Mike Wittmer

What I think. What I know. What I think I know.

  • Wright roundtable

    Immediately after Wright’s paper he dialogued with Tom Schreiner and Frank Thielman for two more hours.  I won’t include everything they said, but here are the highlights from my notes (see Collin Hansen for a summary of all three papers and Marc Cortez for a concise theological summary.  Scroll down the comment section on Denny Burk’s…

  • Wright at ETS

    I just returned from one of my more memorable annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society.  I made some new friends, reconnected with old friends, and heard some interesting papers.  This year’s splendid smorgasbord included Alvin Plantinga, N.T. Wright, Michael Horton, and Al Mohler questioning John Franke.  One particularly magical session on John Ockenga ended…

  • throwback Sunday

    Next year we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version, so wouldn’t it be cool if churches dusted it off for a throwback Sunday?  The fact that I just used an archaic term like “cool” is a sign that I am really excited about this idea.  Any reasonably accurate throwback Sunday should include…

  • calvin on prayer

    I am preparing for class tomorrow, and I came across this encouraging/convicting section from Calvin’s 1541 Institutes on prayer (p. 458). “We are taught by faith to know that all the good we need and which we lack in ourselves is in God and in His Son our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom the Father…

  • give up

    Here’s my latest Our Daily Journey entry which arose from reading Calvin’s 1541 Institutes with my students.  read > Ephesians 2:1-10 God saved you by his grace when you believed.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done,…

  • the gospel and multi-culturalism

    The new issue of the Calvin Seminary Forum has an intriguing dialogue among Calvin faculty about the Christian Reformed Church’s impending vote (2012) on whether to adopt the Belhar Confession as a fourth confession of faith (alongside the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort). The United Reforming Church in Southern Africa, a…

  • evangelism and social justice

    The Gospel Coalition is running posts from theologians all week on the question, “How do we work for justice and not undermine evangelism?”  I get to contribute on Thursday, though I may just tweet my Amen to what D. A. Carson has already written.  There is so much gospel wisdom in what he says–may everyone who…

  • miners and mistresses

    What does it say about the state of marriage today when an accidental sampling of Chilean miners turns up so many with mistresses and children on the side?  According to the London Telegraph, at least five wives so far have encountered mistresses who want a stake of the financial windfall coming their lovers’ way.  One…

  • Calvin and Reformed theology conference

    I significantly revised my class on the theology of John Calvin this fall.  It’s a lot more work but also a lot more fun, as I’m using some of the helpful books that were published last year to celebrate the 500 year anniversary of Calvin’s birth.  Our class is enjoying: 1. The 1541 Institutes.  I…

  • proof of faith

    Here’s another essay that comes with click-through videos, the latest in devotional technology.  The videos are very sad but worth watching, if you haven’t seen them. read > Psalm 14:1-7 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God”….They eat up my people like bread and wouldn’t think of praying to the LORD (v. 1-4).…