Still Complementarian
In the summer of 2016 the MOS team was in the center of a rather public controversy over the doctrine of the Eternal Submission of the Son (ESS). I believe strongly that this is an errant doctrine. It is…
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Was Paul Co-Dependent?
Was Paul Co-Dependent? Reflections on 2 Corinthians for Singles (and the Rest of Us) 2 Corinthians 2:12-13 says something extraordinary. Paul walked away from an open door of ministry in Troas because he couldn’t find Titus. What’s up here? Why…
Applying the Beatitudes
The Beatitudes, according to Matthew, mark the beginning of Jesus’ public teaching ministry. They are the first things that Jesus emphasized as he proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom. Unlike Moses at Mount Sinai, Jesus began his Sermon on the…
The Lazy Pastor
At the outset of a difficult topic – pastoral laziness – I want to be clear that my purpose is to encourage both pastors and their congregations. Where conflict arises over the minister’s work ethic, I believe most of the…
The Whole and the Parts
This is the second part of James Renihan’s essay on the scope of theology. To read part one, click here. The Scope of the Whole We have already cited the common language of the great English Protestant Confessions, Presbyterian, Independent…
Mercy for Migrants
I was once struck by a brief radio address given by a Jewish Rabbi on the morning of Yom Kippur. She spent the whole time allotted to her talking about Isaiah 58 and how it links to the deliverance of…
How Should We Distinguish God’s Attributes?
There are many ways to think about God’s attributes. They can be divided between those that affirm something about God and those that deny something about God, those that are communicable to creatures (i.e. can exist in or be communicated…
Reformed Ethics Could Save Your Life
Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Ethics Could Save Your Life Reformed Ethics: Created, Fallen, and Converted Humanity (Vol. 1), John Bolt, ed. et al. Baker Academic, 2019. HC, 608 pp. I was preparing a student paper on Bavinck for ETS when the economy collapsed…
Theology on Target
Theology on Target The Scope of the Whole (Which Is to Give All Glory to God) Part 1 On October 16, 1845, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these familiar lines in a poem titled “The Arrow and the Song”: I shot…
Discussing God’s Attributes
Is the conversation about God’s attributes “old fashioned” and “western”? Regarding systematic theology, one often encounters the critique that the logical ordering of various topics is “western” or “Greek” or “academic”–all of which are really meant as synonyms for “bad”…