Archive for December 2019
How to Read Matthew Theologically
When someone asks me about my role in mentoring PhD students, I sometimes half-jokingly say that it is my job to teach PhD students to read. Obviously, PhD students are literate. Some were even prodigies who were reading fluently before they entered elementary school. Nevertheless, I love to introduce students to Mortimer Adler’s text titled…
Read MoreWhy Pastors Should Engage Lucy Hutchinson
Among the several seventeenth-century female Puritans who wrote letters, meditations, and narratives, Lucy Hutchinson (1620-1681) stands out as a particularly erudite and prolific figure. Though often only remembered for her Memoirs of her husband, Hutchinson also translated and crafted her own theological poems and treatises. Most notable are her epic poem on Genesis, Order and…
Read MoreWhat is Theology and What Should We Do with It? Two Theological Works That Shaped my Decade
In a simple five-word sentence laced with wisdom and insight, Katherine Sonderegger stopped me in my reading tracks. “Theology awakens a grateful heart” she penned in the opening sentence of her multi-volume Systematic Theology.[1] I wasn’t expecting such a devotional punch as I cracked my newly purchased and highly anticipated work from the Episcopalian theologian.…
Read MoreWhy Pastors Should Engage Gregory of Nazianzus
The Council of Nicaea convened in 325 to deal with Arius and his heresy concerning the relationship of Jesus to the Father. Arius proclaimed that the Son was not eternal and thus not a part of the Trinity in His very being. Arius stated that the Son existed as a creation of the Father. Arius’…
Read MoreHow to Read Isaiah Theologically: Part Two
Isaiah’s near-death experience and his pronunciation of a judgment oracle on himself becomes the theme of much of his preaching, when he does become a prophet. Before a holy God, the prophet pronounces judgment oracles to the people who have not been practicing righteousness and justice, but the opposite.[1] But the fact that Isaiah will…
Read MoreHow to Read Isaiah Theologically: Part One
Imagine for a minute a young man going to the temple court in Jerusalem sometime around 740 BC. The nation’s king, Uzziah, has just died after a long, illustrious and prosperous reign.[1] The news has struck like a lightning bolt, with the nation in a particularly vulnerable state. To the northeast the Assyrian empire has…
Read MoreNew Credo Video: Who was William G. T. Shedd?
Who was William G. T. Shedd? How did Shedd connect English Literature, Church History, and Systematic Theology? Why should we read Shedd’s Dogmatic Theology? How might Shedd’s writings serve as a ballast to students and pastors? In this Credo video, Alan Gomes talks about the importance of Shedd’s contribution and the value of it to…
Read MoreWho was William G. T. Shedd?
Who was William G. T. Shedd? How did Shedd connect English Literature, Church History, and Systematic Theology? Why should we read Shedd’s Dogmatic Theology? How might Shedd’s writings serve as a ballast to students and pastors? In this Credo video, Alan Gomes talks about the importance of Shedd’s contribution and the value of it to…
Read MoreYear End Reflection: Credo Podcasts
The Lord has been exceedingly kind to us in 2019. We’ve had numerous guests and contributors who have blessed, admonished, and encouraged many to press on to grow in their knowledge of who God is and what he has done in Christ Jesus. In this post, we want to highlight a few of the most…
Read MoreHow to Read Hosea Theologically: Part 3
The Theological Reading of Hosea Hosea, as the first of the Twelve, should be understood in association with the “Twelve,” with the Former and Latter Prophets, and with the Torah of Moses (the Law).[1] Hosea opens, and Malachi closes the Twelve. These two books reflect a broad sweep of history and geography. Hosea addresses the…
Read MoreHow to Read Hosea Theologically: Part 2
Theological Interpretation of Scripture[1] The Two-Testament Bible has the canonical function of reminding the Church that God has spoken and that the Scripture of the Church is the Word of God. Each part of Scripture is the Word of God, is authoritative, and points to the fullness, reality, transcendence, and holiness of God. Scripture is…
Read MoreHow to Read Hosea Theologically: Part 1
Reading Hosea Canonically: The Law and the Prophets At the time of our Lord Jesus, and still today wherever the Hebrew Old Testament is read, it was customary to speak of three major divisions of the Old Testament: Torah (Law of Moses), the Prophets (Nebi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim).[1] The Hebrew Old Testament is known…
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