Latest Posts
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Chalcedonian Hermeneutics
Read more: Chalcedonian HermeneuticsAs orthodox Christians we all readily affirm the Chalcedonian Definition of Christology. Jesus the Messiah has two natures; being both completely human and completely divine. These two natures are distinct from each other, yet are united in the single person of Christ. All Christological heresies abandon at least one of these central tenets. We know…
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Biblical Manhood, Pastoral Ministry and Shifting Economic Sands: A Convergence of Ideas
Read more: Biblical Manhood, Pastoral Ministry and Shifting Economic Sands: A Convergence of IdeasOver the past few weeks, I have been critiquing the biblical manhood movement on a number of levels. While those first four posts were crucial in the series I am writing, I want to strike out on a bit of a different tact in these final two posts. In this post in particular, I have…
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How Helpful is the Term “Evangelical”?
Read more: How Helpful is the Term “Evangelical”?Dr. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, posted an article last week on his website entitled, “What Makes Evangelicalism Evangelical? A New Book Joins the Argument.” The article was adapted from an essay he wrote for a new collaborative book on the spectrum of evangelicalism. The article gives a brief history of…
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The Kenosis of Thor & The Kenosis of Christ
Read more: The Kenosis of Thor & The Kenosis of ChristWhen it comes to super-heroes I am a Batman guy all the way. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Oscar-worthy Christopher Nolan is the mastermind behind the resurgence of Batman’s popularity and Joel Schumacher’s grubby paws are nowhere near the franchise (although he did apologize). Yet, even before Nolan I preferred Batman to others, especially…
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Lessons Learned From Street Preachers: Part 2
Read more: Lessons Learned From Street Preachers: Part 2*This is the second post in a series where the practice of street preaching is put under scrutiny. The inspiration for this series comes from a street preacher I recently encountered at the local DMV. In my last post, I argued that the form of the message matters and that most contemporary street preachers do not…
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Biblical Manhood in Application: Are There Two Competing Visions for Biblical Manhood?
Read more: Biblical Manhood in Application: Are There Two Competing Visions for Biblical Manhood?Much of what I have been arguing for, or against, over the past couple of weeks has to do with what I believe is at the root of the misunderstanding surrounding proper applications of biblical manhood principles. I want to suggest that the biblical manhood movement puts crushing and often times unbiblical expectations on young…
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Call in the Understudy: Does Justification Play too much of a Leading Role on the Stage of Soteriology
Read more: Call in the Understudy: Does Justification Play too much of a Leading Role on the Stage of SoteriologyOver the last few decades, our precious protestant friend Justification has received a lot of tough press and some heavy abuse. Stendahl, Sanders, Dunn, and Wright have all added their contributions to the theological boxing tournament seeking to knock out an understanding of justification (esp in Pauline Literature) that may be more informed and conditioned…
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Jesus Walks? The Theology of Kanye West in Light of Scripture
Read more: Jesus Walks? The Theology of Kanye West in Light of ScriptureI made “Jesus Walks” so [I’m] never going to hell. –Kanye West, “Otis” Nothing says “fresh” like analyzing a subject of pop culture seven years after its release. But unfortunately, I didn’t have a blog seven years ago, and since Kanye West delivered the line above in a song from his new collaboration album with Jay-Z,…
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A Regal Interpretation of Colossians
Read more: A Regal Interpretation of ColossiansIn continuation of Matt’s brief theology of Colossians, which focused on the nature of the Church’s new existence in Christ, this entry will focus on a major Christological theme of the letter. The main Christological message is summed up in the famous “Christ Hymn” of Col 1.15-20. Many interpreters of Colossians regard the hymnic material…
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A Short Theology of Colossians
Read more: A Short Theology of ColossiansThe message of the gospel points us to a new possibility for life—nay, a new actuality of life. The divine fullness has entered into time, and history is bursting at the seams. As the world hurtled onward towards the abyss, God came bodily in Jesus Christ and embraced death and reprobation—“making peace by the blood…