If It’s Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing…Poorly
A wise man once told me “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” Though I cannot recall the context of the conversation, I have never forgotten those words. They serve as a lasting reminder to me not to trade good for excellent. Sometimes we can get so caught...
The Hermeneutics of Continuationism, Part 3
More recently, John MacArthur has been a leading advocate for cessationism. MacArthur’s Charismatic Chaos attempts a Biblical response to the charismatic movement, and succeeds more than most. Like Chafer, MacArthur begins his defense of a closed canon by appealing to...
The Hermeneutics of Continuationism, Part 2
Premise 4: An explanation for the soteriological similarities is found centrally in the shared methodology of appealing to TR authorities (as illustrated by MacArthur and Piper). Self-identified leaky dispensationalist, John MacArthur pursued clarification in the...
“The most effective leadership, management, and efficiency models share traits common with each other, and traits that are ultimately traceable to the pages of the Bible. While these models are often not intentionally rooted in Biblical concepts by those that promote the models, the models illustrate how applying Biblical principles can set a trajectory of success in enterprise and in life. Led By a Lion is designed to introduce some of these leadership, management, and efficiency models, but goes a step further in identifying the Biblical genesis of many of the core traits that fuel the success of these models.”
The Hermeneutics of Continuationism, Part 1
Presented to the 2013 Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics as "Dispensationalism’s Feet of Iron Mixed With Clay: How We Arrived at an “Open-But-Cautious” View on Non-Cessationism." ABSTRACT We owe a tremendous debt to many traditional dispensationalists who labored...
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition, Step #4: Identify Grammatical and Syntactical Keys
After (1) identifying the best reading and translation, (2) recognizing background and context, and (3) identifying the structural keys of the book, we need to (4) identify the grammatical and syntactical keys in the passage. First, we need to be able to distinguish...
Contending for the Faith Without Being Contentious
Paul’s words echo as if exclaimed from a canyon, yet we often fail to hear them. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Rom 12:18). At the same time if we listen closely, we can hear the resolve in Jude’s voice as he urges believers to...
“This approach has the advantage of seeking to view all knowledge through the lens of Scripture, and to subject all knowledge to the authority of Scripture. It encourages science and research within the field of psychology. It offers a Biblical balance of description and prescription. Of course, if the Bible is unreliable, then the refractive power of Scripture is distortive rather than corrective, but the epistemological premise of this approach is that God’s word is authoritative and sufficient for our understanding, for our equipping, and for our practice. There are many extra-biblical resources that we can employ, but in seeking out how and when to do that, we mustn’t lose sight of the one reliable constant that God has provided for us – the Bible.” –Chapter 9
Congressman Frank Wolf Challenges Christian Leaders to Action on Global Persecution
Below is a letter by Virginia Congressman, Frank Wolf, from earlier this year. In his letter, Wolf calls upon Christian leaders to speak out about the increasingly global persecution of Christians. It is even more relevant now than the day it was published: Dear...
How to Fail Well: A Warning to Pastors
As I stand in front of students at the beginning of a pastoral class, I write on a whiteboard four words in no particular order: children, God, church, and wife. I ask them a simple question: “Are any of you perfect?” My absurd question is met with the smirks and...
Forgiveness, Righteousness, and a New Walk
Our new position in Christ does not just include the removal of debits (forgiveness, Acts 10:43, Rom 4:7, Eph 1:7, Col 1:14, 1 Jn 1:9), but also the addition of credits (the righteousness of Christ, Rom 1:7, 3:22, 4:3-5, 5:17-19, 2 Cor 5:21). Both are required for a...
“The Green Tree is an exceptional work…provides a vital tool for every Bible interpreter…Just as the root system is the foundation of a tree and directly impacts the health of a tree, hermeneutic method is at the root of one’s worldview. This illustration demonstrates that the hermeneutic method that an interpreter of the Bible employs will significantly affect the outcome. The tree will either be healthy, or it will not be healthy…The authors provide a unique examination of Revelation, Genesis, and Job that demonstrates that the LGH hermeneutic is derived from within Scripture, something that other hermeneutical methods fail to demonstrate. This is perhaps the most crucial principle demonstrated in The Green Tree, and it effectively demonstrates that the LGH hermeneutic is also the Biblical hermeneutic.” – Andrew Friend (Amazon Review)
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition, Step #3: Identify Structural Keys
After verifying the text and translation of the passage we are considering, and after examining the background and context, we need to identify the structural keys – or building blocks – of the book so that we can recognize shifts in thought or argument, and...
The Tithing Myth
I recall once visiting a church, and on that morning the pastor said, “If you don’t tithe before you pay your electric bill, then you are sinning against God.” As I eagerly awaited the Biblical evidence, not surprisingly he produced none. On the contrary, a simple...
Comfort in the Midst of Tragedy
It surrounds us constantly. We can’t escape it, though sometimes we brush up against it without realizing how near it really is. The imminence of tragedy and heartache is a cold and unwelcome reality for all of us, as we were reminded by the awful flooding in...
Pope Francis: Belief in God Not Necessary?
On September 11, 2013, Pope Francis wrote a Letter to Those Who Do Not Believe, responding to Eugenio Scalfari, in answer to several questions, including whether or not God forgives and saves those who don’t believe in Him. Francis writes with admirable goals to...
Seth Godin, Star Trek, and the Meaning of Life
Seth Godin recently made the point that as more and more people have equipped themselves with cellphones and digital cameras, UFO’s have stopped visiting. His point is to illustrate that our increasing ability to debunk myth has had a somewhat rationalistic impact....
9 Steps For Bible Exegesis and Exposition Step #2: Understand Background and Context
Once we have established the boundaries of the passage we are studying, and are confident that we have the best reading, we can march ahead in our exegesis. In the second step, we seek to understand the background and context of the passage. First, we need to identify...
Q & A: Revelation 22:14 – are works necessary for eternal life?
Q: Why are there such dramatically variant translations of Revelation 22:14 (c.f., NASB & KJV), and does this verse suggest added conditions for eternal life? A: (1) Why such dramatically variant translation? The NASB reads, “Blessed are those who wash their...
Q & A: Does mankind have dominion over nature?
Q:Does mankind have dominion over nature? A: Genesis 1:26-28 does include a dominion mandate. The verb radah (1:26), translated by the NASB as rule, cannot be softened simply to mean stewardship. It is appropriately translated as rule or dominate. This dominion...
Q & A: Is Christianity the most anthropocentric religion the world has ever seen?
Q: Lynn White, in his critique of Christianity as the primary cause of the ecological crisis says that Christianity is the most anthropocentric religion the world has ever seen. Is he right? A: Does the Bible reveal God to be focusing on man's interests or His own?...
Q & A: Does the church of Mt. 18:17 refer to the church proper or a general assembly?
Q: Does the church of Mt. 18:17 refer to the church proper or a general assembly? A: Textually, MT. 18:17 could reference either the church proper or a general assembly, but there are several contextual reasons that lead me to understand the reference as pertaining to...