-
What Does “Biblical” Mean?
Read more: What Does “Biblical” Mean?Yesterday, Richard Beck of Experimental Theology wrote a post on what the word “biblical” means. As will be obvious, I don’t much care for what he had to say. In fact, it made me so grumpy that I thought I’d respond. I hope he takes it as a compliment. In his piece he concludes: Biblical is…
-
Philosophy in the Bible
Read more: Philosophy in the BibleEarlier this year I submitted the following entry for The Lexham Bible Dictionary. This will be the entry for “Philosophy”. It’s obviously too late to change it for the dictionary, but let me know what you think anyways! (I like it alright, but the quote from Kierkegaard and the use of Kelsey make it a…
-
Red Letter Bibles: Should Publishers Print Them?
Read more: Red Letter Bibles: Should Publishers Print Them?There is love, in the red letters There is truth, in the red letters There is hope for the hopeless, peace and forgiveness There is life, in the red letters These lyrics come from the song Red Letters sung by dc Talk in their album, Supernatural, released in 1998. For some, this song is undoubtedly…
-
“Karl Barth is Evil”: The Strong and the Weak
Read more: “Karl Barth is Evil”: The Strong and the WeakIn the undergraduate class I am teaching this semester, one of the research assignments students can choose is an analysis of the Barth and Bultmann debate over the nature of Jesus’ resurrection. One student who chose this assignment later changed their mind; this person sent me an email asking if it would be possible change…
-
Sweeney Todd & Total Depravity
Read more: Sweeney Todd & Total DepravityWhen I originally saw Sweeney Todd at the theatres in December 2007 my first thought was, “I need to preach a sermon on this.” So in this season leading up to Halloween I thought I’d relive some of those original thoughts and share them with you. Also, if you are looking for a good movie…
-
…So I’m Kind of a Pacifist
Read more: …So I’m Kind of a PacifistI say kind of because I’m very inconsistent. On the one hand I enjoy movies about famous wars or war heroes (Gladiator, The Patriot, We Were Soldiers, Saving Private Ryan), I like some violent video games (Halo, Call of Duty), and I have complete respect for those who are willing to support their country and subject…
-
Is the aNTi Wright Polemic Justified?
Read more: Is the aNTi Wright Polemic Justified?We all know Wright has received a bad wrap from many conservative Christians over the years. I can remember being introduced to Wright’s view on Justification in a context in which I was told how detrimental his ideas were. Furthermore, one of the most influential figures for my theological thinking, John Piper, wrote an extensive…
-
Why Theology Sucks
Read more: Why Theology SucksI recently had a pastor tell me that the in-depth, formal study of what is commonly called “systematic theology” would be a waste of my time and would not have a real benefit for the church. When I tried to engage yet another pastor in discussion about theology he remarked flatly, “theology is boring.” Both…
-
Baptized with the Spirit: A Meditation
Read more: Baptized with the Spirit: A Meditation“I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (John the Baptist, Mark 1:8) Although many of us are unable to follow, we really ought to commend the Pentecostals for doing something with the notion of Holy Spirit baptism. For the rest of us, it is subsumed under the…
-
We Think as we Worship
Read more: We Think as we Worship“They sing” wrote Pliny the Younger. When describing the life and the rituals of this most bizarre new “religion” that was springing up throughout the 1st Century Roman world, depicting the phenomenon and germination of a new people called “Christians.” This profound quote was brought to my attention by Cherith Fee Nordling, in her penetrating…