15
Jan
2021
“Remember Those Who Taught You the Word of God.”
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Pastor Richard A. Harris (1934–2021) was the pastor of my youth. By God’s grace and through his efforts the Bethel Baptist Church of Sellersville, PA, was chartered in 1962 in an unlikely patch of Bucks County that, despite the otherwise booming growth of that county, has remained delightfully undeveloped. Despite what would be considered by... Read More
12
Jan
2021
Review: Finding the Right Hills to Die on
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I recently read Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin Ortlund. The concept of theological triage (coined by Albert Mohler, as far as I know) concerns categorizing doctrinal matters such that some are recognized as more vital than others. For instance, on all orthodox accounts, the divinity of... Read More
4
Jan
2021
Another Question of Discernment
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In my last blog post I addressed the irrational distrust that is increasingly plaguing religious and political conservatives. Specifically, I suggested that we ask of our theories about, say, mask mandates, social distancing, and vaccines, “Why would all these people be doing what I have convinced myself that they’re doing?” Specifically, For what logical reason would... Read More
15
Dec
2020
A Question of Discernment
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About 25 years ago I was privileged to take several seminary courses that focused on the science of textual criticism. Textual criticism was really important in those days because epic battles were then raging over texts and translations as the King James Version lost its ascendancy in conservative Christian circles. Textual criticism is still important,... Read More
4
Dec
2020
8 Leadership Lessons from COVID-19
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It has been over 8 months since the initial major responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. Various local, state, and federal leaders and agencies have pursued a variety of responses and adopted a range of policies. Personally, I am thankful I was not responsible for these difficult decisions. While I have my opinions... Read More
16
Nov
2020
Pursuing ACBC Certification at DBTS
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If you are a current pastor looking to strengthen your counseling ministry or are a church member not interested in vocational gospel ministry but would like to be better equipped and trained at helping others with God’s Word, consider pursuing the non-degree ACBC certification track for Biblical Counseling at DBTS. If you are wondering what... Read More
4
Nov
2020
Theological Diversity
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Theological diversity should not exist. But it does. I disagree with people who have the same background as I do, went to the same schools, and go to the same type of churches. How can this happen and what should be done about it? These are the questions that are centrally addressed in When Doctrine... Read More
19
Oct
2020
On Simple Verbs
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I teach a class on research and writing here at DBTS. I don’t consider myself a gifted writer, but I’ve tried to be a student of good writing, and I’ve had some draconian editors along the way who have helped me in no small measure (HT: Andy Naselli). People sometimes ask me to identify the... Read More
12
Oct
2020
The Heart of Revelation: A Review
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Recently, I have been reworking my notes on the book of Revelation for a survey course I teach at the seminary. Since I do not have the luxury of spending months preaching through the book (as Pastor Jacob recently encouraged us to do), I was considering how to present the themes of the book in... Read More
5
Oct
2020
Don’t Be Too Concerned About the “Evangelical Witness”
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From time to time someone raises a concern about how a particular event, trend, or activity will harm the “evangelical witness.” “Evangelicals” are warned that their “witness” will be damaged because of high-profile scandals from “evangelical” leaders, too much involvement in the culture wars, unpopular responses to the current pandemic, being too political (especially Republican),... Read More