Why I Am Not a Calvinist…Or an Arminian, Part 1
I am often asked whether I am a Calvinist or an Arminian. Honestly, it is not a simple question because these are not simply defined theological categories that can be chosen as one would choose from a menu at a restaurant. I certainly understand the importance of the...
Epistemological Foundations for a Biblical Theology
or, Bob’s Crazy Day With The Dandelions Presented to the Chafer Theological Seminary Conference, March 12, 2014. (video link) Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It attempts to answer questions regarding the origin of human knowledge, and considers especially how...
Stepping Down As Tyndale’s President: Time To Pass The Baton
The following is the letter I presented to the Tyndale family on March 2nd, announcing my decision to step down as Tyndale's president. --- March 2, 2014 Dear Tyndale Family, Within the past year, my family and I have thoughtfully and prayerfully arrived at a very...
“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.”
Does Every Believer Have a Spiritual Gift?
The phrase spiritual gift is only employed five times in the NASB New Testament, In Romans 1:11 (χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν) it is in reference to something Paul wanted to impart to the entire church at Rome. In 1 Corinthians 12:1, Paul prefaces the entire discussion of...
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition, Step #9: Development of Exposition
This is a step where we can easily derail. Even if we have done our first seven steps well – handling the text accurately and comprehensively – and even if our eighth step has helped us to have confidence that we have grasped the meaning of the passage, there is still...
Q&A: If Completed Canon Ends Prophecy, What About Revelation 11?
Question: If the perfect of 1 Corinthians 13:10 refers to the completion of God’s revelation to the church, and thus prophecy is done away with the completion of the canon, then how can it be that in Revelation 11 the two prophets are inarguably prophesying? ...
“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
Wikipedia, the Meaning of Life, and How Philosophy Still Matters
“The unexamined life,” said Socrates, “isn’t worth living.” And apparently, Wikipedia proves that we still agree with his sentiment 2400 years later. The Epicurean Dealmaker performed an interesting experiment to demonstrate the intellectual proximity of philosophy to...
Thoughts on the Creation Evolution Debate Between Ken Ham and Bill Nye
I appreciated that both Ken Ham and Bill Nye were willing to engage in a dialogue, as I think such discussions – including this one – help to clarify and test positions. I personally found the two men enjoyable to listen to, and I thought both presented their cases...
Hopelessness, Drugs, and The Deceptive Promise of the Altered State
I haven’t seen many of his films, but even a small sampling shows Philip Seymour Hoffman to be an extraordinary actor with undeniable skill. Sadly, we learn that Hoffman is gone, apparently falling prey to a drug habit that he couldn’t shake. My deepest condolences to...
“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)
Biblical Wordplay Doesn’t Obfuscate Meaning
Years ago, inaugural Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Coach John McKay was asked, after yet another loss, about his team’s execution. He quipped without hesitation, “I’m all for it.” McKay had the ability to quickly recognize not only the original, intended meaning of a word,...
History of the Problem of Evil, Part 2
The Problem of Evil in Modern Philosophy Calvin (1509-1564) Calvin resolutely disregards human volition as a means of absolving God for evil’s existence, and thus rejects earlier mainstream theodicies. In Ockham, however, Calvin finds an agreeable response to the...
9 Steps for Bible Exegesis and Exposition: #8 Secondary Verification
Technically only the first seven steps of the exegetical process are truly exegetical. In those steps we aren’t using anything but the text itself (though because of our limitations in connecting with the languages especially it is expected that we will use tools like...
History of the Problem of Evil, Part 1
The seemingly unavoidable contradiction between the existence of a personal God and the reality of evil provides a crucial point of entry not only for discussion both of (1) argument for and against the existence of God and (2) the nature and character of such a God,...
Hypocrisy, A&E, Phil Robertson, and Us: Lessons to Be Learned
So let’s recap. Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame was quoted in a GQ interview as saying, “It seems like, to me, a vagina – as a man – would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean,...
Aesthetics as an Example of the Cross-Disciplinary Pervasiveness of the Problem of Evil
Where do theology and philosophy intersect, and at what points can they be observed as doing so? For Aquinas, theology was a subset of philosophy – a part, actually. He describes the relationship saying, …all things which “are” are dealt with in the philosophical...
Integrating Exegesis and Exposition: Preaching and Teaching for Spiritual Independence
Presented to The Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics, October 3, 2012 INTRODUCTION To assess the implications of literal grammatical-historical hermeneutics (LGH) for the handling of the Bible it is helpful to consider three related stages of application. The...
Presuppositional Dispensationalism, Part 2
Republished with permission from Conservative Theological Journal, 10:29 (May 2006) Pillar III: Incapacity of Man to Comprehend Revelation Definition Once man has a proper perspective and understanding of the reality of and the essentially communicated identity of...
Presuppositional Dispensationalism, Part 1
Republished with permission from Conservative Theological Journal, 10:29 (May 2006) Introduction Admittedly and without apology, this approach begins with circular reasoning. Specifically, it begins with the defining circle of self-authenticating truths upon which...
Interview with a Dispensational Presuppositionalist: Dr. Christopher Cone of Tyndale Theological Seminary
From The Domain For Truth, September 21, 2012. Dr. Christopher Cone is the President of Tyndale Theological Seminary. It turns out that he is a Dispensationalist and also Presuppositional in his apologetics! From the faculty page of the seminary’s website, one finds...