Featured Resources:
- Toni Saad, 'Life at all Costs?', The Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 738, March 2025.
- Excerpt from Iain H. Murray, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 19...
How can a Christian prepare for death? It is a question pertinent to us all, and yet it is asked earnestly by so few.
This week we seek guidance on this question from the work of the seventeenth-century minister George Swinnock and the nineteenth-century pastoral theologian Archibald Alexander.
Featured Resources:
- Excerpt from 'The Fading of the Flesh' in The Works of George Swinnock, Vol. 3 (1672; repr. Edinburgh: Banner of ...
In this, the first of three episodes on the subject of dying in the Lord, we ask what the Bible teaches about death, and apply it to the case of the unbeliever and the believer.
Featured Resources:
- George Curry, Preparing Unbelievers for Death, Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 317 (Ferbruary 1990).
- Excerpt from 'The Christian Man's Calling' in The Works of George Swinnock, Vol. 3 (1672; repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1996...
Meditating on the Lord Jesus Christ is a high privilege of the Christian. It strengthens his faith, deepens his love, and calibrates his hope. The Lord Jesus Christ is the One in whom we, by the power of the Spirit, see the glory of the Father.
This week we take time not to pursue another aspect of Christian living, or another profile from church history, but to think about 'God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side' (John 1:1...
New this summer from the Banner of Truth is a unique collection of lectures on revival from nineteenth-century Scotland.
In this brief bonus episode, we read a portion of the Publisher's Introduction by Banner trustee Donald John MacLean to see just why this collection warrants republication today.
Read the entire Publisher's Introduction: https://banneroftruth.org/resources/book-excerpts/2025/the-revival-of-religion-publishers...
Pastoral ministry isn't for everyone. Indeed, it isn't for the many. 'Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers', writes James, 'for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness' (James 3:1).
This week's readings spell out and explore some bad reasons for going into ministry, hopefully serving men considering the pastoral office, as well as those who advise and support them.
Featured Resources
– R...
'He did not get up to talk about his party, his cause, his interest or his office', wrote J. C. Ryle of George Whitefield. 'He was perpetually telling you about your sins, your heart, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the absolute need of repentance, faith, and holiness, in the way that the Bible presents these mighty subjects.'
This week we turn our attention to a man who, by God's grace, became a means in the salvation of thousands ...
Last year the Trust published W. Ross Blackburn's Unveiling the Cross: Beholding and Proclaiming the Whole Christ. Ross has a background in Old Testament studies, has pastored in the ACNA (Anglican Church in North America) and has been involved for many years with the pro-life movement in the USA. We sat down with Ross and found out a bit more about his own backstory, and also his burden in Unveiling the Cross. We trust you'll enjo...
There is no such thing as 'neutral' history. All history is written from a religious standpoint, reflecting either an awareness of and reverence for God and his purposes and dealings, or an ignorance of the same.
Towards the end of the twentieth century, some Christian historians reacted to 'providentialist' history, that is, history that gives place to God, and sought to deal in strictly naturalistic terms, explaining and conject...
In 1868 Pope Pius IX issued a call to those who, in his words, 'glory in the name of Christian, yet do not profess the true faith of Christ, nor hold to and follow the Communion of the Catholic Church.' He wanted them to submit to and join with the Catholic church, and hoped that the forthcoming First Vatican Council would catalyse this.
Grasping the need for a concise and clear response, grounded in the biblical teaching recovered...
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