Paul, the Law, and the New Perspective
Is it just a scholastic debate? No, it is not.
The issue of the New Perspective on Paul is hardly settled even within the field of Pauline Studies. For example, Simon Gathercole has shown that Jews in Paul’s day did boast in the Law and their ability to use it. There was an anticipation that Torah/Law keeping would be vindicated in the last day (Gathercole... Continue Reading
Do You Still Think Your Salvation Is Great?
Early in your Christian life, you thought salvation was “great,” didn’t you?
Our salvation depends on God’s covenant, rooted in eternity, foreshadowed in the Mosaic liturgy, fulfilled in Christ, enduring forever. No wonder Hebrews calls it “so great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3). Before all time; prior to all worlds; when there was nothing “outside of” God Himself; when the Father, Son, and Spirit found eternal, absolute, and... Continue Reading
Hijacked by the Gospel
Paul, captured always by the vision of the original capturing vision of Jesus Christ on the Damascus road, appeals again to singular transforming power of the gospel by appealing to the way it powerfully transformed him.
Paul’s conversion was so abrupt, enlightening, and illuminating, such a surprise and such a reversal, everything he says and does thereafter is bathed in the same blinding light. Gospel wakefulness is so powerful, its effect is sustained. It forever changes the game, flips the script. Not that I have already obtained this or am... Continue Reading
How Skeptics View Christianity
Both H.L. Mencken and J. Gresham Machen regarded efforts to trim and cut Christianity and so make it palatable to moderns was intellectually dishonest and foolish.
“The generality of readers, I suppose, gathered thereby the notion that [Machen] was simply another Fundamentalist on the order of William Jennings Bryan and the simian faithful of Appalachia. But he was actually a man of great learning, and, what is more, of sharp intelligence.” J. Gresham Machen was by most accounts a fundamentalist.... Continue Reading
Mr. Moral Magoo?
Many in the Church have "Magooed" themselves into moral and theological positions that happen to be biblically sound, but we have no idea how we got there.
There is a practical reason why we must do this: if our moral and theological positions are only culturally informed, then they can be devastated by a more persuasive cultural norm when it shows its face. In fact, we see this happening quite a lot right now. It seems like the last two or three... Continue Reading
Is the Gospel No Longer Enough for Black Christians?
How can we for whom the gospel was sufficient – and necessary – to change us, expect something other than the gospel to change someone else?
The truth is there is no gospel and, conversely, no church – regardless of ethnic composition or denominational affiliation – apart from the life-changing message that ‘Jesus Saves’. It is that message which, I fear, is being lost as increasing numbers of black Christians become convinced that their primary loyalty is to an ecclesiastical legacy rooted in a socio-ethno missiology that... Continue Reading
The Andelin Connection?
We need to take a hard look at what is being taught in the name of Christian marriage and womanhood. How much is truly biblical, and how much is Mormon?
If you ignore the Mormon foundation, how different is Andelin’s teaching from the Christian women’s books that followed? How many of those demand complete obedience from wives regardless of whether their husbands are leading the family into ruin? How many forbid women from correcting their spouses or even offering a different opinion? How many teach... Continue Reading
The Happy Trap
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are wonderful civil liberties before the magistrate but they are not the charter of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus never promised us euphoria, however. He promised us free salvation, graciously given. He promised us suffering and possibly martyrdom but that message does not much resonate with a culture addicted to euphoria and opioids. Like any other addiction, a little is never enough. Soon it takes more and more to reach the same state... Continue Reading
A Well-Spent Sabbath
The idea that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath, an entire day set apart for worship, rest, and ministry, is entirely novel.
A new creation has been inaugurated and a perfect exodus has occurred. We have been translated from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love. That’s why the church now meets on the first day of the week. New creation and perfect redemption are the great realities that are ours... Continue Reading
On Technology And Preaching
Being distracted is not the biggest risk of using technology in preaching. The greater danger is missing god himself.
As an expositor I am delivering a message from the King. Therefore, when I’m preaching I want all eyes on me, not wandering into some starry abyss of high-def images born along by a Hans Zimmer-like score. (Can you imagine coming into the presence of the King of glory and while he’s talking you look... Continue Reading