The King James-only movement refuses to recognize any other translation in English as the Word of God. As I noted in previous posts (here and here), the Preface to the 1611 KJV is an embarrassment to the KJV-only position because in the Preface the translators...
I received a phone call from a pastor in Florida a few weeks back who was going to be speaking in his church from the book of Ephesians. He wanted my opinion as to what I considered to be the best commentary on the epistle. I quickly told him to look at Harold...
We received word yesterday of the death of noted New Testament scholar R. T. France on February 10. Dr. France was well known for a number of important books, including commentaries on Matthew and Mark. You can see a list here. But today I want to call attention to...
Today is the memorial service in St. Louis for Frederick Danker, who died on Thursday. Danker was the editor of the Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich Greek lexicon (BDAG), which is the standard Greek dictionary of the New Testament. Those of us who teach New Testament Greek...
In a previous post, I mentioned that I have been using photos of biblical locations in my teaching for a number of years and am often asked where does one find appropriate images. The best images (most appropriate and high quality) I have found come from...
We don't normally do politics, but given our interest in Israel, you might want to read this well-written and engaging article on this question in the New York Times Magazine.
I have been using photos of biblical locations in my teaching for a number of years and am often asked where does one find appropriate images. One helpful place is Holy Land Photos, the site of Dr. Carl Rasmussen, who is Professor of Biblical Studies at Bethel College...
This article by Frederica Mathewes-Green has more to do with the problems of feminism and is worth reading, but I thought this section was particularly thought provoking: Take the bad idea that I’m calling "careerism." I don’t mean by this that women shouldn’t have...
For a little Christmas cheer, go here.
If you’re looking for a book to give for Christmas, you might consider Surprised by Oxford. This is a delightful memoir by Carolyn Weber, a Canadian from London, Ontario. It traces her first year as a graduate student at Oxford University (Oriel College). The title, I...
Jonathan Cook, youth pastor at First Baptist Community Church in Monte Sereno, California, won the book giveaway.
The 2015 William R. Rice Lectures are scheduled for March 18, 2015. The lectures will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at noon, followed by a complimentary lunch. This year's lecturer is Dr. Deepak Reju and the topic is "On Guard: Preventing and Responding to Child...
If you notice the header of this blog, you will see a tab marked "Journal," which if selected will take you to the web page for our seminary journal. Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal began in 1996 and is published annually in the fall of the year. At the web page you...
If you notice the header of this blog, you will see a tab marked "Journal," which if selected will take you to the web page for our seminary journal. Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal began in 1996 and is published annually in the fall of the year. At the web page you...
Resource materials from 2014 Mid-America Conference on Preaching, "Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel," are now available for free download. Included are audio recordings (mp3) from all general sessions and workshops, as well as printed notes (pdf) from the...
The Mid-American Conference begins this Thursday, October 16, at the Inter-City Baptist Church, 4700 Allen Road, Allen Park, MI. The theme is "Striving Together for the Faith of the Gospel." The speakers are: David Doran, Pastor, Inter-City Baptist Church &...
A few weeks ago, Mark Snoeberger had a post arguing that in the matter of salvation, especially the issue of regeneration, there are only two possible options, which he labeled as Calvinism and Arminianism. As might be expected, there was some push back to the idea of...
A few weeks ago there was an event here at Dodger Stadium with Joel Osteen, thirty-five thousand people at Dodger Stadium, something like that. He is now the largest, quote/unquote church.... I’m using the word loosely...in America down in Houston. You need to...
For a number of years the Seminary faculty has produced the Basic Library Booklist. It is updated every few years, and you can find the 2014 edition here. The Booklist has been specifically designed to answer the question of which books are the best on a particular...
If you have been around the internet the past couple weeks, you have undoubtedly become aware of the controversy over the Strange Fire Conference sponsored by John MacArthur and Grace to You. MacArthur's book by the same name (Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the...
Here is an important and helpful discussion on religious liberty with panelists Kirsten Powers, Ross Douthat, Russell Moore, Jennifer Marshall, and Timothy Shah. Panel starts at the 12:15 mark. HT: Denny Burk
If you have ever wondered what it's like being a Jew living in the "Disputed Areas" of Judea and Samaria (i.e., West Bank), you will probably enjoy this interview between a secular Jew, Judith Levy, living in Tel Aviv, and a religious Jew, Evan Pokroy, who lives in...
Today, the Supreme Court issued a couple of landmark decisions in the same-sex marriage battle. What the Court did was not really unexpected, but unfortunately is a further step down the path away from biblical marriage. One of the best summaries of what the Court did...
Dr. Al Mohler delivered and important address in 2010 on the exegetical and theological reasons we should believe in a young universe and young earth. The video and a transcript can be found here. It is well worth your attention.
The first session of the DBTS Summer School begins May 21 and lasts for two weeks (till May 31). Two classes will be offered: 2 Peter & Jude (Greek exegesis), taught by Dr. Bruce Compton, and Theology and Practice of Leadership, taught by Dr. David Doran. The...
DBTS graduation exercises will take place at 7 pm on May 16 at Inter-City Baptist Church in Allen Park, MI. Twelve men will be graduated from the Master of Divinity and Master of Theology programs. This year the commencement speaker will be missionary Phil Hunt. Dr....
A couple of months ago I posted a rather somber assessment of what is coming for the evangelical church as it confronts the push towards gay marriage under the guise of "marriage equality." I see that Professor Paul Rahe of Hillsdale College, who is also a Roman...
Two days ago I posted a review of What Is Marriage? by Sherif Girgis, Ryan T. Anderson, and Robert P. George. One of the authors, Ryan Anderson, has now written a 12-page summary of the arguments for the traditional view of marriage titled: Marriage: What It Is, Why...
What Is Marriage? by Sherif Girgis, Ryan T. Anderson, and Robert P. George is an important book. It is based on a 40-page article penned by the three authors published in 2010 in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. The present volume is a 110-page expansion...
The DBTS 2013 summer school schedule is now available. Each class meets Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon for two weeks (no classes on Monday). There are three sessions of summer school: May 21-31, June 4-14, and June 18-28. Two different classes are...
I first taught a seminary class on the book of Romans in 1985. I said then, as we discussed Rom 1:24–27, that I thought one day Christians in America would eventually face some sort of persecution for their views on homosexuality. It is easier to see now, many years...
DBTS will be sponsoring Seminary Days this spring on February 28–March 1 and March 14–15. Complete information on Seminary Days 2013, including a brochure and registration form, can be found on the Seminary website. Students will be able to attend classes, share meals...
The Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal has been produced annually by DBTS since 1996. The 2012 edition (vol. 17) is scheduled to be mailed out in about a week. Here is the table of contents: "The History of The NIV Translation Controversy" by William W. Combs...
Recently the Anglican Church, the Church of England, rejected the consecration of women as bishops. Women have been allowed to become priests since 1994 and have been pushing to move up the ladder. Most believe it will happen eventually, and the recent vote rejecting...
Mark Snoeberger's recent post on sanctification generated a number of comments on this blog and over at SharperIron. One person asked this: Do you really believe that sanctification is furthered by rules and if so in what way? I fail to see any way that rules...
Resource materials from 2012 Mid-America Conference on Preaching, "The Mystery of Christ: God's Glory among the Gentiles," are now available for free download. Included are audio recordings (mp3) from all general sessions and workshops, as well as printed notes (pdf)...
Dispensational Understanding of the New Covenant is the title of a new book from Regular Baptist Press, edited by Mike Stallard, Dean and Professor of Systematic Theology at Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA. Dispensationalists have had some disagreement as to...
In my previous post I described the announcement of a papyrus fragment that Harvard professor Karen L. King titled "The Gospel of Jesus Wife" because it apparently contains the phrase "Jesus said to them, 'My wife....'" I suggested then some scholars had already...
In 1 Tim 3:2 Paul lists one of the requirements for the man who would aspire to the pastoral office: he must be "able to teach." What exactly does that mean? Dr. Mark Snoeberger, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at DBTS, unpacks the idea by expounding 2 Tim...
Did Jesus have a wife? No, of course not! Though, as you may remember, that was what Dan Brown’s controversial novel The Da Vinci Code claimed. The internet has been abuzz the last 24 hours about a small papyrus fragment written in Coptic that professor Karen L. King...
The new 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland text that we mentioned previously is apparently now becoming available (at least in Europe). Christian Askeland interviews Prof. Dr. Holger Strutwolf of the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung about the new edition.
If you ever take a tour of Jerusalem (or if you have already done so) with an evangelical group, you will undoubtedly stop at the Garden Tomb near Gordon's Calvary. Wayne Stiles has a helpful post entitled "The Garden Tomb-Contemplating the Resurrection of Jesus,"...
The Olympic Games are with us again. Of course, the ancient games originated in 776 B.C. in Olympia, Greece, and were held in honor of Zeus. Even the the Apostle Paul seems to reference Olympic sports in 1 Cor 9:24–26, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners...
We here at DBTS are absolutely committed to six-day creationism and a young earth. I had gotten the impression that a few years ago R. C. Sproul had converted to that viewpoint. Well, not exactly. In an interview with Tim Challies, Sproul clarifies his view: Have you...
Dr. James Montgomery Boice was the longtime pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadephia (1968–2000). He was well known for his expository preaching through books of the Bible—Romans in five years, for example. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2000 and died...
It is difficult for us Baptists to always understand the various Presbyterian denominations. One of the largest evangelical groups is the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Dr. Richard Phillips, the senior minister of the Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville,...
Most, if not all, Christians would answer that question with an unqualified "Yes." But in a recent couple of blog posts, well-known Arminian theologian Roger Olson says "No." In his own words: "In a recent post I said Arminians should not pray for God to save their...
The answer to that question might seem to be "Yes," if we look at what Paul says in Rom 1:11, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong." The idea of imparting a spiritual gift is found in most translations (ESV, HCSB, KJV,...
Apparently, it was Benjamin Franklin who first said that the only thing we can be certain of is death and taxes. We are reminded of that again today, April 15, though the IRS has given us a couple of extra days this year to file our tax returns. Even the ancient...