Category: Theology
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Passersby
Mark 15 says two kinds of people happened to pass by Jesus on the morning of his crucifixion. The first was Simon of Cyrene, “the father of Alexander and Rufus,” who “was passing by on his way in from the country” (15:21). The Son of God who had urged his followers to take up their…
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Worship Watch Party
You knew it would come to this. Ignite Church of Plano, Texas is freeing up space for holiday visitors by inviting its members to host worship watch parties for its Easter service. If all goes well, the watch parties will become a routine part of the church’s body life. Pastor Dillon Roberts said the idea…
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Be Wiersbe
Warren Wiersbe died last week. He spoke at my college’s missionary conference during my senior year, and I was privileged to pick him and his wife up from the airport. It was surreal hearing his voice from the backseat. I usually heard his voice from the radio, and now it was in my car with…
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heaven
Modern Reformation magazine just published this conversation between Scott Swain (RTS, Orlando) and myself about the final destiny of Christians. We can discuss it below if you’d like. Photo by Richard Walker. Via Flickr. Used by permission.
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saints
Protestants often wonder why Roman Catholics pray to saints. Are they elevating saints to the place of God? If not, then why bother praying to them? Why talk to a mere human when we can speak directly to God? Roman Catholics have a good response. When you are in distress, don’t you ask other people…
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church confessions part 2
Here is part two of ten things to look for in your church’s confession. If you want an example that illustrates most of what I’m talking about, check out the confession of Cornerstone University or Calvary Church. 6. Does it set appropriate boundaries? One of the benefits of revising your church confession is that it…
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Church Confessions
For the past year my students have evaluated their churches’ doctrinal statements, and I have learned valuable insights that might help pastors and boards improve their church’s confession of faith. Such statements are increasingly important, but they are not always treated as such, even in churches that value sound doctrine. Here are ten questions for…
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four views on hell
Zondervan’s new Four Views on Hell is another stellar volume in an already valuable series. I probably assign too many of these “views books” in my classes, but I don’t know of a more economical way to put in students’ hands the best, and most current arguments, from all sides. I finished this one in…
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do Christians worship the same God?
Christians who insist their God differs from Islam and Judaism point to the unique feature of the Trinity. The God of Islam and Judaism is only one person, while the Christian God is three persons. This is an essential difference, though it is sometimes flubbed in surprising places. My last two posts addressed the problems…
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do Christians and Jews worship the same God?
This question is more complicated than yesterday’s question about Islam because Christianity arose from within Judaism. The apostles claimed Jesus was Israel’s long awaited Messiah, the promised Deliverer who came to keep Israel’s covenants and save her from her enemies. The early apologists said Christians were the “third race,” the climax of both Greek philosophy…
Mike Wittmer 