Ashley Madison: Faithlessness
“… be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). Ashley. Madison. Two words that will not be forgotten by millions of people for as long as they live. Divorce lawyers in some cities are not even answering their…
Category Reformation21
The Value of Reading Expository Commentaries
One of my tasks this month is editing Derek Thomas’ forthcoming commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah for the Reformed Expository Commentary series. I am learning so much and benefiting from its extraordinary value! This reminds me of the great value in regularly…
Why Missionaries Can’t Raise Money
That daunting task of raising the financial support needed to go on the mission field is overwhelming for most missionaries. Too many would-be global servants believe raising finances is the worst part about missions. Sure you can leave your home…
ThingsJesusNeverSaid
Trending on Twitter recently was the hashtag: #ThingsJesusNeverSaid It was a case of the good, the bad, the ugly, the downright blasphemous, and occasionally humorous. Such tweets included: “Go to Yale Divinity School” “The old covenant is a…
Christological Confusion & China’s Reforming Churches (part 1)
Introduction Christological confusion has sunk a root into the rich soil of China’s emerging Reformed community. At present, some pastors and others on the mainland believe Christ’s human nature is uncreated and eternal. What is more, some believe this view…
We Distinguish: The Importance of Theological Distinctions
If I had my way regarding theological training, I’d attempt to help students master the basic theological distinctions from the era of Protestant scholasticism. Those who think “scholastic” is a bad word probably don’t know much about scholasticism. Truth be…
Reading Backwards
Richard Hays, Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2014. 240 pages $29.99 I had the pleasure of hearing much of the present book in its oral form as the Hulsean Lectures in…
Flight vs. Freedom: Calvin on Hagar (Gen. 16)
“Hagar, servant of Sarai.” So the angel of the Lord addressed the Egyptian slave (Gen. 16.8) who had the great misfortune to be drawn into Abraham and Sarah’s scheme to assist the realization of God’s promise (Gen. 16.1-6). Upon the…
The Face behind Article 17
I think there is a good case that Peter Martyr Vermigli is the brains behind Article 17 of the Thirty-nine Articles. He was the highly respected and trusted Regis Professor of Divinity at Oxford (1548-1554), and actually wrote a tract…
Romans 7 and the Psychikos Man of 1 Corinthians 15:44
This past Lord’s Day my evening sermon was preached on a passage that includes 1 Corinthians 15:44, where Paul writes that the body “is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” (Those interested in the sermon can…