Faith & Life
DETAILS:
Publisher: Banner of Truth
Publication Date: Dec 1, 1974
Format: Clothbound
Length: 458 pg.
Read Date: January 2-December 25, 2022
N.B.: I’ve revamped and slightly updated this from the last time I reread this.
What’s Faith & Life About?
Back when Princeton Seminary was the crown jewel of biblical Presbyterian training in the US, notable professors like Archibald Alexander, Samuel Miller, and Charles Hodge would have informal addresses for students on Sunday afternoons. B. B. Warfield, the lion of Princeton, continued this practice. These 41 chapters come from some of these addresses to the students.
They are roughly 10 (+/-2) pages long (the pages are on the small side, it should be noted), short, and to the point. They’re expositions of small pericopes of Scripture (primarily one or two verses, but he’ll often address the immediate context). Three chapters are from the Old Testament, with the rest from the New—the chapters are organized by canonical order, not by any particular themes or lines of thought.
So, what did I think about Faith & Life?
I went skimming over the Table of Contents to pick out a few highlights—and I’m having a real problem. Almost every one is a gem. “Prayer as a Means of Grace” and “Prayer as a Practice” were very helpful—the latter was slightly better. “New Testament Puritanism” was great. Despite the reputation men like Warfield have, the chapters involving the work of the Holy Spirit were all tremendous. “God’s Holiness and Ours” was fantastic. I could keep going here, but it wouldn’t be long before I copied the Table of Contents.
For being the exemplar of “old Princeton,” with all the rigor and scholarship that entails—these addresses help us remember that even stalwarts like Warfield, who are known for strong stances on doctrinal issues—were men with vibrant faith, even a sense of humor.
With a couple of breaks for illnesses, travel, etc. I read a chapter each Lord’s Day. It was like sitting down with a trusted friend to talk about the Bible for a couple of minutes. I’m going to miss doing that going into the next year. I last did this back in 2013, and won’t let myself wait as long for the next time through.
Faith & Life is everything Christian scholarship should be—warm, Christ-centered, practical, and doxological. It’s also everything that Christian devotional material should be—careful, sound, and deliberately orthodox. Highly recommended.
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