Wyatt GrahamThe Great Tradition refers to a set of doctrines, theologians, and creeds that have held common consent across the ages. While the phrase the Great Tradition is new, those who use it believe they participate in a tradition that extends back to the...
Jordan SteffaniakMost know the fifth commandment well, but few reflect on its full implications: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”—Exodus 20:12 The scope of this command goes...
Alan NobleFor many university and seminary students, the excitement of a new semester is only overcome by the anxiety of a new semester. Learning is a privilege and a joy, but too often it is experienced as a burden and a judgment. Having taught in colleges...
Paul OverlandRiddles were the currency of Israel’s sages—those authors of the book of Proverbs. Because their community looked to them to solve life’s riddles, we should not be surprised to find them responding with riddles of their own. Yet until we learn...
Chris PalmerI am often asked a version of the same question. A parent leans in and says, “If my child goes to seminary, will their faith hold up?” It is a fair question. People imagine a classroom where professors dismantle everything they ever believed, and...
Nathan J. McKannaAccording to the latest statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), there are just over three million graduate students in the United States. Nearly 75,000 of these students (2%) are enrolled in a seminary, which is a type...
Jared AlcántaraHomiletics has a rich and dynamic history that starts in the Bible and moves through ancient and modern church history. To better understand it, we will consider its roots, developments, and movements, first in Scripture and then in church history...
Ben PhillipsA syllabus is like the Ten Commandments: delivered from on high as a rule for life (or at least for one semester). It seems chiseled in stone, yet—at best—is imperfectly followed. More seriously, a syllabus is a foundational document for academic...
Jeanette PiferI love teaching and I know well why I chose this as my vocation. Yet it can be easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind. So I find it helpful to regularly revisit why—the telos of teaching. To that end, allow me to provide five bedrock reasons...
David I. SmithWhat does faith have to do with teaching? I do not mean the content being taught (whether you are teaching piously inflected material) or the motivation for teaching (how your faith led you to teach), but the teaching itself—the moves you make with...
Logos StaffIn the shifting landscape of higher education, where enrollment pressures, cultural changes, and technological disruptions press in, a school’s core values can function as a compass. For Christian institutions, they’re not just guiding principles...
In my first year of teaching, I was on my knees praying about every class. I knew I needed help, and God was indeed faithful. Sure, I made mistakes, as any novice does. But when I reflect on that first year of teaching, the faithfulness of God was...
Daniel ViezbickeMinisters are like plants, or so I suggested in my last article. Like any living thing, plants must grow. While some plants stay indoors for the entirety of their lifespan, most plants that begin indoors need to go through a process called hardening...
Wendy WidderBecause all biblical documents were copied by hand for nearly three thousand years, it is not surprising that its manuscripts contain differences (variants). Textual criticism is the discipline that guides us in establishing what the authors of the...
Andrew WilliamsCharismatic and Pentecostal universities and seminaries seek to blend rigorous academics with Spirit-empowered formation. This guide profiles a selection of these institutions. Though far from exhaustive, it provides a representative list of the...
By now you’ve probably heard about the impending demographic cliff that is expected to impact colleges and universities as early as next year. This as many institutions are already experiencing shrinking enrollment. Yet despite the challenges in the...
Ed StetzerYou can’t read the pages of the Bible and not see that God wants his people to tell of his mighty deeds—to call people to follow the one true God. In the Old Testament, the mission was centripetal: Israel was to bring the nations up to Jerusalem. In...
Patrick SchreinerThere’s no shortage of gospel-centered ministries today—but defining what the gospel is has sparked ongoing debate. Is it primarily about kingship and victory, or justification and salvation? This article explores why both perspectives matter and...
Michael F. BirdAs an Australian, I’m all too familiar with the terrible conditions of drought. When the creeks and rivers run dry and the land burns beneath the blazing sun, the result is devastating. As farmers will tell you, it’s hard to produce a fruitful...
Sean McGeverIf we want students to care about evangelism, we need to stop training them like cold-callers and start forming them like everyday apprentices of Jesus. Evangelism doesn’t start with a script. It starts with compassion, with listening, with...
Graham StantonWhen I imagine the classroom of my dreams, I picture me seeding a free-flowing discussion with my well-crafted discussion questions and the occasional gem of theological wisdom. My students are all leaning forward in their seats, and I can see the...
James HamiltonIs wisdom literature a sound category—or a misleading one? This Screwtape letter illustrates how the label might prove unhelpful.
Jonathan LeemanSeveral years ago, a pastor friend became convinced that, when leading the Supper, he should fence the Table, which refers to the practice of saying who should and should not receive communion. I offer the vignette to raise the question of spiritual...
JoAnna HoytFor many, college is an opportunity to learn how to be a responsible and independent adult, often while living away from family for the first time. During these years, students face more choices than they might have experienced before, and the...
Simon KennedyThe Christian worldview is a crucial—but also flawed—concept. It appears frequently in Christian apologetics and discussions of Christian ethics. It holds a central place in how many Christians approach education. The idea of a Christian worldview...
Ewan GoligherPhysician-assisted death is a profoundly weighty matter, for it raises timeless questions about the meaning and value of our lives, the problem of suffering, and the possibility and nature of human existence beyond the grave. At bottom, the question...
Gayle DoornbosIn Jeremiah, the people of God in exile in Babylon are commanded to pray for the city and to seek the peace and prosperity of the city by building houses, planting gardens, and getting married. The exiles are called to not merely pray for the city...
Guy WatersOne of the best known and most comforting statements of Jesus is also one of his most enigmatic. What is it that Jesus holds out? Why do people need to receive what he offers? What incentives does he give to us to receive it?
Mike AquilinaIrenaeus of Lyons is essential to any study of early Christianity, whether theological or historical. He was an important witness to events, episodes, and people at a critical moment in Christianity’s early growth. He was also the first to practice...
The doctrine of divine impassibility has fallen on hard times. Some theologians today reject the doctrine outright or only accept a redefined version, while others have simply forgotten about it. Even when believers talk about impassibility, many...