Church
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on B&H Academic Blog and is part of a series of theological biographies by Jason Duesing: Seven Summits Worth Climbing in Church History.
“He is intellectually the most eminent of conservative theologians. I would say he’s been the professor and I’ve been the student.” So said Billy Graham reflecting upon the influence of Carl F. H. Henry (1913-2003). Like Philipp Melanchthon to Martin Luther, or Andrew Fuller to William Carey, with the passing of time the figures in history that built the theological infrastructure to support and defend an evangelical movement often fade from popular memory. Graham, Luther, Carey we know, but names like Carl F. H. Henry are not readily in view. Although unknown, Henry is not forgotten. Gregory Alan Thornbury’s latest work is quickly becoming one of the books to read this year. This is a welcomed and needed volume, for the perceptive Thornbury observes, “So it seems as though there may still be enough of us left who believe that Carl Henry, a key to evangelicalism’s past, may in fact be a cipher to its future.” What is it then that made Henry so effective in his day and thus worth reviewing now? Carl Trueman believes that one part of what made Henry remarkable was his “unerring ability to see the big picture, to focus on issues of real substance, and to communicate the significance of these issues to the theological public.” Henry saw this big picture first in his younger days as a journalist. Read More »
Just use your imagination. One of your teenagers has graduated and has just started his freshman year at college. It is the first Sunday morning. Asleep in the dorm, he hears his phone alarm go off at 7:00 am. Will he get up and find a new church or roll over and sleep until noon? Read More »
Why online education and why just 36 hours for the Master of Theological Studies (MTS)? Is a fully online Master of Divinity (MDiv) next? I have gotten these questions a lot over the past month. Read More »
It had already been a long journey and I still had a long set of flights out of Nigeria routing back to the United States. During my visit to the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in Ogobomso, I met many fine folk. They are indeed doing a tremendous job of engaging lost people with the good news in the midst of horrific conflict posed to the whole nation, and the world, from a violent stream of Islam known as Boko Haram. One of the institution’s administrators accompanied me back to Lagos, Nigeria to fly out. Read More »
If you are like me, trying to lead your family well, then on occasion questions arise about certain “religious practices.” Every year about this time I wonder why so many Protestants begin to practice Lent. Lent clutters the pages of Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. At first, I get frustrated…am I the only Protestant left in the room? Then, I feel guilty thinking they are more spiritual than I. If you have ever had these feeling, then this post is for you. Read More »
Theological Formulation
In order to test our theory that studying Systematic Theology will help us know God better, let’s take a look at the doctrine of the Trinity. Read More »
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the Winter 2013 issue of Southwestern News magazine, which gives churches and individuals strategies for sharing the Gospel.
Most Christians recognize the importance of evangelism, but they are at a loss when it comes to striking up a conversation with a stranger on a plane, in a grocery line, or at the gas station. The following is an analysis of five common approaches to sharing the Gospel with some additional evangelism tips. Each approach has potential strengths and weaknesses, but not all approaches are created equal. The first two strategies are not recommended as normative approaches for evangelism. Queen recommends a blended use of the final three approaches. Each has its own advantages and usefulness in particular situations. The leading of the Holy Spirit should dictate which approach, or approaches, should be incorporated in any given evangelistic encounter. Read More »
In Matthew 22, the Pharisees asked Jesus a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus’ answer is recorded in Matt 22:37-38:
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (ESV) Read More »
Can we truly understand God? No…and yes.
As sinful men and women, even our logic has suffered the effects of sin. We cannot expect to completely understand a God that lies beyond our comprehension; however, the God who created us also revealed Himself to us. Because of both general revelation in creation and special revelation in God’s written Word, we can a great deal about God. Read More »
How could something so simple be so complex?
For Christmas, my daughter received the Mega Bloks Power Rangers Samurai HQ Battle set. One box, one nice picture but open it up to find 518 small Lego-like pieces with a whole lot of assembly required. The directions contained over seventy steps each with multiple items to put into the right place. I’ve seen online classes with less content. We spent about three hours together building this set, and I loved every minute of it. Every time I picked up one of those little pieces, I tried to envision how that piece fit into the big picture. The little pieces actually built four larger structures, which then fit together seamlessly to make the one whole. And of course along the way, I found the need to customize the way the fighting surface attached to the wall to make it more secure. Read More »
