Introduction Romans 9, of course, concerns Israel, yet it has repeatedly been a battleground in theological debate over soteriology. The focus has been on issues of election, human freedom and divine sovereignty. Romans 9 has provided foundational material for... Read More »

The phrase “Biblical theology,” when applied to a text, typically refers to the theological themes embedded in that text by authorial intention. For the purpose of this essay, I use the phrase in a more restricted theocentric sense to refer to what the tex... Read More »

Introduction[1]Adapted from an address delivered at the Sola Scriptura or Sola Cultura? Conference held at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, April 14-15, 2011. In this reflection, I want to examine how four Hebrew children responded to a culture chang... Read More »

The problem the evangelical church faces today is that we are proclaiming a premodern message in postmodern times. This is true in three crucial areas: absolutism, exclusivism, and supernaturalism. Evangelicals believe in absolute truth. We also hold that Chri... Read More »

Herschel Hobbs[1]Presented at “The Gaskin Lectures” on the “Thought and Work of Herschel Harold Hobbs,” 3 October 2011, Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma. has been identified as a “thoroughgoing biblicist,” firs... Read More »

As we continue our study through the Gospel of Mark, we find ourselves face-to-face with one of the strangest stories in all of the New Testament. It is certainly one of the oddest miracles in the ministry of Jesus and the most baffling event in the Gospel of ... Read More »

Contemporary homiletic theory is often driven by immediate prag­matic ends: change lives, draw a crowd, attract seekers, or affect an immediate response. These ambitions in sum are not morally disabled. The problem is that in the expediency to accomplish sele... Read More »

A preacher’s dream text, the Sermon on the Mount, practically preaches itself. This sublime sermon bursts with object lessons,[1]Standing on the hills just northeast of the Sea of Galilee-the traditional location of the Sermon on the Mount-it is easy to ... Read More »

At least once a year, students who have been reading for another class Dallas Willard’s influential spiritual formation primer, The Divine Conspiracy, come to me asking if I agree with his perspective on the beatitudes. If they have already had me for ou... Read More »

Introduction “Describe the universe and give two examples.” I remember this tongue-in-cheek exam question my high school physics teacher tossed before our class with a smile on his face. Of course, answering the question is impossible. One may atte... Read More »