Charles Spurgeon once prayed that God would give more “men fit to mark eras” (MTP 20:751). In restless colonial America, perhaps no man marked the era among Baptists more than the Rev. Dr. Samuel Stillman, pastor of First Baptist Boston from 1765–1807. He was widely recognized as the most famous preacher in Boston, having the … Read more
This presentation takes up a perennial question of contemporary systematic theology: What of the nature of the Creator/creature distinction? To do so, it sets two theologians in dialogue: Robert Jenson and John Webster. Working in the wake of Karl Barth, each deploys the doctrine of the Trinity as a guide to address contemporary deficiencies and … Read more
In Baptists Through the Centuries: A History of a Global People, David Bebbington argues that “the existence of a parallel schism in England” confirms “that theological issues were central” within American Baptist antimissionism and identifies theological conviction as the “mainspring” of this opposition to missions. However, while theological concerns must never be discounted, populism and … Read more
Some have argued that Jesus yielding his πνεῦμα in Matthew 27:50 is an anthropological indirect reference to Jesus’ life. However, a close study of the words, grammar, and syntax of the passage suggests that is a direct reference to the Spirit of God. In fact, the baptism, the tearing of the curtain, the earthquake, and … Read more
The purpose of this paper is to argue that Augustine, prior to his reprimand of Coelestius for his interpretation of 2 Peter 1:4, had developed within his Tractates in John’s Gospel a doctrine of participation that was scripturally based and Christ-initiated, not self-willed on the part of man. Augustine’s understanding of participation had a strong … Read more
Korean Christianity has been characterized by a rapid and drastic growth for the past century. More than anything else, the drastic and rapid growth of Korean Christianity has been led by the thrive and advancement of Korean evangelicalism. Evan though Korean evangelicalism has been deeply influenced by Euro-American evangelicalism, it has made indelible and incalculable … Read more
There has been a revived interest in NT Christology in recent years, partly due to the recent contributions by Richard Bauckham, Larry Hurtado, and James Dunn, among others. However, most discussions of NT Christology tend to force a binary choice between Jesus’ identity with Israel’s one God (e.g., Bauckham, Wright, Hays; cf. Tilling) and Jesus’ … Read more
This paper will examine John Calvin’s paterology, particularly as it relates to salvation, and will consider the work of the Father in two parts. First, Calvin’s understanding of the inseparable operations of the Triune Godhead, and then, Calvin’s writings on the works that can be particularly appropriated by the Father. During the course of his … Read more
The Evangelical revival of the eighteenth-century had a variety of soteriological emphases but initially had one point in common: Salvation occurs by a work of the Spirit. The Reformed wing of the movement was firmly planted in the Augustinian perspective through its Calvinistic participants. The Arminian wing began in the Semi-Augustinian position as a reflection … Read more
Tertullian’s ethical (disciplinary) theology has been pegged as “radically eschatological” (Sider, 1982), specifically in regard to the motives pushing his disciplinary system. In fact, one commentator has claimed that “fear [of eternal punishment] and [selfish] hope [of eternal reward] are the only two motives that really matter” to the flamboyant Carthaginian (Rambaux, 1979). More recently, … Read more