7
Dec
2023
Analysis and Critique of the Federal Vision Teaching of Justification (Part 2)
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Read Part 1 of this series here. Teaching Indirectly Related to Justification As was stated in my previous post, FV is not primarily concerned with soteriology, much less justification. However, some of their teaching in other areas helps to shape their understanding of justification. Three areas that indirectly relate to their teaching of justification will... Read More
4
Dec
2023
Visiting the Mission Field (Part 3)
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There are more reasons for pastors to visit the mission field than I’ve listed so far, but I’ll stop my list with the three I’ve given: understanding missions better, improving your leadership of the church’s missions efforts, and being a blessing to God’s servants on the mission field. I’d like to address an intensely practical... Read More
1
Dec
2023
Analysis and Critique of the Federal Vision Teaching of Justification (Part 1)
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I’ve seen several people recently discussing the issue of Federal Vision, a theological movement among Reformed churches that arose in 2002 and was both championed and condemned by various leaders within those churches. Some seem confused as to why some popular pastors and teachers are criticized for having been part of the movement. This controversy... Read More
27
Nov
2023
Visiting the Mission Field (Part 2)
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So far, I have suggested that visiting the mission field does wonderful things for a pastor’s knowledge about missions and his zeal for missions, and both of these help him be a better leader in the local church’s missionary efforts. Learning and leadership are great reasons to go to the field. I’d like to add... Read More
20
Nov
2023
Visiting the Mission Field (Part 1)
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In 1999, I had the privilege of accompanying a missionary on his survey trip to Tanzania. I had been overseas before, but never for this kind of missions trip. It was incredible. It was life-changing. Since then, I’ve traveled many times to foreign fields, and I’d like to offer a series of brief posts as... Read More
13
Nov
2023
Spring Class Schedule Now Available
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The Spring 2024 class schedule has just been released. If you’ve been thinking about starting seminary, there’s still time to apply for the spring semester. To start your online application, just go to https://dbts.edu/apply-to-dbts/.
7
Nov
2023
Wisdom Psalms or a Wisdom Psalter?
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Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to study the Psalms for various academic projects. One of the areas of research has been the presence of wisdom elements in the Psalter. This study culminated in the recent publication of an article in Old Testament Essays entitled “The Wisdom Shaping of the Psalter: From... Read More
31
Oct
2023
Some Thoughts About Halloween
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Halloween, as many of us have probably noticed, seems to have taken a darker turn in recent years. It’s a stark contrast to our childhood memories, characterized by innocence, candy, and dressing up as our favorite characters. Now, we may find ourselves averting our eyes from the macabre displays at Home Depot and Lowe’s or... Read More
30
Oct
2023
The Sufficiency of Scripture and Transcendental Knowledge
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A few weeks ago I was alerted to a criticism raised about an old blog post of mine—a post in which I argued for a universally shared a priori awareness of linguistic laws that make possible the successful reading of Scripture by all image-bearers. We all know generally how language “works,” and for this reason communication is possible.... Read More
24
Oct
2023
John Calvin: Six Reasons for Prayer
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Perhaps you’ve wondered before: if God already knows all things and knows what we need, why should we pray? Even more, if God has already planned all things, why should we pray? These concerns and questions are not new. John Calvin dealt with these issues in his work, Institutes of the Christian Religion. But, someone... Read More