Preaching, as a communication event, includes the management of at least three important elements: source characteristics, message effects, and respondent concerns (see the seminal work of Carl I. Hovland, Irving L. Janis, and Harold H. Kelley, Communication and Persuasion, Yale University Press, 1953). This is already a complicated and formidable prospect even among homogeneous audiences. … Read more
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many churches struggled to take the Lord’s Supper together, especially when members were viewing the service via live stream video. Christian leaders debated whether a “virtual” Lord’s Supper was possible, and, if so, how it should be administered. The situation resulted in some Christians not partaking in this important ordinance for … Read more
Soon after his conversion, J.I. Packer became acquainted with Keswick theology through his involvement in the Inter-Collegiate Christian Union. The central theme of Keswick thinking is the promise of a deeper spiritual life: complete deliverance from sin and closeness to Christ. The teaching takes various forms, but its dominant theme is that Christians, in a … Read more
Called “the centerpiece of prophetic literature” (LaSor, Hubbard, Bus, 276) and “quoted, paraphrased, and alluded to more than any other Old Testament book” (Bosma, 17–18), it is no wonder the book of Isaiah has earned the title “Fifth Gospel” (Sawyer). Yet, for the noted significance within scripture and throughout church history, the preaching of the … Read more
Creeds define doctrines of primary importance. Many churches adopt creeds to encourage unity but still encounter divisions over secondary doctrinal issues. Despite the frequency of conflicts over secondary issues in the local church, pastoral ministry textbooks and training tend to neglect instruction on shepherding a congregation through disagreement on secondary issues. This paper will demonstrate … Read more
This paper explores the distinct nature of missionary calls in contrast to generalized calls to ministry leadership, arguing that while all Christians are called to salvation and service, the missionary call bears unique theological, historical, and practical characteristics that merit specific discernment. In an era where many church leaders promote the phrase “every Christian is … Read more
This paper explores how Lottie Moon’s 1889 letter to the Foreign Mission Board functioned as a strategic model of crisis communication in a missionary context. Facing a significant shortage of male pastoral leadership in Northern China, Moon articulated a crisis that was both biblical and organizational in nature. Grounded in Matthew 9:35–38, she framed the … Read more
On most accounts, the Biblical Counseling movement began with the writings of Jay Adams (1929-2020) in the 1960s, and was continued by authors such as David Powlison and Ed Welch. Already in the writings of Adams, and later in the writings of Powlison, we find an antipathy towards the psychoanalysis developed by Freud and his … Read more
Though overshadowed by Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Helmut Thielicke (1908–86) belongs to the class of German speaking theologians whose work has proven its value beyond the 20th century. Ministering amidst his nation’s unprecedented intellectual and spiritual ruin, Thielicke discerned the sources of decay and their deleterious effects. That is, nihilism. Thielicke’s conclusions about nihilism … Read more
Traditionally, the phrase “hiddenness of God” has been understood as a philosophical concept meaning “a God who intentionally hides himself” in the historical context in which a person or event takes place. In particular, the biblical basis for this phrase is the way in which people who are in hardship and adversity protested to God … Read more