About two weeks ago I began a recommended reading list for those who wish to brush up on the history of the church. My initial suggestions included a couple of church history survey texts. In this post, I’m going to mention a few titles that focus on the development...
I recently had a student ask what books pastors and future pastors should read in order to become familiar with the church’s past. I’d like to answer that question by suggesting a short list of books over a couple of blog posts. The nature of church history is such...
I heard it on the radio again the other day—a slick sounding ad depicting happy sounding people talking about how much fun it is to win “the big one.” It was an ad for the Michigan Lottery, and it left one with the impression that most people who play the lottery...
(A Guest Post by David Doran, Jr.) Every mother, pastor, roofer, and sanitation engineer in the Western world has felt the wrath of life’s relentless assault of tasks-to-be-done. You’re probably calling them tasks-to-survive by now. Western culture is drunk on going...
Within American history the names of Benedict Arnold, Aaron Burr, and the Rosenbergs live on in infamy. These are people who rather notoriously tried to undermine the well-being of our nation for some kind of personal profit. We look back on such individuals with a...
The worldwide web is a staging area for mobs. It offers us sound definitions of and warnings about mobs (Wikipedia calls them “individuals in a group to acting together without planned direction…in schools, demonstrations, riots, and general strikes, sporting events,...
Just a reminder that the Rice Lectures are now just two weeks away on Wednesday, March 19. Pastor Peter Hubbard, who is the teaching pastor at North Hills Community Church in Taylors, SC, will be presenting three lectures based on his new book Love Into Light: The...
If you have spent time counseling men in the areas of purity and pornography, you have probably, like me, struggled to find a resource that is biblical, straightforward, pastoral, and pure itself. In my opinion, Heath Lambert has written such a book, titled Finally...
Students in my Medieval Church History class recently read Augustine’s book, On Christian Teaching. As I was working my way back through this little volume, I was struck by a statement Augustine (354-430) makes which seems to have application to those who would be...
Each year DBTS hosts the William R. Rice Lecture Series, named for the Seminary's founder and first president. We are pleased to announce that the speaker for this year's event on March 19, 2014, will be Pastor Peter Hubbard, who is the teaching pastor at North Hills...
The web site for Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary has been given a refresh. We hope you like it. Just click the Seminary tab at the top of this page to check it out. The Seminary publishes an annual scholarly journal, Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal. If you click...
Along with several million others, I watched the widely publicized debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham this past Tuesday evening. Since that time, many people on both sides of the origins issue have produced videos, articles, and blog posts discussing the debate. Here...
American culture is fascinated with celebrities. American evangelicalism, as a subset of American culture, is too. For some reason, there remains a persistent belief that the public testimony of a well known athlete or entertainer will be more effective than that of a...
One of the more surprising sources of parental advice that I have received came to me a few years ago in the form of a recorded lecture by Greg Bahnsen—a lecture in which he detailed the process of “becoming a philosopher.” Without explaining the entire discussion,...
DBTS will be sponsoring Seminary Days this spring on March 13-14. Complete information on Seminary Days 2014, including a brochure and registration form, can be found on the Seminary website. Students will be able to attend classes, share meals with faculty and...
The Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal has been produced annually by DBTS since 1996. The 2013 edition (vol. 18) was recently published: "Why a Commitment to Inerrancy Does Not Demand a Strictly 6000-Year-Old Earth: One Young Earther’s Plea for Realism" by Mark A....
If you’ve decided to shake out of your Greek-less stupor in this new year but aren’t yet sure how to do it, let me try to offer you some help. Here’s a link to a refresher schedule I recommend my first year students complete during their Winter break between Greek...
According to author Kevin Schultz, in 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt asserted that the United States is “a Protestant country,” and that “Catholics and Jews are here under sufferance” (Tri-Faith America, 10). In this fascinating book, Schultz argues that between...
Over at the Reformation 21 blog, Todd Pruitt has some insightful thoughts about homosexuality and the Phil Robertson controversy: As I have read the many commentaries offered by various evangelicals on the Phil Robertson flap I cannot help but wonder if some of the...
I’m finding myself somewhere between pity and embarrassment as I watch otherwise respectable middle-aged white men tripping over one another to be first in line insisting that they’re not racist because they’re OK with Reformed Rap and Holy Hip-Hop as valid worship...
One of our seminary graduates, Dr. Rod Decker, is suffering from stage 4 incurable cancer. Rod is Professor of Greek and New Testament at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA. Recently, Rod and a colleague spoke about their health situations in chapel at the...
The Life of a preacher should be a magnet to draw men to Christ.... Sanctity in ministers is a loud call to sinners to repent, and when allied with holy cheerfulness, it becomes wondrously attractive. This from Charles Spurgeon in his lecture, "The Minister's...
A few years ago, Stanley Gundry wrote an article, “Hermeneutics or Zeitgeist as the Determining Factor in the History of Eschatologies?” (JETS 20 [1977]: 45–55). In it, he proposed that the church’s eschatological trends have not been established principally by...
How long does or should it take to prepare a sermon? You might enjoy the answers from some well-known preachers. HT: Tim Challies
I’m leading a seminar this semester on biblical theology. We just had our third meeting this last week. For the first two, we read from and discussed a dictionary. (It was better than it sounds. I promise!) Last week we read and discussed a new release from Zondervan...
In recent weeks the city of Damascus has frequently appeared in our headlines. Although it now appears that a U.S.-led strike against the region is not on the immediate horizon, it also looks as if negotiations over the proposed transfer of chemical weapons will...
This past Sunday evening, we had our annual Ministry Equipping and Training Seminar here at Inter-City Baptist Church. During this time we have ministry-specific seminars and also general sessions. I did a general session on "Discipling the Next Generation: The...
I’ve read about people who go on technology fasts—some to concentrate on more important priorities, some to relate with other cultures or eras, some to prove to themselves that they aren’t really technology addicts after all. I’ve never felt the need to abstain. But...
If you have been in ministry for a number of years since seminary, you know how easy it can be to get into a ministry routine and allow other things in your life to become your first love, whether it is a hobby, a recreational pursuit, or other amusement. We as...
Some eight years ago now, Zondervan released the first installment of a two-volume church history set. The initial volume was written by Everett Ferguson, the author or editor of numerous works related to early church history. Ferguson is currently Professor of Church...
I prepared a biographical presentation on Adoniram Judson for our recent church family camp. As is usually the case, I get far more out of these preparations than I am sure the listeners do, and some of the best lessons are the things I am not looking to learn. One of...
The opening lines of the poem “Solitude” are well known: Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone. Though written over one hundred years ago, the sentiment still applies today. People in our culture love to have fun. We love going to parties,...
I’ve written in the past about a few websites that provide access to a wide range of electronic resources. When looking for academic resources sometimes you know exactly what you are looking for, and the most convenient way to find it is to search for a specific...
In my previous post, I noted the existence of several examples of the use of the Old Testament in the New that don’t seem to make sense (Hos 11:1 with Matt 2:15; Jer 31:15 with Matt 2:16–18; Psalm 22:18 with John 19:24; Psalm 96:25 and 109:8 with Acts 1:16–20; Joel...
Last week a friend of mine, Fred Zaspel, offered a case for the typological interpretation of the Scripture. In offering a four-point rationale for typological interpretation, Zaspel made several observations that call for both applause and reflection. I applauded,...
Many people promise to provide the secret to a successful pastoral ministry. Conferences, curricula, and consultants like to offer products for discouraged pastors. Attend this conference and you will come away with a ministry-changing model. Purchase this curriculum...
In early 1776, John Adams travelled the snowy roads from New England back to Philadelphia for another extended session in Congress. Either along the way or shortly after he arrived in Philadelphia, Adams compiled a list of things he wanted to see accomplished. Near...
Ecclesiastes by Dr. James G. Bollhagen is a welcome addition to the growing number of commentaries on Ecclesiastes. He earned his M.Div., S.T.M., and Ph.D. from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He has also served as a professor of exegetical theology at Concordia...
WikiAnswers poses the question, “Why does music exist?” then self-replies: “Because it brings happiness to people all over the world.” We must grant that WikiAnswers is scarcely an authoritative reference source, but it does offer a window on popular culture. It...
Students in seminary are busy people. They often work, study, take care of their family, and sleep (occasionally). There is a subtle temptation in the midst of this busyness to become too guarded with the use of one's time and energies. The summer break is a welcome...
The proceedings (written and audio) of the 2013 Conference of the Church for God's Glory (Rockford, IL) are now available on the conference website. I'd like to invite you to enjoy and use the resources made available by the various speakers. I cannot speak on their...
Can you imagine the shock when an usher escorts you out of a church service to be told that your mother had just died? Because my mother was forty-four years old at that time and had become a Christian a few years earlier, I was emotionally devastated when I was...
Over at the Gospel Coalition blog, Joe Carter recently wrote about how four leading church historians responded to the question: “After AD 70, what day most changed the course of Christian history?” The respondents proposed four different answers. Two of the replies...
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY is being redefined in America, or at least many would like it to be. Our secular establishment wants to reduce the autonomy of religious institutions and limit the influence of faith in the public square. The reason is not hard to grasp. In America,...
Readers living within driving distance of Rockford, Illinois, will be interested in attending the annual Conference on the Church for God's Glory held there on May 20th of this year. This year's conference theme, "The Resolved Pastor," promises a careful reflection on...
I’ve never met a Bible teacher who wished they had not learned Greek. It’s only the guys who have let it slip and no longer use it for their sermon preparation who try to tell me that Greek doesn’t enhance their teaching—Con Campbell in Keep Your Greek: Strategies for...
The William R. Rice Lectures were held on March 20, given by Professor Brent Belford of Northland International University. The theme for 2013 was “Paul’s Pastoral Use of the Scriptures in 1 Corinthians.” The audio recordings from the sessions are now posted to the...
John Calvin (1509–1564) is remembered for many things—some good, some bad, some real, some imagined. If Calvin’s legacy is misunderstood today, the reason for that misunderstanding generally cannot be traced to lack of access to his thought. Although the exact...
The Associates for Biblical Research have posted an excellent article by DBTS Professor Jared Compton on the resurrection of Christ. You can find it here.