Jesus Christ and the Essence of Christianity

It is well known that Adolf von Harnack along with other German theologians of the early 20th century promoted a “return” to the essence of Christianity. They believed that through the centuries Christianity had been perverted by Hellenistic philosophy. True Christianity – the essence of Christianity – was found in the teachings of Jesus, notContinue reading “Jesus Christ and the Essence of Christianity”

My Reading List for the Month of August

It has actually been a while since I have posted any significant blog….I will explain why in a few days. Until then I hope that my reading list for the month of August will whet your appetite. Theology Karl Barth – Evangelical Theology (I didn’t get around to reading it last month) T.F. Torrance –Continue reading “My Reading List for the Month of August”

Christological and Trinitarian Missiologies (pt. 2)

Today we wrap the comparison between the missiology of Samuel Escobar and Stephen Holmes by looking at their specific theologies of mission, then we conclude by comparing and contrasting them. ——————————————————————- Samuel Escobar             Escobar begins his paper by noticing the incorrectly held assumption that Christianity is essentially a western religion.[1] Because Christianity is notContinue reading “Christological and Trinitarian Missiologies (pt. 2)”

The Challenge of Acts 2:42-47 (pt. 1)

The Challenge So this week I was given the task of preaching on Acts 2:42-47, what the NIV calls “The Fellowship of the Believers.” Normally being given this text to preach is every preacher’s dream. Its so easy! You just preach about community and how to do church! To a certain extent I can resonateContinue reading “The Challenge of Acts 2:42-47 (pt. 1)”

Book Review: Holy Scripture – A Dogmatic Sketch

John Webster. Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. John Webster’s work, Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch is exactly what the title implies, it is a dogmatic account sketching out a doctrine of Holy Scripture. It is not meant to be a comprehensive account of Holy Scripture, thus it is just aContinue reading “Book Review: Holy Scripture – A Dogmatic Sketch”

The Bible – The Word of God – Three Views: Part 7

Today we wrap up the series: “The Bible – The Word of God.” Having looked at some of the strengths and weaknesses of the three positions we will be able to articulate a dogmatic account of Scripture that all orthodox Christian traditions will be able to affirm. ________________________________________________________ “The Word of God” Revisited             WeContinue reading “The Bible – The Word of God – Three Views: Part 7”

The Bible – The Word of God – Three Views: Part 6

This is part six of “The Bible – The Word of God.” Today we will be looking at some of the strengths and weaknesses of these three positions. By doing this hopefully we will be able to articulate a dogmatic account of Scripture that all orthodox Christian traditions will be able to affirm. ________________________________________________________ CriticalContinue reading “The Bible – The Word of God – Three Views: Part 6”

The Bible – The Word of God – Three Views: Part 4

This is part four of “The Bible – The Word of God.” Today we will be looking at the the views of one of the most important 20th century theologians: Karl Bart . We will see how his view of the “Word of God” is similar to a traditional evangelical view, while being distinct inContinue reading “The Bible – The Word of God – Three Views: Part 4”