Eugene Peterson’s vision of pastoral ministry is grounded in the conviction that the pastoral vocation requires cultivating personal, communal, and liturgical God-attentiveness. The pastor is placed among the community to “pay attention and call attention” to the divine activity of the triune God. Within this vision, prayer is requisite. Prayer sets the individual before God’s … Read more
This paper argues that introducing combat sports for women within Christian higher education is inconsistent with a Biblical Worldview. The thesis contends that such sports conflict with the biblical vision of womanhood and undermine the theological commitments of Christian universities. By analyzing relevant biblical texts, including Proverbs 31, 1 Peter 3, Titus 2, and Nehemiah … Read more
This paper is adapted from the concluding chapter of my dissertation on New Thought’s founding author, Warren Felt Evans. In the paper, I introduce the well-known Word-Faith/prosperity gospel movement with Kenneth Copeland as its most prominent American pastor-entrepreneur. The thesis of this paper is that traces of New Thought paganism can be found throughout the … Read more
To be human is be storied. We tell stories about ourselves and others tell stories about us. Within religious traditions, stories can shape imagination and offer language for self-understanding. But how might this work when narrative communication is not available to an individual? Disability theologians are engaged with these important questions. Swinton, Mowat and Baines … Read more
This paper equips listeners to better preach NT passages which reference non-canonical texts. Some Christians are quite disturbed to hear that the Bible sometimes references non-inspired texts, like Jude’s references to Enoch or the many allusions to the rabbinic oral tradition in the Gospels. Paul quotes Greek plays (1 Cor 15:33), pagan poets (Acts 17:28), … Read more
co-authored proposal Abstract: Epic stories like The Odyssey, the Aeneid, or more recently The Lord of the Rings are universally accepted and beloved stories. But beyond mere entertainment, these fictional accounts engage humanity at deep formative levels, especially utilizing the genre of myth to interact with and promote metaphysical and ethical realities deemed key to … Read more
Critics like Scott Aniol argue that emotionality in music is a manipulative distraction from true spiritual engagement. But does the Bible share this concern? This paper challenges Aniol’s assessment of music’s ability to evoke emotion by redefining manipulation as influence, and by examining 1 Samuel’s use of music and its broader cultural and theological implications. … Read more
Few genres have challenged Christian interpreters and preachers more than legal texts in the Old Testament. As Allen Ross noted, “One of the most difficult problems of biblical interpretation is knowing how to interpret and apply the law in the church. No one has it all figured out because the debates continue, as they have … Read more
Redeemed man is unarguably simul iustus et peccator in general (simultaneously justified and sinful), but not in the sense of Luther’s commentary on Romans 7:25. Perhaps simul iustus et gemens (simultaneously justified and groaning) per Romans 8:23 comports better with a new creation anthropology (Jer 31:31-34, Ezek 36:22-27) and leads to stronger assurance, better shepherding, … Read more
Co-authored: Epic stories like The Odyssey, the Aeneid, or more recently The Lord of the Rings are universally accepted and beloved stories. But beyond mere entertainment, these fictional accounts engage humanity at deep formative levels, especially utilizing the genre of myth to interact with and promote metaphysical and ethical realities deemed key to human existence. … Read more