A Brief Critique of ARBCA’s Position Paper: Concerning the Doctrine of Divine Impassibility
Critique of Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America’s Position Paper: Concerning the Doctrine of Divine Impassibility
The purpose of this critique is not to show that the classical view is wrong. It is to point out deficiencies in the reasoning of the position paper to prove the classical view. The aim is not to establish either the classical view or the modified view of impassibility as the correct one, but to... Continue Reading
Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology Considered Again
Making Proverbs undergo an historical transformation in order to fit BT categories would require a greater transformation than an ST treatment would.
What can plausibly be laid against this claim by Vos is that the Bible is more inherently historical than logical, and that therefore BT is a “better fit” than ST. Even if didactic portions of Scripture are acknowledged to be less historically organized than other portions (Proverbs comes to mind), the historical framework of the... Continue Reading
Emotions Make Terrible Gods
Taking Control of Our Feelings
short of rolling on the floor, we deem it better to express any and all emotions rather than hold back and become “fake.” No other options exist. Our unfiltered emotional life can, and some say should, extend to any and all persons — spouses, parents, or strangers included. Some even commend yelling at God when... Continue Reading
Why Christian Movies Are So Terrible
The paint-by-numbers aesthetic of the new wave of Christian movies persists in making the faith appear trite, inauthentic, corny, and -- worst of all, as far as the culture goes -- uncool.
I know, I know — people always try to come up with exceptions. But there aren’t any, really. Every now and again some well-meaning brother or sister will say to me, “This one’s different. You gotta see it. It’s not like the others.” And then it is. It painfully, painfully is. Why does it seem... Continue Reading
The Disease of Ambition
Ahab refuses to bow before God even when God turns his fury on him in Moby Dick.
Ahab is Melville’s picture of mortal greatness in the world, a man defined by ambition that only he and God seem to know. This is precisely how Melville introduces Ahab. The first we hear about him is from Peleg, a Nantucket Quaker, former whaling captain himself, and now, along with Bildad, majority owner of the... Continue Reading
Why the Church Needs to Pray the Imprecatory Psalms
Jesus' command to love and pray for our enemies does not serve as a "trump card" over all the prayers of imprecation in the Bible.
“Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, ‘Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!’ O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes... Continue Reading
The Strongest Men Are Gentle
Gentleness is the life-giving exercise of strength.
Power in its various forms is a good gift from God, to be used by his people for the ends of his kingdom. And like other good gifts, power is perilous when wielded improperly. The answer to the dangers of strength is not its loss, but the gaining of a Christian virtue called gentleness. One... Continue Reading
Like an Angel: The Shining Face of Stephen
“And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15).
The alteration of Stephen’s face was an act of God to make it shine. The purpose for doing so seems to be along the lines of what took place with Moses—just as the shining of Moses’ face indicated to Israel that Moses spoke on behalf of God because he spoke directly to Him, so also the shining of... Continue Reading
Ecclesial Theology
A division between ecclesial theology and academic theology has emerged.
From where I sit, academic theology is theology written to the wider academic community, set within an academic context, and driven by academic concerns and presuppositions. Ecclesial theology, on the other hand, is theological reflection written to the believing community, for the good of the church catholic, and born out of pastoral/ecclesial concerns. Throughout... Continue Reading
What Is the Opposite of Homosexuality?
Why Marriage Is Not My Mission
Two men, two pursuits, two paths. Bill wanted to marry but remains single today. Mark was single and content, but now he’s married to Andrea. Often God’s path is not what we expect or once even wanted. For some, it’s singleness; for others, it’s marriage. Yet the goal for all — single or married, same-sex... Continue Reading