DBTS Web Articles
It is refreshing to read a new commentary that not only says something new (i.e., it is not merely repeating what others have said) but also supports that new statement with good arguments, ideally arguments that build upon what other believers have seen in the text....
An article published recently by the Religion News Service, “Is a Pastor’s Sin a Private Matter?” addresses a matter of great consequence and relevance in the Christian Church. Unfortunately, the article offered an answer that was terribly incomplete. It...
Phil Newton recently published an article on the 9Marks website entitled, “Fundamentalism May Feel Safe, But It’s Shortsighted.” Newton argues that, after his conversion, the “variety of fundamentalism” in which he found himself “began to squeeze the life and joy out...
Tomorrow, we will release the 100th episode of Theologically Driven. The first episode was released on October 21, 2021. Since then, we have done several series on the podcast. One that is particularly beneficial for our day is the series on Fundamentalism and issues...
When we sang “In Christ Alone” recently in church, the copyright date grabbed my attention. The hymn came out in 2001, meaning many of those who graduated from college this last May would have never attended a church service before it was being used by God’s people....
Faith-based, multi-season series The Chosen has made a big splash, showcasing an audience of 100 million plus and views, in some form, surpassing 500 million.[1] At the start of production, it held the place of “highest crowdfunded media project of all time.”[2] The...
Ask your average evangelical Protestant what it means to “be saved” and you will likely hear about an event occurring within history, usually in the legal sense of justification, though occasionally incorporating more existential terms of new birth. So something like…...
Sometimes we assume we know what a verse means, but once we slow down and read through it carefully, we realize it does not mean what we think it means. It happens to us all. We can receive help in several ways—listening to what others understand a verse to mean...
Most seminary students are involved in teaching children in some venue or another. Many are husbands and fathers, and so are responsible for instructing their own children on a regular basis. Others are not yet husbands or fathers but are still involved in teaching...
We are excited to welcome Dr. Ernie Baker on August 22, 2023, as he presents a seminar on Biblical Counseling and Abuse. The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors is producing a series of affirmations and denials about domestic abuse and providing a framework...
Recently in my work on the Ecclesiastes commentary, I came across the enigmatic proverb “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you may find it” (Eccl 11:1). This rather puzzling advice has given rise to no fewer than nine interpretations as to its...
Beyond doubt, the most hotly debated assertion of the Apostles’ Creed is the descent of Christ to “hell” or hades (ᾅδης/inferos/inferna). This line conjures images of Renaissance frescos and medieval ambiance. One wonders whether the tenet reflects apostolic teaching...
The fear of the Lord is a key concept in the Bible but is often misunderstood by Christians today. There are three elements of the fear of the Lord: 1. A reverence/respect for the majesty of God "There is none like You, Lord;You are great, and Your name is...
Just a few weeks ago, SCS Press released a new book that will likely be of interest to many of our readers. Editors Cory Marsh and James Fazio, both professors at Southern California Seminary, have brought together a group of scholars from a variety of educational...
Studies of the creation account in Genesis 1 show no sign of abatement. A recent addition to the literature by Gregg Davidson and Kenneth Turner proposes a middle way between proponents of young-earth creationism and old-earth approaches (The Manifold Beauty of...
I love productivity. So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard about the 2023 E3 Pastor’s conference. This year’s theme is “Focused and Faithful: Dealing with Distractions and Demands in Ministry.” One of our guest speakers is Reagan Rose. He is working hard to...
I was privileged last week to officiate my younger son’s marriage. It was a beautiful event held in a chapel at the Christian university from which he had just graduated. It was not a church wedding, per se. I did use a (modified) version of the Anglican marriage...
Paul described how he ran with purpose, “Run in such a way as to get the prize….Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly….No…I make [my body] my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize“ (1 Cor...
One of the greatest and most common dangers for Christians is falling into the trap of the fear of man (Prov 29:25). Christians must be on constant guard against allowing their lives to be controlled by what others might think of them. Today the fear of man often...
The Greek article usually has minimal influence on the interpretation of a passage, but sometimes its presence is quite meaningful. 1 Peter 4:14 is one of those times. It is debated, however, and our goal in this short blog post is to consider the best interpretation...
It is that time of year here in Michigan when you begin to see yard sales cropping up around your neighborhood. When I decide to sell something, I have become more fond of the online methods that eliminate the unpleasant experience of moving things from your yard...
You’ve heard the mantra a dozen times: “Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship.” This statement is quite wrong. Firstly, because it’s a false dichotomy (can’t it be both?), but secondly because if we have to choose, Christianity is more...
On June 20, DBTS will host the seminar: “The Use and Misuse of Transcendental Arguments in Apologetics.” This seminar will be presented by Dr. Michael Riley, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Wakefield, MI. The seminar is built off of Dr. Riley’s Ph.D. dissertation...
A recent Wired article fascinated me. It began with the line, “One day, human wombs will no longer be necessary for bearing children.” It continued, highlighting the scientific advances that make it quite probable that there will be artificial wombs in factories...
As Peter considers the coming eschatological end of all things, he appeals to his readers to “above all have constant love for one another” (1 Pet 4:8). The statement, “above all” indicates that this is the most important principle out of those he provides in this...
Each spring I teach a section in a third-year pastoral course aimed at helping aspiring pastors deal with change and conflict in churches. I have been doing it for years, but the escalating level of tension in our culture that is seeping into churches and ministries...
I have not engaged substantially in the study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Most of the celebrity that Bonhoeffer has earned is in the spheres of ethics, piety, and courage (and he rightly merits our admiration on those counts); still, I have been concerned that unqualified...
Please allow me to share three anecdotes before making some comments about how our assumptions can affect our interactions. All come from the early 1990s when I was working on a DMin at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). How Long Did It Take…? One day, during...
It’s commonly said that hindsight is 20/20, but that simply isn’t the case. In fairness, most people use it not to claim that their interpretation of past events is perfect, but only that it is easier to see things more clearly after the fact. I agree with that. We...
In 1 Peter 2:11–12, Peter argues that believers should live “good lives among the pagans” with the goal that unbelievers would see the believers’ “good deeds and glorify God.” From 2:13–3:7, Peter lays out the various ways this can be accomplished: by citizens...
Evaluating the credibility of historical revivals is not a new exercise in the history of the Church. We are made aware that the multiplied “awakenings” of early American history are not all of a sort, and that some proved more credible than others. Iain...
You may have seen an advertisement recently with striking black and white photographs, thought-provoking statements, and the phrase “He Gets Us. All of Us.” During the Super Bowl, $20 million was spent to air two commercials, one saying Jesus wants us to be...
If you are trying to read through the Bible this year there is a good chance you have recently finished the book of Exodus, are in the middle of it now, or will soon be starting it (depending on what kind of plan you use). When you read through the account of God's...
It is not often that I endorse a book I did not enjoy reading. Nevertheless, I heartily endorse Bully Pulpit, a book about the abusive tactics of some church leaders and the spiritual devastation left in their wake. Michael Kruger, a theologian best known for his work...
This will not be a long post. I am simply commenting on how the blue check marks (“important” Twitter users) think.[1] Notice the screenshot below. A few comments: Fridman’s initial comment is an exposition of the truth of Ecclesiastes 3:11; namely, God has set...
It’s common to chide those who emphasize negative issues with an idiom: “You want to be known for what you are for, not for what you are against.” That sentiment is not without merit—if the only thing you do is point out problems but never offer solutions or better...
We live in a hyper-sexualized and semi-pornographic culture. The problem dominates popular advertising, pervades our entertainment choices, and even weasels its way into our churches. The concept of modesty is no longer a standard for judgment, but an object...
Many people are looking for excuses to do less for God. This post is not for them. This is for Christians who tend to burn the candle at both ends, for people who have a hard time saying “no.” I regularly meet with people who are overwhelmed with life. Sometimes it’s...
The Incarnation of the Son of God is the centerpiece of our celebration during the Christmas season. The eternal Son of God took on flesh and manifested in visible form the image of the (ordinarily) invisible God (Col 1:15) such that in him all the fullness of...
*This post was originally published in 2013. My wife and I are looking forward to enjoying our first Christmas as parents, even if our son is currently more interested in putting wrapping paper in his mouth than in any other part of Christmas. It’s still fun to...
A few weeks ago I drew attention to the AI movement and its complications with education. Namely, to what degree can students use AI and still consider the product their own work. Just recently, ChatGPT launched and now has over one million users. If you try to use...
While preparing for a workshop on tolerance for the recent E3 pastor’s conference, I reread one of the more fascinating essays I’ve seen on the subject: I Can Tolerate Anything Except the Outgroup. While there are some flaws/blind spots in his assessment, I find the...
In 2021 Inter-City Baptist Church became a certified training center with ACBC. Because our seminary is a ministry of ICBC, DBTS offers training that results in your ACBC certification. We offer two paths to biblical counseling certification. Path #1: MDiv...
I knew I had a difficult task ahead of me. The next passage to teach in my Adult Bible Fellowship was 1 Peter 3:18–22. If you have ever preached or taught through 1 Peter, you got goosebumps when I mentioned that passage. In just five verses there is complexity upon...
From time to time people try to discredit the pro-life movement by arguing that those involved with it cannot genuinely claim to be pro-life unless they also support or hold other positions. Statements like “If you were really pro-life you would also…” or “You can’t...
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of...
The abortion debate in the public square often goes awry by delving into details that are irrelevant to the debate, bypassing the assumptions upon which both sides of the debate rest. The following represent the two seminal questions that are at stake. First, we...
Even though there has been a steady rise of in-person and online gambling over the last several years, few voices seem to be speaking out against this societal ill, a true threat to human flourishing. While some of the focus inevitably needs to deal with the role of...
The quotation in the title of this blog post comes from Henry David Thoreau, who more broadly warns that “We should treat our minds, that is, ourselves, as innocent and ingenuous children, whose guardians we are, and be careful what objects and what subjects we thrust...