This paper will argue that priesthood is the best imagery for understanding a Spirit-empowered eternity. All the church’s priestly service flows from the fountain of Spirit-empowered worship, adoration, and passion for the glory of the Triune God to be known by others in the face of Christ (Rom 12:1; Heb 13:15; Eph 5:18–20). This means … Read more
This paper investigates the evangelism strategy of Billy Graham and how he shaped the state of evangelicalism across the globe. More than 90% of all people who make a “decision” for Christ never join a local church. This is largely the result of flawed evangelistic methods. However, world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham developed a three-part approach … Read more
The writer of Kings has a strange fascination with the body of Elisha. Elisha’s body is the subject of attention in at least three passages in 2 Kings. In 2 Kgs 2:23-25, a group of boys from Bethel mock Elisha’s bald head as they jeer, “Get out of here, baldy!” (v. 23). Then, in reviving … Read more
Mark A. Noll in his book, America’s God, explains that most of theological developments in early 18th and late 19th century are based on three specific contextual historical forces; (1) evangelical protestant religion (evangelicalism), (2) republican political ideology (republicanism), and (3) common sense moral reasoning (common sense realism). These forces are dynamically shaping Western intellectual … Read more
Throughout New Testament studies, and Pauline studies in particular, the topic of suffering is often treated as a peripheral issue, with scholars such as Schreiner, Jervis, and Wu highlighting the difficulty of finding monographs or even chapters on the subject. More specifically, regarding 1 and 2 Thessalonians, outside of commentaries and a few select works … Read more
Since it was a proposed standard in the Roman Catholic Church’s Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), “full, active, and conscious participation” in corporate worship has been assumed by many worshiping traditions to be a fundamental goal. The topic of participation was a prominent, multifaceted goal in the Liturgical Movement. In less systematic ways, it has been a … Read more
Between 137 and 144 CE, or thereabout, Marcion presented a new theology for the Christian communities in Rome – containing teaching that the Roman presbytery eventually could not endorse. Marcion’s influence, however, was substantial both then and subsequently. After his expulsion from the Roman Church, he became the founder of an influential parallel church structure. … Read more
Renowned Baptist Historian Albert Wardin described the Philippine Baptists as a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces are challenging to fit together. Due to the scarcity of Filipino Baptist history writings, this paper strives to augment the Baptist narratives of the Philippines. Hence, this paper aims to offer a glimpse of the Baptist movement in the Philippines, … Read more
Clement of Alexandria has often been portrayed as the quintessential “Christian Platonist” on account of his deep intellectual roots in the Greco-Roman philosophical tradition (Bigg, The Christian Platonists of Alexandria; Lilla, Clement of Alexandria: A Study in Christian Platonism). And indeed, his Protrepticus, or Exhortation to the Greeks, in particular, displays profound engagement with leading … Read more
By employing historical criticism, literary criticism, and social-scientific criticism, previous scholars have suggested various assumptions regarding historical Paul’s role in earliest Christianity. The weakness of these critical approaches lies in the hypothetical reconstruction of early Christianity in Paul’s time based on the limited available data. Technically, these critical approaches heavily rely on logical and deductive … Read more