This excerpt about the Puritans is adapted from A Quest for Godliness by J. I. Packer. *** . . . the suggestion that we need the Puritans—we . . . Westerners, with all our sophistication and mastery of technique in both secular and sacred fields—may...
Students of the cultural context of the Bible are familiar with the association between animals and idolatry. The idolatrous worship of the golden calf (egel; Exod 32:1–24) makes the connection explicit. Even after the Israelites entered into a...
For 40 years, Dr. Douglas Moo has been studying, teaching, and writing about Paul and Romans. These words from theologian Johann Albrecht Bengel hang on his wall: “Apply yourself wholly to the text. Apply the text wholly to yourself.” It’s with that...
Chris looked around the room full of pastors, ministry directors, and administrators, offered thanks and a winsome smile, and began to speak. He wore a t-shirt that read: “Dis·a·bled /ˌdisˈāb(ə)ld/ adjective: equally human.” A second-year seminary...
After the Reformer Martin Luther died, his friends who came to his room to remove his corpse found a note he had scrawled sometime in his final days: “We are beggars, that is true.” With those scribbled phrases, Luther summed up his own hard-won...
1. Deuteronomy 6:4–7 “Hear, Israel, Yahweh our God, Yahweh is unique. And you shall love Yahweh your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your might. And these words that I am commanding you today shall be on your...
"At some point in his decades of teaching Biblical Hebrew, David Pleins realized there was a gap in his students’ education."
[In James 3:14–16,] James . . . told what heavenly wisdom is not, and now [in James 3:17–18,] he turns and tells what it is. . . . Purity The false wisdom is “earthly [and] unspiritual,” while this true wisdom is “first of all pure.” The four...
Historically the Church has understood the nature of Scripture much the same as it has understood the person of Christ—the Bible is at the same time both human and divine. “The Bible,” it has been correctly said, “is the Word of God given in human...
The information age is changing how we deliver teaching and learning in seminary education. Accordingly, our pedagogy needs to catch up with the technology and the needs of our students. My mind changed on this very slowly and very reluctantly, but...
This excerpt is adapted from Common Misconceptions about Common Church Problems by C. Gary Barnes. Myth 1. Anxiety always results from sin or lack of faith Now, of course, biblically, it’s clearly established that sinful choices can bring forth...
The Bible establishes specific qualifications for pastors (see 1 Pet 5:3, 1 Tim 3:2–7, Titus 1:8, Eph 6:4). But above all, they are to “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim...
The Pastoral Epistles have long been regarded as wise instruction for the benefit of the church. But in the last two centuries these texts have often been sidelined in the academy due to suspicions of pseudepigraphal (false) authorship and seemingly...
This is a game-changer for church announcements. Digital Signage is a feature in Proclaim that lets you display announcement slides, Bible verse art, and more on monitors all throughout your church building. Think of it as having miniature...
The New Testament’s rejection of earning God’s favor by works and its emphasis on salvation by grace through faith (e.g., Eph 2:8–9; Gal 2:16; Rom 4:1–12) has led many people to presume that the Old Testament teaches that people could merit...
This excerpt is adapted from James: Verse by Verse by Grant R. Osborne. *** James [1:19–26] begins with three characteristics of what we may call “people of the word,” those who truly center their lives on God’s principles for a proper walk with...
His groundbreaking works have reshaped our understanding of the earliest Christians—and New Testament scholarship. His writing and teaching have impacted countless followers of Jesus, so much so that an article in Christianity Today states...
In the following interview, Scott Mackie speaks about his recent publication with T&T Clark, The Letter to the Hebrews: Critical Readings (T&T Clark Critical Readings in Biblical Studies; London: Bloomsbury, 2018). Scott is a passionate and...
Several excellent commentaries on the Thessalonian letters have been produced over the years, but the last decade has seen a notable surge of strong scholarship on these texts.
This post is adapted from Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do by Dayton Hartman. I used to suffer from chronological snobbery, but that wasn’t my only problem. I was also arrogant, rude, and condescending to...
What if there was a lexicon that required less art and more science?
This post is excerpted from The Bible Unfiltered by Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus 14 has been spectacularly depicted several times for television and movies. But anyone who retraces the steps of Moses and the...
By David Instone-Brewer, adapted from Moral Questions of the Bible: Timeless Truth in a Changing World. Prison is a great place to find Jesus. A friend of mine in Cambridge offered to work in a prison as a chaplain and found that prisoners...
For all the help that Edwards has given scholars and pastors in the areas of theology, philosophy, and missions, it is probably due time that someone devote a doctoral project to Edwards’ organizational genius.
Colossians is an underappreciated jewel in the Pauline corpus, often sidelined from academic conversations because of its debated authorship. It is a beautifully-crafted meditation on the cosmic-and-crucified Christ.
This post on knowing Christ is adapted from In Season and Out: Sermons for the Christian Year by David A. deSilva. *** Paul, of course, was not just a seeker of Christ on Sundays. His passion for knowing Christ Jesus spilled all over his calendar...
This post has been adapted from The Bible Unfiltered by Dr Michael S. Heiser. We’ve all heard the old saying that certain things get better with age—wine, cheese, common sense. Anyone who’s watched Antiques Roadshow also knows that the longer you...
By Mark Holmen, adapted from Faith Begins @ Home Grandparents. When you read the first 13 verses of Joshua’s farewell address in chapter 24, you see that Joshua begins by recalling all the things that God has done for the people of Israel. It is...
With Logos Bible Software, we’ve been helping people explore Scripture in more depth for over 25 years. And now with Bible Agent 7, we’re helping you share those insights with your kids. The newest episode of Bible Agent 7 just released on Faithlife...
Reading takes you to new worlds, immerses you in unfamiliar cultures, even transports you in time. But it’s more than an experience. It teaches, informs, challenges, and engages. It expands vocabulary, improves memory, and sharpens concentration. It...
