Is there such a thing as evangelical theology (emphasis on the modifier, “evangelical”)? Whether a theology can be evangelical is a disputed idea. Much of the confusion has to do with imprecise definitions of both “evangelical” and “theology.” I...
Even while professional theologians celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea (325 CE), its formulations of classical Christology remain largely unknown and strange among lay folks. To many the christological affirmations of the...
In this episode of What in the Word?, we dive into one of the most puzzling verses in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15:29 and its reference to baptism for the dead. Host, Kirk E. Miller, is joined by biblical scholar, B. J. Oropeza, to explore...
In the ancient world—as for most time since—the gospel of Christ was primarily spread by verbal proclamation, i.e., preaching, and in those days there was no shortage of gifted preachers. Among the pre-modern sermons of which we have record, John...
Fasting was a popular religious practice in the time of Jesus. In fact, Mark 2 shows us that when Jesus and his disciples feasted instead of fasting, they drew some questioning looks. How could such a great religious teacher not take part in such a...
Over the past several decades, evangelicals have increasingly accepted written (i.e., scripted) prayers from liturgical traditions. This reception is partly due to the influence of the ecumenical movement of the twentieth century, partly due to...
Prayer by itself has no power whatsoever. It wields no inherent supernatural sway; nor does it involve a formula or ritual which, if done right, guarantees any desired result. Christian prayer is not magic. The measure of prayer’s power, then, is...
In this inaugural episode of What in the Word?, James M. Hamilton Jr., a professor of biblical theology and a pastor, joins Kirk to talk about one of Scripture’s most notorious passages: Genesis 6:1–4. Tune in to uncover how this passage highlights...
A few years ago as I was exploring spiritual disciplines, I found myself surprised at how often fasting came up. Fasting wasn’t something I heard much talked about in the churches and communities I’d been a part of. But it kept coming up...
What do the Nephilim, baptism for the dead, and the conquest of Canaan have in common? They’re some of the Bible’s most puzzling passages! Join Kirk E. Miller in What in the Word? as he takes you on a journey through some of Scripture’s strangest...
Spontaneous, unplanned prayer is a good thing. The Bible contains many examples of such prayers (e.g., Neh 2:4). In fact, praying doesn’t even require the use of intelligible words (Rom 8:26; 1 Cor 14:2). Nonetheless, using a prayer book with...
While writing my book of prayers, Prayers for the Pilgrimage (IVP, 2024), I had plenty of opportunity to read and familiarize myself with a range of books both on prayer and of prayers. In the list below, I offer you my top eleven books on and of...
We hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year! The Logos staff enjoyed some wonderful, much-needed holiday time off. But that doesn’t mean we took a vacation from delivering improvements to your experience of studying God’s Word! From...
When I first became a father, I desperately wanted to succeed at family devotions. I gave it all of the creative energy I could muster. The battle of Jericho became a rambunctious march around a toy city. For the story of Samson, I tested my skills...
For more than a decade now, I have trained pastors and students to leverage Logos for their study of the Bible, including sermon preparation and planning. Over the years, I have heard the same concern time and again: many professionals study the...
If Revelation were the first book of the Bible you read, you’d be very confused. Chronologically, it comes last. But what about the other books of the Bible? They’re not in order by date. (Most scholars believe Mark was written before Matthew, for...
How should we talk of Jesus? In one sense, talking about Jesus is easy. He’s our Savior and our redeemer. He’s the atoning sacrifice for sinners. He’s the Son of God who has demonstrated his great love for us by satisfying God’s righteous wrath in...
Alisa Childers is the author of the bestselling book, Another Gospel? A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity. In this book, she describes the years-long journey she took as she wrestled with questions that struck at...
Logos is the only software tool I use to study the original languages of Scripture, and I use it practically every day. I use Logos because it is fast, reliable, and beautiful. And I use the original languages because in my (Protestant) view of...
Orthodox Christianity makes the bold claim of being the original Christian Church and the original Christian faith. How does this shape how Orthodox approach Bible study? Orthodox Bible study sees itself as part of a flowing stream of Holy Tradition...
My vocation is systematic theology. My vision of theology is that of a catholic Wesleyanism. I want to promote and pursue—and indeed to produce—theology that is fundamentally creedal and confessional; straightforwardly Protestant and evangelical;...
Is Christmas a Christian holiday? Yes. Yes, it is. I’m being definitive up front because so many today are committed to the public and often gleeful discrediting of Christmas. Some such naysayers are devoutly Christian and seeking earnestly to...
Why limit theological training to just pastors? Theology (theo, God; logia, study of) is the study of who God is and what he is like. With a subject that vast, those who plan to lead churches often spend large amounts of time and money pursuing...
Evangelicals have long contributed highly-respected works to biblical scholarship. Evangelicals have also earned considerable respect in the philosophical guild. Much of this labor has been spent on apologetics, which has raised the bar on Christian...
The author of Hebrews presents us with vivid imagery of Old Covenant worship in the tabernacle and temple, its priests, and the sacrifices they offered. But what, if anything, does this have to do with my worship as a Christian? Do we still worship...
1. Isaiah 9:6–7 For a child has been born for us; a son has been given to us. And the dominion will be on his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His dominion will grow continually...
From Thanksgiving to Christmas Day, you won’t need to look—or listen?—far to run into a Christmas song or two. They’re playing in the background of grocery stores and coffee shops aplenty. But when we let Christmas songs sit in the background they...
Have you ever been in a worship service and looked at the faces around you? What about a worship service where you know for a fact that the Lord was moving? Souls are singing loudly and connecting with God in ways that only unity could bring about...
Although the new Logos released just a few weeks ago, we’re already making it even better. We’re obsessed with making the best, easiest-to-use, and most in-depth Bible study platform for pastors, scholars, and serious students of the Bible. Read...
Christian feast days—what are they? Far from being a strange and sour corruption from the late middle ages, the feast days of the church—or what is called the liturgical calendar—offer Christians a gospel-centered way of walking through the year...