I found this article very helpful in the latest edition of Themelios. Abstract While the term “Christian republicanism” is known to most historians of the early republic, very few have attempted to explicate its unique theology or to identify its various religious, moral, and even racial permutations in the church. Christian republicanism was much more…
bible / Church History / Discipleship / faith / Historical Theology / history / pastoring / Perseverence / Sanctification / Sytematic Theology / Theology
Yesterday a friend of mine sent me a question one of his students had asked him in class. The student wanted to know how to reconcile Calvin’s definition of faith with that of the Westminister Confession of Faith (WCF). Here is how Calvin defines faith. “Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if…
Two principles from Proverbs 16 that will help you/I use social media in a godly manner (and really all areas of life): First, a wise person seeks to be discerning (what to say, how to say it, when to say it, the why of saying it). And wisdom, according to the Bible is pure, peaceable,…
bible / church / Church History / church planting / Discipleship / Heremeneutics / Leadership / ministry / pastoring / polity / Theology
This past week I had the chance to give a lecture on leadership in the NT here at Southwest Baptist University. Of particular intrigue to me (and many) is why a plurality of elders fell out of favor among Baptists in the 20th century. Thankfully, Baptists today often have a plurality of elders leading their…
In the last post, we looked at how Piper used Calvin in his work on the nature of faith. JV Fesko believed Piper had misused Calvin, so we considered the critique Fesko offered. Fesko also argued that Piper had misused John Owen. In this post we consider that charge. Here is the particular Owen quotation…
Last year at the 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? (You can watch the debate here or read it here. Denny Burk offers a short summary here). Fesko argues that Piper fails to understand how the Reformed tradition…
Preachers should employ strategies in their study that help them savor biblical realities. By savor, I mean you should work hard, in prayerful dependence upon God, to feel the weight of and rightly value biblical truths God has revealed. The Bible, as you read it and press it into your bones, should set you on…
In a recent chapel message at Southwest Baptist University, Dean Inserra pointed us over and over again to Jesus as the only remedy for sin. Through faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are counted righteous in Christ. This is the amazing message of grace that we have for the world. Dean preached…
Photo by Amber Weir on Unsplash . Attentive to the passing conversation and perhaps hearing the miraculous accounts of this man named Jesus, he unashamedly yells out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Would that not be your posture if you knew there was a man coming who could heal you of your…
And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer” (Mark 9:29). I’ve heard prayer defined and described in many ways. Here are several: You’ve probably heard several as well. In each of those definitions or descriptions, there’s an understanding that we need God, that He’s powerful, that He cares, that…
Day 8 of our Graceland Bible Reading Plan. Today is Mark 8. In my study of the Scriptures, in particular the Gospels, there are few accounts that leave me scratching my head more than the issue of Jesus and the blind man that involved spit, mud, and “evidently” a second healing. Dr. Schreiner in his…
In Mark 7:31-37 Jesus heals a deaf man and the text says that people were astonished beyond measure. The only thing I kept thinking about were the countless videos I’ve seen of individuals hearing for the first time in their lives. You can watch them here. As you watch, take a moment and ask the…
One simple observation from Mark 6: Those who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted, experience rejection, pushback, or opposition (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus reminds His audience and now reminds you and me as we read Mark 6 that even He experienced rejection — often this came from His own family. He makes…
When you hear the word chaos what comes to mind? Perhaps circumstances such as a raging tornado, the fires in Maui, the ongoing war in Ukraine, or maybe it’s a circumstance that hits closer to home, such as a dysfunction in the family, financial disarray, or something more innocuous like a child’s messy bedroom. Chaos…
In Mark 4:30-34 we read about the Parable of the Mustard Seed. Think about the process of a seed being planted and germinating into a tree. The seed needs to be planted in the soil. The seed could lay dormant for years but with the right amount of sunlight, temperature, and moisture something miraculous happens.…
Theology Along the Way 