One Justification or Two Justifications?
“And a good work it is, no doubt, to pare off all unnecessary occasions of debate and differences in religion, provided we go not so near the quick as to let out any of its vital spirits.” John Owen Part…
Blog
Read MoreOne Justification or Two Justifications?
New Pastors Handbook
As a faculty member at RTS/Jackson, one of the great privileges that I have is to teach the first year, first semester class, “Introduction to Pastoral and Theological Studies.” This class is meant as an orientation to seminary. One of…
“Eschatology and Enjoying Your Mate”
In his first lecture on Biblical Theology (available for free download on iTunes U), Dr. Gregory Beale begins to build his case that eschatology is the key to our sanctification. He even half-jokingly suggests teaching one day on the topic,…
Love and Fidelity
Anyone who has a child at a college or university will know the huge pressure that is put on students these days to conform to the sexual mores of the age. The Love and Fidelity Network is an organization desgined…
“It is not we who can sustain the church…”
I begin every semester in my Church and Sacraments course with the following quotation from Martin Luther, which Karl Barth used “In Place of a Foreword” to introduce Church Dogmatics, volume 1.2. The quotation says so much about the relationship…
The Wave of the Future
Yesterday I was given a copy of Jason Helopoulos's new book, The New Pastor's Handbook: Help and Encouragement for the First Years of Ministry. It looks excellent, with short chapters on a whole collection of important themes, from the nature…
What has Gotham to do with Jerusalem?
In the world of comic books, people don’t get more evil than the Joker, but thankfully Batman exists to restrain the evil that the Joker unleashes on Gotham City. The struggle between Batman and the Joker entertains us, but these…
What has Gotham to do with Jerusalem?
In the world of comic books, people don’t get more evil than the Joker, but thankfully Batman exists to restrain the evil that the Joker unleashes on Gotham City. The struggle between Batman and the Joker entertains us, but these…
Poor Prose Is Poor Theology
As a writing instructor, I do my best to resist the urge to gripe about poor prose, but I’m especially irked by turbid theology in print–and even more so when a top publishing company has seen fit to endorse it.…
Pastoral Letter, no. 4
My dear friends: This coming Sunday morning, I plan on mentioning C. S. Lewis’s essay on “The Inner Ring.” I would encourage you to read it (or reread it as the case may be). You can find it on the…