In a certain sense, Christianity is amazingly simple. The story of the Christian faith is rooted in the beginning of the world. God created men and women to know him and enjoy him forever. But because Adam and Eve rebelled against their Creator, sin has passed down to every human being (cf. Rom 5:12; Ps…
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…
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…
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…
In his 1877 lectures on preaching at Yale University, Phillips Brooks asks, “What sort of man may be a minister?” (35) He notes that “there is far too little discrimination in the selection of men who are to preach, and many men find their way into the preacher’s office who discover only too late that…
For the past decade or more, I have had an interest in the concept of holiness. The interest was piqued by Dr. Peter Gentry, now retired Old Testament professor from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, KY. Years ago, I listened to a lecture by Dr. Gentry where he challenged the idea that…
One of the things preachers must aim to do is move the hearts of their hearers. That is, the sermon is not a lecture that seeks to merely inform the mind, though that’s necessary. The sermon aims to engage both the mind and the heart. Tim Keller writes, “A sermon that just informs the mind…
Tim Keller offers insight into how preachers can effectively engage the modern mind in Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism. To do this, he offers five cultural narratives that mark our modern society. Understanding these narratives is the first step towards challenging the modern mind with biblical truth. What are these five narratives?…
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy…
In his book, God is the Gospel, John Piper opened my eyes to the ultimate aim of the gospel. That is, the good news brings me to God, my “exceeding joy” (Ps 43:5). “Today—as in every generation—it is stunning to watch the shift away from God as the all-satisfying gift of God’s love. It is…
Theology Along the Way 