Matthieu Richelle on Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions

Matthieu Richelle, Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions, Elements in the Ancient Near Eastern World and the Bible (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2026).

The above short-ish (100-page) book is available as a free pdf download until 8 December 2026.

Here is the summary:

‘The purpose of this Element is twofold. First, it offers an up-to-date introduction to Paleo-Hebrew inscriptions. Second, it argues that the wealth of information they yield about ancient Israel and Judah is underappreciated and needs to be reevaluated. To these ends, it first briefly retraces the slow rediscovery of the Paleo-Hebrew script by modern scholars from the Renaissance onward and shows that it remained poorly identified by many until the second third of the twentieth century. Even today, most historians focus on a few iconic inscriptions or sets of inscriptions in specific periods. This Element then retraces the biography of the script in its entirety and highlights the surprising variety of its uses over more than a millennium. Finally, it shows, by a selection of relevant documents, how Paleo-Hebrew inscriptions shed light on daily life, historical events, religious beliefs and practices, and literacy in ancient Israel and Judah.’

The book can be downloaded as a pdf from here.

Credo Magazine 17, 2 (2026) on the Body

The latest Credo Magazine is devoted to ‘The Theology of the Body’:

‘Historically, Christians have always affirmed the goodness of the body. Yet, we live in a day and age of profound confusion about the body. The significance of what it means to be human is under constant threat by our modern culture. In light of that confusion and threat, this issue of Credo Magazine takes a closer look at the goodness of the body so that we might better understand what it means to be truly human. John Paul II in his seminal work, Theology of the Body said, “The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it.” Here we take up the task of elucidating the many ways in which the human body is a visible gift that reveals to us the mystery of God.

Individual articles are available from here.

Mission Frontiers 48, 6 (November–December 2026)

The November–December 2026 issue of Mission Frontiers, published by Frontier Ventures, contains a number of articles devoted to the topic of ‘Faithful Risk-Taking’

Here’s some of the issue blurb, which sets the scene:

‘Going to the remaining unreached people groups requires stepping into risky situations. We are not called to avoid risk, nor are we called to engage risk for risk’s sake. How to think about and prepare to step into risk faithfully is the focus of this issue…’

The issue is available here, from where individual articles can be accessed, and the entire issue can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Liturgies

Tim Challies has made available from here a collection of liturgies – calls to worship, confessions, benedictions, etc. – from Grace Fellowship Church Toronto, with the offer of using them ‘without attribution as you plan your own worship services’.

Centre for Public Christianity (October 2026)

Among other items, the Centre for Public Christianity has posted a ‘Life and Faith’ podcast here with Louise Perry on ‘why the Sexual Revolution let us down’.

From the blurb:

‘Her book, The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, considered the cost of huge social change from the 60s and 70s and modern hook up culture, ubiquitous pornography and an anything goes approach to relationships.

‘Described as a radical feminist challenge to liberal feminism, the book gave a language to an uneasiness many people felt but weren’t sure why or how to articulate.’

Theos Report on Christianity and Britishness

The latest report from Theos has recently been published:

Nick Spencer and Yinxuan Huang, Beyond “Christian Nationalism”: Measuring Attitudes to Christianity and Britishness Today (London: Theos. 2026).

Here’s some brief blurb:

‘“Christian nationalism” is apparently growing in the UK but, although much used, the phrase is often vague and can be unhelpful. We commissioned and analysed research into the perceived (and desired) relationship between Christianity and Britishness among 1,765 UK adults.

‘8% of UK adults strongly agree that you need to be Christian to be truly British, and 9% slightly agree. Only 1% thinks that being Christian is the most important factor for being truly British.

‘Beneath these headline figures, UK public opinion shows a more complex understanding of the perceived and desired relationship between Christianity and Britishness, in which different kinds of nationalism and different approaches to Christianity inform opinion…

‘This report is part of a wider research project exploring the rise of Christian nationalism in UK and Europe. It is led by Nick Spencer and undertaken by Yinxuan Huang, George Lapshynov, Hannah Rich, Nathan Mladin, and Coco Huggins. It is funded by The Ideas Workshop which is part of Open Society Foundations.’

More information about the project is available here, more information about the report is available here, and a pdf of the full report is available here.

Three Free Crossway ebooks for Pastor Appreciation Month

Crossway is offering three free ebooks for Pastor Appreciation Month in partnership with Midwestern Seminary:

Mike Bullmore, The Heart of Preaching.

Dane Ortlund, Deeper.

Jonathan Leeman, Using Authority Well.

I’m currently reading the one (in its ‘real’ version) by Mike Bullmore and thoroughly enjoying it.

You’ll need an account with Crossway, but the books are available with a promo code through to the end of October 2026 from here.