People wash out of seminary and out of ministry all the time. Sometimes the most promising people in ministry self-destruct, abruptly landing in the hospital, divorce court, or on the front page. Others just tire out and change careers. In every...
Towards the beginning of the semester, a professor gave out an article written by Mike Yaconelli titled, “Getting fired for the Glory of God.” As one who has worked in a local church for over nine years, I found his article challenging...
So, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this semester and trying to determine how I will know if the semester is a success. Is it a successful semester if I get straight A’s? Is the number of pages I read this semester a measure of...
When I was in high school, I occasionally got lunch detention (a.k.a. Study Hall). Looking back, I couldn’t tell you what I did, but I’m sure I deserved it. That said, I will admit that it wasn’t really punishment. I mean, I got 30...
1. Master List The first step for me when shopping for my seminary books is to make a master list of all the books I need for the semester. Much like Santa, I make a list and check it twice… but mostly to make sure that I haven’t missed...
For those who have read about my experience with taking distance education seminary classes you might think that I am not a fan of them… quite the contrary. I think they are great. In fact, here are six things I think are great about online...
There are so many seminaries. So, how do you decide on which one to attend? Well, this is seminary, so prayer is always a good starting place. As you prayerfully submit your decision making process to the Lord, there are a couple things to think...
In Galatians 4, the Apostle Paul refers to the story of Sarah and Hagar as an allegory: Hagar corresponds to Mount Sinai and the present Jerusalem, while Sarah corresponds to the Jerusalem above. Is Paul twisting the Old Testament? Is he reading...
Since the release of the annual report of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), I’ve been reflecting on the present state and future prospects of theological education. I noted three trends in theological education, along with some...
In this episode of Logos Live, Kirk E. Miller speaks with Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. about the purpose, necessity, and enduring value of theological education. Their conversation centers on a basic but increasingly important question: Why does the...
Why did God forbid Moses from entering the promised land? What exactly was the nature of Moses’s sin, and why was God’s response so harsh? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller and Michael Morales sit down to interpret Numbers 20.
I have a confession: I enjoy prepping lectures. I like researching, analyzing, and organizing material. I like synthesizing ideas and crafting a class session that feels clear and coherent. I even enjoy delivering it and watching discussion unfold...
Sin is a fundamental concept in Christianity. In English-language Bibles, words for sin appear over a thousand times. Salvation is frequently explained as the forgiveness of sins. Whether certain activities are sinful and how to avoid sin are common...
We are to raise up faithful leaders who will be able to instruct the church in sound doctrine. One way to accomplish this task is through a pastoral internship: a definite amount of time given to training aspiring leaders for the prospect of...
Our son M was formally diagnosed in 2015 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and sensory processing disorder (SPD). We already had two daughters and noticed that our bouncing baby boy was very...
Church history is a vast subject. Where does one begin? Ryan Lytton gives the best titles to start one’s study of Christianity’s colorful past.
In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller talks with Richard Middleton about one of Christian theology’s most foundational and widely discussed ideas: humanity as the image of God (imago dei). Yet despite how important this concept is...
There’s a lot of change taking place in higher education, and Christian higher ed is no exception. Some seminaries are experiencing tremendous growth while others have declined. Some have even closed. The latest data from the Association of...
Thomas H. McCall joins Kirk E. Miller to discuss one of the most emotionally arresting lines in the Gospels: Jesus’s cry of dereliction from the cross, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? These words have raised questions, like: Did the Father...
In this episode of Logos Live, Kirk E. Miller talks with Bible teacher and author Nancy Guthrie about one of the most tender but often misunderstood subjects in Christian theology: What happens to the believer after death? Together, they discuss...
Did the apostle Paul allow for divorce and remarriage? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller sits down with renowned New Testament scholar Craig Keener to navigate a challenging and hotly debated passage from Paul's letter to the...
When I was first asked to teach a seminary course on the New Testament Gospels (over thirty years ago now!), I was immediately confronted with a difficult decision. The Gospels—and especially the three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke—have...
The newest data has been officially published, and it shows some encouraging things about theological education. Other things are less encouraging. There are a few prominent trends. These matter not just for academics, but for all church leaders...
Romans 8:28 is perhaps the most powerful promise in all of Scripture. But it’s also perhaps the verse most easily misapplied to hurting people. Despite good-intentions, it has been used to dismiss pain, rush the broken toward a “silver lining,” or...
A commentary is a resource that provides an interpretive explanation of a biblical book or books. It often provides detailed exegesis of specific passages, surveys a book’s larger structure and argument, and engages with introductory matters such as...
Finding a good thesis (or dissertation) topic is like being a hunter, looking for that flicker of movement that catches your eye. You follow the trail to see where it goes. Sometimes you lose the trail, sometimes you find a carcass that something...
Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn biblical Greek, and you’ve decided that this is the year to make that happen. Good for you! Knowing Greek can be a great tool for teaching and preaching, or even personal Bible study. Just be prepared: Learning...
You’ve been studying your Bible. Perhaps you’ve listened to popular Calvinist teachers and preachers. You’ve become convinced that a Calvinistic soteriology, sometimes called the doctrines of grace, faithfully expresses what Scripture teaches. God...
This episode unsurfaces the question that quietly shapes every act of Bible reading: What does it mean to understand Scripture well? Aiming to demystify the discipline, Kevin Vanhoozer explores what hermeneutics is, what theological and metaphysical...
Do not talk about politics or religion. That is the conventional wisdom for dinner conversations. These topics touch on identity and ignite emotion. A single off-handed comment can spark a heated argument. What is true at family dinners is also true...
