My wife and I recently discovered that she was carrying a child. As a result of this life-changing experience, a very basic theological question arose in my family. It was a question related to the Christian sacrament, or ordinance, of baptism. The reason the question arose was because both of us have a non-Reformed denominational … Continue reading »
*DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP ON THE WALKING DEAD DO NOT READ FURTHER* So what does this post apocalyptic show with murderous zombies and now a power hungry ‘governor’ have to do with the pastoral role of preaching the word and leading a community of believers? Much actually if we understand that all … Continue reading »
We discover the heart of God in Scripture both through his acts of redemption and judgment. Our attention needs to arise when we hear the iconic, “Woe unto you….” A Woe Oracle was more than a generic “Hey you, listen”; it warned recipients of impending judgment unless repentance ensued. The Woe Oracle takes on particularly … Continue reading »
There are some scriptures that, when read aloud in corporate gatherings, make me chuckle. My chuckle, however, does not emanate from a wellspring of gladness or joy. Instead, these particular chuckles serve to quietly accent the hypocrisy that is defiantly being propagated from the pulpit to the pew, and noxiously proliferating the atmosphere. We are … Continue reading »
I am beginning this series on the doctrine of apostolic succession for two reasons. The first is that I am extremely interested in arguments concerning authority structures within Christendom. One struggle I have faced in my Christian walk is determining who has final authority over the interpretation of Scripture and the propagation of the Christian … Continue reading »
Read my first post on this issue here. My first blog entry was titled, “The Church is Israel.” In that entry I tried to argue that God has ONE covenant community. These are His chosen people, the apple of His eye, and there is no other body of individuals that rivals them. However, it seems … Continue reading »
The two leading schools of thought concerning Israel and their relation to the Church are Dispensational Theology and Replacement Theology. Dispensational Theology sees Israel and the Church as two separate entities. Replacement Theology teaches that the Church has replaced Israel. I take an alternate view that I believe to fall somewhere in between these two … Continue reading »
