The political and religious developments of eighteenth-century New England are some of the most investigated artifacts of history. The First Great Awakening is a major feature of these developments, and several authors have revivified our interest in how best to understand this complex scene of historical events, characters, and interests. It is clear that democratization … Read more
This paper argues that a robust examination of the Old and New Testament beatitudes is needed to best interpret the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. A literature review will reference the voices from today to those of St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Augustine, connecting the modern ear to voices from the Nicene period. The review … Read more
Abstract The 77th ETS Annual Meeting November 18-20, 2025, Boston, Massachusetts Damascus Road as Bethlehem’s Field The Rebirth of Saul in Acts 9 Corresponds Intertextually to the Birth of Jesus in Luke 2 I argue that through the literary technique of recursion (parallel, narrative analogy), the key events and major characters in the depiction of … Read more
Two significant contributions of the holiness revivalist Phoebe Palmer (1804-1874), often cited by scholars, include her holiness theology and as Donald Dayton has noted, her “incipient feminism.” In the decades following her death, Palmer failed to receive much attention from scholars. Nevertheless, as Dale Simmons states, “the explosion of literature on Palmer in the 1970s … Read more
The word ἐπίνοια was used in a technical sense later than the writings of Athanasius. Basil used the word in his writings of The Eunomian Controversy. This paper will demonstrate that Athanasius use the word in his work, Contra Arianos to demonstrate that the Arians invented a new concept of Christ that is not found … Read more
As a dichotomy of faith communities competed, the so-called Paschal Controversy first emerged in the mid-first century and became a primary dynamic for inter-ecclesiastical politics and doctrinal development through the mid-fourth century. This two-sided dynamic would morph into a three-way struggle with the latter emergence of the eastern Arian-Lucian school. Soon after the council at … Read more
Many scholars interpret “the sons of God” in Genesis 6:2 as spiritual beings, fallen or otherwise, and “the Nephilim” as their half-human, colossal offspring, but such an interpretation stands completely opposed to exegeting the text with a literal, grammatical-historical hermeneutic. This study will carefully demonstrate through the surrounding context of Genesis, and the Pentateuch collectively, … Read more
Church discipline in the 20th century consisted of an array of practices among congregations. Like the present age, some congregations did not actively practice church discipline in any form, while other congregations engaged in extreme or even corrupted forms of church discipline, excommunicating members for practices such as “laughing,” “whispering,” or “playing the ‘fiddle.’” Were … Read more
George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were two of the most consequential ministerial figures to serve the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. One can scarcely conceive of 18th-century America without considering the colossal impact of these two formidable theological minds. However, while Whitefield and Edwards shared the common attribute of being formidable preachers of enormous … Read more
The term “evangelical” can have different definitions depending on the context. As a theological phenomenon, it is typically categorized by four tenets: biblicism, conversionism, activism, and crucicentrism. Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard is usually not considered an evangelical. In fact, many evangelical voices—such as Francis Schaeffer—paint Kierkegaard as an enemy to the evangelical movement. … Read more