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Over the first half of the nineteenth century, the American academic emphasis on character building and the demand for professional training solidified within many of the new nation’s outposts of higher education. In college and university contexts, most with substantive religious and denominational moorings, preserving orthodox theological commitments became a subservient goal in light of … Read more
It has long been observed that churches in the Free Church tradition, with its emphasis on ‘the autonomy of the local church,’ often see little value in creedal affirmations and prefer to ask the question: ‘Where stands it written [in Scripture]?’ In fact, Donald Durnbaugh in his classic ‘The Believers’ Church: The History and Character … Read more
1 John 2:16 reminds us, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. (1 John 2:16, NASB). This is an important part of discipleship, but what hermeneutic do we … Read more
In his letters to the Galatians and the Romans, the apostle Paul argues that people are justified “by Christ faith” and not “by Torah-works.” Long and varied have been the debates in Pauline scholarship surrounding the phrases pistis Christou and erga nomou. One of the issues that bears on the debate concerns whether Paul intends … Read more
Working Thesis: In union with Christ and under His lordship, preachers become agents through whom Christ speaks to those who hear in faith. This project will interact with the work of Luther, Calvin, Adams, Litfin, Knowles, Pasquarello, Stout, Vanhoozer, Wingren, and others to explore the significance of Christology for the theology of preaching. The thesis … Read more
Thomas’ Smail’s provocatively titled book, The Forgotten Father, claims that both the Jesus movement and the charismatic movement eclipse a theology of God the Father, thus, he is forgotten. T.F. Torrance believes Smail is correct and seeks to correct this forgetting by offering deep reflection on God the Father. As helpful as Torrance is, his … Read more
What motivated the Corinthian “wise” to participate in cultic acts involving idol-food (1 Corinthians 8, 10)? Viewing the wise through an Epicurean lens fruitfully highlights their possible motives and theology. Previous comparison has misunderstood Epicurean perspectives on cultic participation. Some view participation in traditional cult as “religiously insignificant” for Epicureans (see Graham Tomlin, “Christians and … Read more
Habakkuk’s woe song in Hab. 2:6-20 denounces the abuse of power in his context, while using the foundations of and allusions to other Scriptures. This paper analyzes those connections to examine the Habakkuk’s methods of communicating ethics in the late 7th century BC, based on texts that were still applicable to God’s people. While communicating … Read more
The most common place to find textual criticism discussed in Evangelical systematic theologies is under the heading of inerrancy. This coincides closely with Evangelical statements of faith that often specify that the Bible’s inerrancy applies to the original autographs and not to later copies. It also coincides with the fact that inerrancy and textual criticism … Read more
The precise meaning of ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον (sin leading to death) in 1 John 5:16 has continued to evade scholars. The difficulties are myriad. Understanding what John is saying requires ascertaining 1) whether the one sinning is a believer or and unbeliever, 2) the nature of life and death in this context, and 3) the … Read more