This is the second part of James Renihan's essay on the scope of theology. To read part one, click here.The Scope of the WholeWe have already cited the common language of the great English Protestant Confessions, Presbyterian, Independent and Baptist; we are now prepared to consider their relevant w
I was once struck by a brief radio address given by a Jewish Rabbi on the morning of Yom Kippur. She spent the whole time allotted to her talking about Isaiah 58 and how it links to the deliverance of Israel in Jewish understanding.Very helpfully she reminded her audience that all ethnic Jews can tr
There are many ways to think about God's attributes. They can be divided between those that affirm something about God and those that deny something about God, those that are communicable to creatures (i.e. can exist in or be communicated to them somehow) and those that are incommunicable, and those
There are many ways to think about God's attributes. They can be divided between those that affirm something about God and those that deny something about God, those that are communicable to creatures (i.e. can exist in or be communicated to them somehow) and those that are incommunicable, and those
I was preparing a student paper on Bavinck for ETS when the economy collapsed in 2009. Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics proved a tremendous source of encouragement during that time, amidst great uncertainty which touched the faith and vocation of myself and many friends. I'm now happy see the release of
Reformed Ethics: Created, Fallen, and Converted Humanity (Vol. 1), John Bolt, ed.et al. Baker Academic, 2019. HC, 608 pp.I was preparing a student paper on Bavinck for ETS when the economy collapsed in 2009. Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics proved a tremendous source of encouragement during that time, a
Theology on TargetThe Scope of the Whole (Which Is to Give All Glory to God)Part 1On October 16, 1845, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these familiar lines in a poem titled "The Arrow and the Song":I shot an arrow into the air,It fell to earth, I knew not where;For, so swiftly it flew, the sightCou
Is the conversation about God's attributes "old fashioned" and "western"? Regarding systematic theology, one often encounters the critique that the logical ordering of various topics is "western" or "Greek" or "academic"--all of which are really meant as synonyms for "bad" and "wrongheaded." Simila
As we remember the Reformation this week, those who stop to think about the anniversary (too few of us, no doubt) will probably either celebrate it as the birthday of the Protestant churches, or lament it as the beginning of a great schism that still divides the western church today. We will think o
The whole of the Christian life can be summed up in these two little words (favorites of the Apostle Paul): "in Him." Our union with Christ is the definitive aspect of our salvation and our status before God and others, and therefore our identity must be found in Christ. Of course, this is easier sa
Recently, my friend Adam Parker wrote a helpful article reminding us that a pastor is not an hourly employee. In his article, Adam describes how the work of pastoral ministry is difficult to quantify and more time in the office does not equal a more effective ministry. He also offers a gentle and ap
One of my favorite things is getting together with other pastors and asking them how their ministry is going. Most of the time a pastor will say that things are going great, and then he will share some of the joys of his ministry. However, occasionally a pastor will sigh deeply and tell me that thin
In my previous post, I discussed how patience (along with the closely-related virtues of endurance and perseverance) is one of the most valuable Christian virtues in connection to Christian maturity. However, there is another virtue of the Christian life which, when duly exercised, will contribute s
Editor's Note: This is the final post in this series. Part 1 [available here] introduced the connection between a biblical understanding of education and that of fatherhood. Part 2 [available here] explored the storytelling aspect of education. Now the author turns to the second aspect, Law, and off
In part one of this series, the doctrine of middle knowledge was set forth and explained on its own terms. Its principal concern is to reconcile the sovereignty of divine agency and the liberty of human agency by inserting a third logical moment between God's natural knowledge and visionary knowledg
