Is the world better without religion? Doesn’t Christianity crush diversity? Doesn’t religion hinder morality? These are just a few of the twelve questions addressed by Rebecca McLaughlin in her debut book, Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's...
As we muddle through our Coronacrisis together, the Christian has a level of hopefulness that the unbeliever does not have. This is true on a great many levels: We know that if we die, we have a place prepared for us with Christ (Phil 1:23; John 14:1ff). We know that...
This is a review of the book, The Saints of Zion: An Introduction to Mormon Theology Are Mormons Christians? If you don’t know the answer to that question, or if you know the answer but don’t know why your answer is right, then this book is written for you. The...
Dr. John Whitcomb, grand patriarch of biblical creationism and flood geology and long-time professor at Grace Theological Seminary, has passed from this life and into the presence of our Lord Christ. Dr. Whitcomb never taught a course at DBTS (though he did speak in...
One of the most important philosophers of our day died last weekend, and almost no one noticed. Best known as a proponent of political conservatism (or Toryism in the British circles in which he lived much of his life), Sir Roger Scruton was also a champion of...
Christian media outlets have a lot to say these days about the idea of shame, mostly trying to convince us that shame is bad. And in many circumstances, they are right. For instance, (1) we need not be ashamed before God for sins committed in our pre-conversion past:...
In thinking about the gospel, one of the truths that is often forgotten is that Jesus, as the Messiah/Christ, came to fulfill God’s promises of salvation. The early disciples focused much of their evangelistic witness on identifying Jesus as the Christ. Let all the...
In an earlier post I began to explore the notion of a “missionary mandate” for Israel in the Old Testament. In this and the next post I look at the background for this idea, namely, God’s concern for the nations in the OT. This post reflects the perspective of the...
Christians in America have an increasing exposure to and awareness of a variety of believers who claim to be teachers and preachers of God’s Word. But this increased exposure has not always led to more skillful discernment and interaction with these teachers (as an...
When one thinks of the more egregious sins in our world today, we tend to think of sins like murder, assault, sexual sins, idolatry, and the like. Very few, I think, would place the sin of ingratitude high on this list. The Apostle Paul, however, does not share our...
Adoniram Judson entered Burma in 1813 and began laboring in sweltering heat and seemingly constant battles with sickness, disease, and death for the next thirty-eight years. He did not see a convert for the first six years of his ministry. After serving for eight...
A persistent question concerns whether or not God intended ancient Israel to serve as an emissary proclaiming salvation to the nations. At the recent E3 Conference I considered this debate and surveyed the Old Testament contribution to a biblical theology of mission....
NOTE: This is the second in a two-part series on one of the most significant fake letters in the history of the church. The previous essay introduced the reader to the letter, explained what it says, and showed the historical and factual problems with the narrative....
The origins of the Septuagint (hereafter, LXX) remain murky despite the evidence of its wide dissemination in the Hellenistic world.[1] Clues to its existence begin to emerge as early as the mid-second century B.C. Historical details, however, concerning the identity,...
By now most have heard the news that Joshua Harris is leaving his wife and Christianity. Harris is most well-known for his book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye. It was a popular book when I was in high school, though I never read it. (Someone I respected later told me his...
In preparation for representing the seminary at a conference in Iowa, I have been reflecting on why go to seminary. Why should a future pastor pursue a seminary education? On occasion, I’ll come across a college graduate who suggests that seminary is not for him. When...
I am excited to announce the release today of the 24th volume of the Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal. Articles include: Andrew David Naselli, What the New Testament Teaches About Divorce and Remarriage Ryan E. Meyer, The Interpretation of Matthew 10:23b Timothy E....
Monday, June 17, 2019, Rolland D. McCune went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Dr. McCune served as professor of Systematic Theology at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary from 1981 until 2009, during which he also served as President of the Seminary for...
If you have not yet seen Dr. Mark Snoeberger’s recent article about the death of God in the death of Christ, I encourage you to consider it. Snoeberger’s argument there helps to refine and safeguard the way we think and discuss the death of Christ so that we are...
A unique resource has finally been fully completed, and I thought our readers should take note. Mark Ward, a graduate of BJU who now works at Logos, has worked for two years compiling a helpful resource for comparing the Greek text underlying the KJV (TR) with modern...
Christians are people of the book, but the word “Trinity” is not found anywhere in the Bible. So, is the Trinity a biblical doctrine? And if so, is it rational? What Does the Bible Teach? Though the Bible does not contain one verse that sums up the Trinity, it gives...
On March 14 DBTS will host the William R. Rice Lecture Series. The speaker for this year's event is Dr. Bryant G. Wood. His topic will be “Archaeology and the Conquest: New Evidence on an Old Problem.” Dr. Wood is a widely respected biblical archaeologist and scholar...
With Valentine’s Day just behind us, lingering questions remain about the concept of love. What is it? Is it a choice? An emotion? Some combination of the two? Or something else? My thesis today is that this perpetual debate continues because we have lost the salient...
On occasion through the years one reads or hears of a great revival somewhere in the world, a sudden outburst of the power of the Holy Spirit. It usually includes the testimony of many souls saved as well as miracles of all sorts that seem to parallel those of the...
In my previous posts, here and here, I reported on a debate between Dan Wallace and Bart Ehrman during which Wallace remarked that he had information about the discovery of a fragmentary papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of Mark that possibly may be from the 1st...
God is graciously using DBTS to prepare His servants for global ministry. Through His help, we have graduates planting churches in a growing number of foreign fields. Most of these graduates are doing pioneer work in areas that are in desperate need of the gospel and...
Have you ever read one of the Gospels in one sitting? I believe many Christians have not. Have you ever read Romans in one sitting? How would such a reading change your perspective on the book? I require my students to read the Bible in large portions. For instance,...
How important is biblical creation for one's theology? Self-professed evangelicals increasingly say, “Very little.” A surprising number of theologians downplay its importance. Wayne Grudem, while agreeing that the biblical data favors young-earth creationism, argues...
God is like someone who is always there for you; I don’t know, it’s like God is God. He’s just like somebody that’ll always help you go through whatever you’re going through. When I became a Christian I was just praying, and it always made me feel better....
I just want to encourage everyone of us to realize when we obey God, we’re not doing it for God – I mean, that’s one way to look at it – we’re doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we’re happy....So I want you to know this morning: Just do good for...
We live in a world that is religious/spiritual but not Christian. A few years back, I mentioned in class the Sermon on the Mount. The blank stares caused me to accuse them of laziness, until it was revealed that not one of those 32 students had any idea what the...
Most people you know believe in a god—since about 90% of Americans do. References to God are ubiquitous in our culture, but not everyone who talks about “God” is talking about the God of the Bible. Last time I introduced the idea of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, the...
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...
Our reaction when sinners receive grace from God gives us a window into what we believe. So let me ask you: Do see the sin of others as a disease from which you have been inoculated? Do you despise sinners who repent because you think they don’t deserve God’s...
Even after we have seen God work in clear and powerful ways, why do we find it so hard to trust Him the next time? Trusting in God seems so easy on paper. Yet when trials come, we are quick to seek our own way, and in doing so, we start down a dangerous path. In...
Based on some practical questions I received in response to my earlier post on transgenderism, I thought it would be helpful to give a follow-up post on the question, Should a Christian use a transgender person’s preferred pronoun? While I have not had to practically...
James 2 indicates that Abraham is justified by works (δικαιόω—Jas 2:21) when he presented Isaac on the altar (Gen 22). Paul indicates that Abraham was not justified by works (δικαιόω—Rom 4:2), but rather by faith when he believed God’s promises (Gen 15:6). Since both...
(The following is my short review of the book. For a fuller treatment see the helpful review in our recent journal by Timothy A. Hughes) I just finished reading Advances in the Study of Greek by Constantine Campbell, a relatively recent work on the state of New...
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Peter’s exhortation delivered at Pentecost has been the source of ongoing debate. Virtually...
Personally, I think that Thabiti Anyabwile has provided some of the best commentary on the inclusion of T. D. Jakes into the Elephant Room discussion. His initial offering before the event was dead on target, and his follow up post is also worth reading. He continues...
The fact that Christ speaks regularly and with vivid imagery of faith as having dimension (it can be little or great and can grow) and even as having material properties (it can be the size of a grain of mustard) leaves some imagining that faith by its nature is an...
When a person self-describes as “conservative,” the meaning of the adjective can be elusive. Conservatism can be noble in one context and ignoble in another. What gives the word meaning, ultimately, is the explanation of what one is conserving and what one is allowing...
Is technology killing our sanctification? Recently I was excited to attend a sacred Christmas concert. Soaring Christmas music combined with splendid orchestration and lush decoration created a unique visual and auditory experience. Elegant Christmas programs are...
Jesus is our King–His mission is our mission. That means that proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches are the goals we need to focus on and strive toward. The priority of the Great Commission should affect every choice you make, including where...
The very first recorded words of Adam have sometimes been the stuff of jokes—the words of a lovestruck fellow who has seen a beautiful woman for the first time: “Look what became of my bone!” he seems to say: “Whoa, Man!” But on closer look, Adam’s words communicate...
Last month my colleagues and I had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (for more on the purpose and value, as well as the shortcomings of ETS, see Dr. Snoeberger’s recent blog post). Although I attend the conference for...
I think it's fair to say that art can reach the inner person quicker than an outline (though perhaps "art" is a strong word for my poem!). That is the thrust behind this attempt to summarize the storyline of the Bible. My goal was to produce something that would...
You're driving to church on a hurried Sunday morning and it hits you... You realize that you're going to have to see "that person." The wound from their careless words is still fresh and a chill hangs in the air between you. Your Sunday plans suddenly become a...
Every year about this time we get a spate of blog posts from within fundamentalism and elsewhere about the viability of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) in view of (1) its skimpy doctrinal basis, (2) its tendency to the speculative and esoteric in its...