In a world of growing awareness of and concern for mental health, evangelical theologians must bring truth to bear on issues that matter in people’s lives. One such issue is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a multi-faceted struggle involving psychological, cultural, neurological, and spiritual factors. Essentially, a diagnosis of OCD is identified by three elements: obsessions, compulsions, … Read more
The contributions of the philosopher-theologian, Dallas Willard, are continuing to impact the spiritual development of many Christians. While his lectures and books garner attention, Willard is not properly understood when his philosophy is neglected. Christian scholarship is lacking research on how Willard’s philosophy and theology are integrated and provide ministerial application. Those who are unfamiliar … Read more
Evangelicals have long paid attention to statistics and studies which have indicated a “rise of the Nones” (i.e. those claiming in surveys to have no religious affiliation) and the ongoing trends of deconversion or ex-evangelicalism. Rather than indicating a decline in religious affiliation, in this paper I will argue that the worldview winner in the … Read more
The concept of church membership has garnered significant attention within theological discourse, prompting inquiry into its scriptural underpinnings. For example, despite the absence of explicit references to “church membership” in the Scriptures, many ministry organizations like 9Marks and publications such as Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ is Essential (Crossway, 2021), have sought to … Read more
In Evangelical Theology: An Introduction, Karl Barth provides his basic framework for outlining the nature and method of theology. A major part of this framework involves the use of analogies, or models, that faithfully repeat what God has said in his Word. I argue in this paper that such a model as “theology-is-food” encapsulates Barth’s … Read more
The development of the field of biblical poetics in the mid to late twentieth century led to the identification of a myriad of features within the literary design of the biblical text. Similarly, starting nearly two centuries ago and predating the field of biblical poetics, researchers began noting peculiar compositional features within Isaian studies. Yet … Read more
This paper will argue for the temple as an additional covenantal metaphysical analog that eases the dualistic boundaries of the two kingdoms through gradual movement from outside the temple toward the Most Holy Place. Two kingdom theology has often been accused of differing levels of dualism, whereby it separates the physical from the spiritual. The … Read more
“Some of the moral dilemmas thrust upon us in an age of technique are startlingly unprecedented.” So opens the 1982 essay, “Transsexualism and Christian Marriage” by Oliver O’Donovan, in which he reflects on the new topic of “transsexualism”. Though he wrote the article over 40 years ago, evangelicals today find ourselves still facing transgender identification … Read more
This paper examines the impact of corporate worship practices on people with disabilities and their families. Numerous voices lament the general absence of people with disabilities from modern churches, especially considering their historic inclusion. This paper argues that corporate worship practices bare some blame for this absence as they add layers of difficulty and separation. … Read more