Among the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, there is a rather troubling document dated from the year 1 B.C. It’s a letter written by a husband to his wife. The husband is out of town, and the wife is apparently expecting to deliver a child in the near future. Here’s the text:...
This morning I scanned through an interesting book put out by Georgetown University that analyzes the value of 171 common college majors available today. By “value” the authors mean almost entirely fiscal value, or how much money a graduate can expect to make after...
The Student Global Impact national conference begins tomorrow, and I am presenting a workshop titled, "Give of Your Best to the Master: The Life and Lessons of Adoniram Judson, Missionary to Burma." I would highly recommend the reading of one of the many biographies...
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 discuss what traditions we want to establish as a...
If you’ve read anything about the history of the discipline of biblical theology, then you’ve come across the name J. P. Gabler and his now-programmatic lecture “On the Proper Distinction between Biblical and Dogmatic Theology....” The lecture, his inaugural duty for...
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...
Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued two decisions on homosexual marriage that will likely shape the social structure of America moving forward. Even apart from the decisions of the Supreme Court, the acceptance of homosexuality appears to be a foregone conclusion. It...
In the latest ed. of the Master’s Seminary Journal (avail. free online), Michael Vlach of The Master’s Seminary reviews Wellum & Gentry’s biblical theology Kingdom through Covenant (KtC). It’s one of the more thorough reviews of the book I’ve seen lately (see...
A few months ago I expressed some fairly strong reservations about a nefarious variation of “Gospel-Centered” sanctification that has captured the attention of a number of conservative evangelical luminaries—a preach-the-Gospel-to-yourself,...
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...
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...
The relationship between the Old and New Testaments has been debated (sometimes hotly) since the book of Acts! This makes sense since so much hangs in the balance of properly understanding this issue—What role does the Law have in a NT believer's life? Is the Church a...
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,"...
I did not eat at Chick-fil-A on August 1st. I've got a good excuse: they don't have Chick-fil-A's in Michigan, and Toledo is forty miles away. But honestly, I probably wouldn't have gone anyway, because I don't like fast food chicken (my refined fast food palate...
This is a new online journal that has apparently just become available with volume one, number one. The articles can be accessed on the home page as individual pdfs, or one can download the entire issue. Check it out here.
The three main Bible software programs today are Logos, BibleWorks, and Accordance. Logos and BibleWorks are mainly for the PC (though Logos now has a Macintosh version), while Accordance is exclusively a Mac product. BibleWorks and Accordance are commonly known for...
Writing near the end of the 1950s, the renowned dispensational eschatologist and professor of Bible exposition, J. Dwight Pentecost (1915–2014), formulated the standard dispensational understanding of the afterlife in the Old Testament (OT). “[Sheol],” argued...
2007 William R. Rice Lecture Series Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2007Speaker: Dr. John WhitcombTheme: “Recent Trends in Creationism” Lectures:The Creation of the World – mp3The Origin of Man – mp3Dinosaurs and Men – mp3 About Our...
2010 William R. Rice Lecture Series Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010Speaker: Dr. Michael VlachTheme: “Replacement Theology: Has the Church Superseded Israel as the People of God?” – notes Lectures:Introduction to Replacement Theology – mp3A...
In what may be the most highly contested passage of Ecclesiastes, the writer Qohelet((Given that the author of Ecclesiastes does not identify himself outside the nom de plume Qohelet (Heb. קֹהֶלֶת), I will use this nomenclature to designate him. ((Dr. Dunham is...
Fifteen years ago, my late mentor Rolland McCune passed me a baton, namely, his class on dispensational theology. ((Dr. Snoeberger is Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary.)) Dr. McCune routinely taught that...
Introduction Interpreters of the Levitical cult have long speculated over the rationale for and difference between Israel’s sin offering and guilt offering. ((Dr. Dunham is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary.)) In spite of the...
Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Coping with Criticism in the Ministry, by Joel R. Beeke and Nick Thompson. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2020. 177 pp. $15.99 Seminary students often entertain romantic ideas about pastoral ministry. They imagine a future marked by...
Technically Connected: Navigating Distance on Virtual Teams, by Warren J. Janzen. Victoria, Canada: Friesen Press, 2020. xv + 167 pp. $17.99. The author, having served as International Director of the mission agency SEND International, has extensive experience working...
Always Reforming: Reflections on Martin Luther & Biblical Studies, edited by Channing L. Crisler and Robert L. Plummer. Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2021. 181 pp. $29.99. This book of essays on Martin Luther is a Festschrift in honor of Mark A. Seifrid, longtime...
Redeeming Productivity, by Reagan Rose. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2022. ix + 158 pp. $15.99. Reagan Rose is the founder of Redeeming Productivity, an online teaching ministry aimed at recapturing personal productivity for the sake...
The newest issue of the Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal is now available online. The 2024 issue contains six peer-reviewed articles and 68 pages of book reviews. This year's issue, along with all back issues of the DBSJ, can be downloaded for free from our seminary...
Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here. In this series, we have been examining the arguments made by John Hart in Evidence for the Rapture that our Lord Jesus describes the pre-tribulation rapture of his church in Matthew 24:36–44. To review,...
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post titled “Parenting Advice from a Dead Guy.” In that post, I introduced Eastern church father John Chrysostom (c. 347–407) and noted some parenting advice found in his book An Address on Vainglory and the Right Way for Parents to Bring up...
I’ve seen several people recently discussing the issue of Federal Vision, a theological movement among Reformed churches that arose in 2002 and was both championed and condemned by various leaders within those churches. Some seem confused as to why some popular...
There are more reasons for pastors to visit the mission field than I’ve listed so far, but I’ll stop my list with the three I’ve given: understanding missions better, improving your leadership of the church’s missions efforts, and being a blessing to God’s servants on...
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...
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...
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...
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...
*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...
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...
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...
Brett McCracken has written a helpful, short book on managing our information-overload world. He rightly notes that though we live in a world of exponentially increasing knowledge, such knowledge has not done much to make us wise. The book breaks into two unequal...
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...
I was recently reading a book designed to answer questions posed against Christianity.[1] The book is good, and I recommend it, but I want to use one of the statements in the book as a jumping pad to a point the author was not directly making. Rebecca McLaughlin was...
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,...
A message from Dr. Doran: Dear Friend of DBTS, Happy Thanksgiving! God has been gracious to us and is worthy of every bit of thanks, and more, that He receives. I am looking forward to a fun and refreshing time with family and friends on Thanksgiving Day, then...
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...
In the past few weeks, a number of significant new commentaries have been released, and several more are on the immediate horizon. Below are a few of the more interesting additions. Douglas Moo, Romans, 2nd ed., NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018) Originally...
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...
Brother or Sister in Christ, Every one of us must find our righteousness in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. He lived perfectly (the way we couldn’t) and died sacrificially (in our place) and rose victoriously! He is our hope for being made right with God, overcoming...