Approved – Page 31 – Evangelical Theological Society

100 Years before Darby: A Survey of the Seven Dispensations of John Shute Barrington (1678-1734)

For the past two centuries, ecclesiastical historians have cited the Anglo-Irish clergyman and Plymouth Brethren pioneer, John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) as the mastermind behind the septarian dispensational arrangement of history. However, more than a century before Darby presented a dispensational schema replete with different economies related to the different peoples of God, as he perceived … Read more

The Christological Portrayal of Epaphroditus in Phil 2:25-30

Commentators sense that Paul’s commendation of Epaphroditus has been influenced by the portrayal of Jesus in the Christ Hymn—e.g., “Christ was accomplishing his will and doing his work through Epaphroditus” (Hansen 2009, 208; cf. O’Brien 1991, 342-343; Bockmuehl 1998, 174). The most obvious connection is Jesus’ having become obedient unto death [μέχρι θανάτου]” (Phil 2:8), … Read more

The Canonical Struggle of Revelation as Reflected in the Textual Variants

In this paper, I study the textual variants in Revelation 20 (specifically the major additions and omissions) to determine how they reflect the book’s struggle to gain canonical status. The book of Revelation has fewer extant witnesses than any New Testament book and its placement within codices is sporadic, often appearing among collections of non-biblical … Read more

Irenaeus of Lyons and the Assumption of the Church

In this paper, I argue that Irenaeus’s view of the “assumption” of the church (Haer. 5.29.1) does not comfortably fit modern “rapture” views and is best understood in the context of his own soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology as a “partial rapture” position. In the past several decades, approaches to the assumption of the church in … Read more

Retrieving our Reformed Heritage on Spiritual Warfare — Theology and Practice

To adapt Mark’s Noll’s famous remark, the scandal of systematic-theological treatments on spiritual warfare today in contemporary Reformed systematic theology is that there are none. That is to say, in relation to doctrine regarding angels and/or demons, a theological exposition of spiritual warfare scarcely plays any part in the scholarship of Reformed doctrine today. On … Read more

Richard Hooker and William Perkins on the Nature and Obligations of the Christian Minister

Though Richard Hooker (1554?–1600) aligned with a moderate Puritan like William Perkins (1558–1602) on the basic nature and some obligations of ministers in the Church of England, their differences over the source of a minister’s authority and responsibility to preach sermons rendered Hooker’s vision of the ministry fundamentally distinct from Perkins’. After the Restoration, historians … Read more

A Response to J. V. Fesko’s Critique of John Piper’s Use of the Reformed Tradition

At the 2022 Evangelical Theological Society meeting in Denver, Reformed theologian J. V. Fesko offered a historical-theological critique of John Piper’s book, What is Saving Faith? Fesko argued that Piper failed to understand how the Reformed tradition articulated the relationship between love and faith. That is, according to Fesko, “Piper makes inaccurate appeals to various … Read more

Script, Score, or Steak? Engaging Global Evangelicals with More Accessible Models for Scripture

In this paper, I argue that theological models employed by evangelicals in the West tend to alienate global evangelicals by skewing the conversation toward only Western interests, and a clear example of this phenomenon lies in the use of performance models to describe Scripture. I survey two such models-Kevin Vanhoozer’s “Scripture as Theatrical Script” and … Read more

Who Does Paul Mean by the “Wretched Man” in Rom 7:24?

The “wretched man” in Rom 7:24 has inspired various interpretations among scholars. Douglas Moo argues that the “wretched man” refers to an unregenerate man because the “wretched man” is described as a sinner sold under sin in Rom 7:14 (The Epistle to the Romans, 442-53). Thomas Schreiner suggests that the “wretched man” is neither regenerate … Read more

Disabling Worship: Evaluating Worship Practices to Welcome Individuals with Disabilities

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