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Few theologians are more aligned with American Presbyterianism in its early years than Samuel Miller (1769-1850). Miller attended the Presbyterian Church’s first General Assembly in 1789. In 1801, he served as a commissioner at the all-important assembly meeting that forged the Plan of Union. He helped found the denomination’s first seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, in … Read more
God who made the world and all that is in it desires to be known. But not just known in some abstract or non-personal sense; rather, he wants to be personally known by self-aware and reasoning creatures by his holy Name and character in his glorious being, and this knowledge of God comes covenantally. As … Read more
The doctrine of Christian perfection has been at home in the works of theologians ever since the time of the early church. Yet, the doctrine has also created endless debate over the extent of sanctification in this life. The task of the theologian is to balance the commands of perfection found in Scripture with the … Read more
Every semester in systematic theology courses, professors teach students about theology proper, including God’s attributes. Every Sunday in churches, preachers exegete and proclaim truth from God’s Word, including the truth about his attributes. When the many biblical attributes are considered together, differing traditions categorize God’s attributes in various ways: communicable and incommunicable, goodness and greatness, … Read more
Evangelical soul care has typically relied disproportionately on the power of rote information to foster sanctification in believers’ lives. Approaches to discipleship tend to scratch the surface of the mind with information more than they plumb the depths of the heart with imagination. While true discipleship is meant to enlighten the head to think with … Read more
The Confessio Petri is a pivotal Christological declaration about the identity of Jesus. It is found in each of the Synoptics, albeit with noteworthy differences in the Greek text. This paper begins by looking at how patronymics are presented in Greek inscriptions found at archeological sites in the Greek East and in their related museums. … Read more
The matter of the fate of the unevangelized drew a great deal of attention during the Reformation era, due to the fact that it followed closely on the heels of the founding of the New World by Europeans. Here was an entire continent, populated by civilizations that gave no real evidence of having ever been … Read more
“The time has come for God to do something new. God is bringing people into his family. So, turn back to God and believe this good news.” (Mark 1:15) Several Bible translations into Australian Indigenous languages use familial language to describe God’s ‘kingdom’, such as the version above. This language is sometimes alongside language of … Read more
The theological debates of the fifth century were characterized by large-scale civil unrest and mob violence. Taken alone, this phenomenon is not unique because civil unrest was a recognizable occurrence in late antiquity. However, when one considers that Christianity started as a small and persecuted movement, whose earliest leaders were often victims of mob violence, … Read more
This paper will argue immediate baptism is the preferred method of baptism in the local church in comparison to delayed baptism. In this paper, immediate baptism refers to baptism that takes place shortly after a person has made a profession of faith, come before the church making that decision public, and been recognized as a … Read more