The Riddleblog

Coming Soon -- Michael Horton's New Book -- "Magician and Mechanic"

I am really excited about this one!

Why are American evangelical churches and progressive Protestant churches hemorrhaging membership? Why are these churches ignoring, downplaying, or renouncing distinctive Christian doctrine and ethics while striving to be “spiritual”? Why are the “nones” the fastest growing group in recent surveys of American religious affiliation? Why does your neighbor or your co-worker renounce “organized religion” in the name of “spirituality?”

Michael Horton addresses these matters in his series on the Divine Self, laying out the reasons behind this shift—those who embrace the divine self (likely without any awareness of doing so) will inevitably see themselves as “spiritual,” but not “religious.”

Horton’s series on the roots of “spiritual but not religious” is to my mind one of the most profound and important of recent efforts to determine why Western Civilization is becoming increasingly pagan. The first volume of a projected three volume series on the Divine Self (Shaman and Sage), was released in 2025, and dealt with the Axial Age (800-200 BCE) through to the Middle Ages, where the roots of modern forms of “spirituality” originate. Volume two (Magician and Mechanic) takes us from the Enlightenment, to the Renaissance, and then to the Scientific Revolution, addressing the challenges to orthodox Christianity as they develop in surprising ways throughout this period. Volume Three (which covers the modern period) will complete the series and is still TBA.

To read the rest, follow the link below

American Religion, Biblical Theology, History and Culture, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerJanuary 14, 2026Magician and Mechanic, The Enlightenment, The Renaissance, The Scientific Age Comments

Some Important Books on the Horizon — Get That Credit Card Out!

First on the list is Connecting Scripture which has just been released by Holman. Connecting Scripture is a CSV (Christian Standard Version) New Testament which does something no other New Testament does. The biblical text has blue and green color coding to indicate when a biblical saying is either a direct citation from the New Testament (blue) or an allusion to something in the Old Testament (green). This enables the reader to see where a New Testament writer quotes from or draws allusion to something in the Old Testament—the thought world of New Testament writers.

This New Testament also has extensive and very helpful notes explaining where and why a New Testament passage is best understood in light of the Old Testament background and context, even in those cases where there is not a direct quotation or immediately identifiable allusion. At a glace, the user of Connecting Scripture can see where and why use is made in the New Testament of the Old Testament—making it an invaluable and helpful resource.

I just got my copy and find myself thumbing through it despite having other things to do.

To see the rest of my recommendations, follow the link below

American Religion, History and Culture, Reformed ResourcesKim RiddlebargerOctober 17, 2025Magician and Mechanic, The Enlightenment, The scietific revolution Comments