As we were once dead in our trespasses and sin, we needed to be brought from death to life. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols shows how this truth is outlined in John Owen’s book The Holy Spirit.

At the end of his life, John Owen penned his final book, The Glory of Christ. What were the last words this towering figure of the faith wanted to tell us? On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols explores Owen’s writings on one of the greatest privileges we have as believers, both in this world and for eternity.

Why should we mortify, or "put to death," our sin? On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols highlights John Owen's book on the new birth and our three-front battle against sin.

At John Owen's funeral, it was said that "the great burden of his life was to see people grow in holiness." On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols speaks with Dr. Sinclair Ferguson on this 17th-century theologian, a man of letters and a man of action.

Our God is a merciful God, extending His grace freely to poor, downcast sinners in need. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols discusses A Lifting Up for the Downcast by William Bridge.

After he began preaching, Thomas Brooks wrote a book to remind us of the devices of Satan—and the “precious remedies” God has given us to combat them. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols takes a look at the next Puritan book we should bring to the beach.

In his book All Things for Good, Thomas Watson calls us to love and trust in the Lord whose ways are above our ways. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols looks at the final parts of Watson’s book and the important doctrines they uncover.

The Puritans were a people committed to the deep study of the Word of God. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols introduces us to All Things for Good, Thomas Watson’s meditation and application of Romans 8:28.

Why read the Puritans—and why read them “again and again, as old friends”? On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols speaks with Dr. Sinclair Ferguson on the richness and nourishment he gleans from the old Puritan writers.

Just three years before Anne Bradstreet's death, this weary Puritan penned verses describing a longing for eternity and escape from the cares of this world. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols reads from his wife’s book on Bradstreet, America’s first published poet.

C.H. Spurgeon once said of a man, “He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God.” On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols looks at this man whose “blood is bibline.”

During World War II, C.S. Lewis addressed the student body at Oxford University to answer the question, “Should we learn in wartime?” On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols looks at how learning in the midst of crisis can be a way to remind us of the divine reality of heaven.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, one non-conformist, exiled Puritan drew up an important Reformation text, instructing ministers to lead their congregation through the entire Word of God. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols explores the history of Thomas Cartwright and his Middleburg Liturgy.

Unlike the Great Awakening of the 18th century, the revivalist preaching of the so-called “Second Great Awakening” left many people disillusioned with Christianity. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols takes us to a region in New York that still bears scars from the 19th century.

Nearly fifty years ago, R.C. Sproul penned The Symbol, expositing phrases from the Apostles' Creed to articulate truths about our holy God and His work in our lives. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols surveys the purpose, contents, and even humor embedded in Dr. Sproul's first published book.

Founder of a newspaper, a radio program, and several Christian organizations, Carl McIntire was incredibly influential in the 20th-century fundamentalist movement. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols tells the story of this colorful figure.

If we study the Bible without ever considering the collective wisdom of Christians who came before us, we are impoverishing ourselves of a wealth of insight. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols examines J. Gresham Machen's thoughts on reading Scripture in light of church history.

Although the seminary at Finkenwalde was shut down by the Nazis in 1937, Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued to work and write in order to help Christians understand the life and ministry of the church in this world. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols analyzes Bonhoeffer’s classic book Life Together.