Archive for February 2020
How can God be so Bold? Universalism’s Crosshairs and the Just Simplicity of Divine Gratuity
The new issue of Credo Magazine focuses on the question, “Will all be saved?” The following is Matthew Barrett’s column, “How can God be so Bold? Universalism’s Crosshairs and the Just Simplicity of Divine Gratuity.” Matthew Barrett is Associate Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as the founder and executive editor…
Read More12 Components of Interpreting the New Testament
We can break down interpreting the New Testament into twelve components. The first eight components are aspects of exegesis: Genre. Establish guidelines for interpreting a passage’s style of literature. Textual Criticism. Establish the original wording. Translation. Compare translations. Grammar. Understand how sentences communicate by words, phrases, and clauses (especially in the Bible’s original languages—Hebrew, Aramaic,…
Read MoreBarrett’s Book Notes: Chrysostom, Calvin, the Psalter, Angels & Demons, and so much more
I am a voracious reader, in part because I enjoy reading, in part because I believe reading is essential to maturing theologically and as a Christian. Lately, I was asked to read and endorse a number of books. Here they are and why I think you might just enjoy them: Preaching the Word with John…
Read MoreThe Many Fish that Swim in the Universalist Pond
The new issue of Credo Magazine focuses on the question, “Will all be saved?” The following is an excerpt from Michael McClymond’s article, “The Many Fish that Swim in the Universalist Pond: A Primer on Universalisms.” Michael J. McClymond (PhD, University of Chicago) is professor of modern Christianity at Saint Louis University in St. Louis,…
Read MoreDid B. B. Warfield believe in Theistic Evolution? Correcting Popular Misconceptions
Fred Zaspel has contributed a chapter to the award-winning Theistic Evolution (Crossway). In his chapter, Zaspel argued that B.B. Warfield did not hold to theistic evolution despite the suggestions of scholars such as David Livingstone and Mark Noll. While Warfield seemed to be open to the idea of a very limited definition of theistic evolution,…
Read MoreNew Credo Video: Does God’s Jealousy Display His Love for His People?
Why is divine jealousy so foreign and offensive to Bible readers today? How does God’s jealousy display his love for his people? What does God’s creational order have to do with his jealousy for his glory? Should God’s jealousy affect the way we live the Christian life? In this Credo video, Erik Thoennes talks about…
Read MoreDoes God’s Jealousy Display His Love for His People?
Why is divine jealousy so foreign and offensive to Bible readers today? How does God’s jealousy display his love for his people? What does God’s creational order have to do with his jealousy for his glory? Should God’s jealousy affect the way we live the Christian life? In this Credo video, Erik Thoennes talks about…
Read MoreHow to Read 1-3 John Theologically
First, what does it mean to “read theologically”? An analogy illustrates: we heat our house with wood, and that means I split thousands of pieces of firewood each year for our two wood stoves. Every kind of tree has a different grain. The grain determines how the wood will split with an ax or steel…
Read MoreMessianic Vision of the Pentateuch
For over two millennia, the Old Testament has been a heavily contested text (Jer 8:8), and the heart of this debate concerns its witness to Christ (or “Messiah”) and the new covenant. Is the OT a document of the “old covenant,” focusing on the Sinai/Deuteronomic law? What then of its direct predictions of a “new…
Read MoreHow to Read Joel Theologically: Part Two
The incipit of Hosea suggests that Hosea and Isaiah (and Micah) are connected by the mention of Judah’s kings, “Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (Isa. 1:1; Hos. 1:1).[1] Hosea, a prophet to Israel, is to be read not only in connection with Amos, but also with Isaiah! Though Joel does not include…
Read MoreHow to Read Joel Theologically: Part One
The book of Joel is the second book in the Book of the Twelve.[1] Little is known of the prophet’s life or the context of his ministry.[2] He ministered God’s Word after a crisis, whether it be a literal locust plague or a metaphor for an invasion of enemy forces. The book of Joel breaks…
Read MoreNew Credo Podcast: Did Calvin Murder Heretics?
Who was Michael Servetus and what was Servetus’ view of the Trinity? How does Servetus’ biblicism lead him to reject Nicene and scholastic trinitarianism? How does the sixteenth century historical context shed light on the execution of Servetus? How are we to understand Servetus last words? What role did Calvin play in the Servetus affair…and…
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