Earlier this year I submitted the following entry for The Lexham Bible Dictionary. This will be the entry for “Philosophy”. It’s obviously too late to change it for the dictionary, but let me know what you think anyways! (I like it alright, but the quote from Kierkegaard and the use of Kelsey make it a bit eccentric. Not sure what I was thinking!) Philosophy (φιλοσοφία) “Philosophy” (φιλοσοφία) literally means “love of wisdom.” The term takes...
There is love, in the red letters There is truth, in the red letters There is hope for the hopeless, peace and forgiveness There is life, in the red letters These lyrics come from the song Red Letters sung by dc Talk in their album, Supernatural, released in 1998. For some, this song is undoubtedly very encouraging (that is, if you’re still listening to dc Talk). The Red Letters contain love, truth, hope, peace, forgiveness,...
In the undergraduate class I am teaching this semester, one of the research assignments students can choose is an analysis of the Barth and Bultmann debate over the nature of Jesus’ resurrection. One student who chose this assignment later changed their mind; this person sent me an email asking if it would be possible change to another assignment because, they asked rhetorically, “Isn’t Karl Barth heretical?” In fact, this person went so far as to...
When I originally saw Sweeney Todd at the theatres in December 2007 my first thought was, “I need to preach a sermon on this.” So in this season leading up to Halloween I thought I’d relive some of those original thoughts and share them with you. Also, if you are looking for a good movie to watch this October, I’d highly recommend Sweeney Todd (although it’s not for everyone!) Back Story At the outset of...
I say kind of because I’m very inconsistent. On the one hand I enjoy movies about famous wars or war heroes (Gladiator, The Patriot, We Were Soldiers, Saving Private Ryan), I like some violent video games (Halo, Call of Duty), and I have complete respect for those who are willing to support their country and subject themselves to the terrors of war. Yet, I can’t help but feel like the ethics of Jesus are incompatible with...
We all know Wright has received a bad wrap from many conservative Christians over the years. I can remember being introduced to Wright’s view on Justification in a context in which I was told how detrimental his ideas were. Furthermore, one of the most influential figures for my theological thinking, John Piper, wrote an extensive rebuttal to N. T. Wright with The Future of Justification. Throughout the blogosphere there are many critical reviews of Wright’s work,...
I recently had a pastor tell me that the in-depth, formal study of what is commonly called “systematic theology” would be a waste of my time and would not have a real benefit for the church. When I tried to engage yet another pastor in discussion about theology he remarked flatly, “theology is boring.” Both of these men hold advanced theological degrees. I am quite certain that these men are not isolated in their sentiments. ...
“I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (John the Baptist, Mark 1:8) Although many of us are unable to follow, we really ought to commend the Pentecostals for doing something with the notion of Holy Spirit baptism. For the rest of us, it is subsumed under the notion of the Spirit as gift, with reception becoming the controlling motif. Baptism in the Spirit becomes a metaphor for...
“They sing” wrote Pliny the Younger. When describing the life and the rituals of this most bizarre new “religion” that was springing up throughout the 1st Century Roman world, depicting the phenomenon and germination of a new people called “Christians.” This profound quote was brought to my attention by Cherith Fee Nordling, in her penetrating article on the impact of Psalms, Hymns ,and Songs of the Spirit on Christian transformation. She notes that in his...
I made “Jesus Walks” so [I’m] never going to hell. –Kanye West, “Otis” Nothing says “fresh” like analyzing a subject of pop culture seven years after its release. But unfortunately, I didn’t have a blog seven years ago, and since Kanye West delivered the line above in a song from his new collaboration album with Jay-Z, I’m taking this as an opportunity to discuss the theology of “Jesus Walks.” At the time of its release, the...
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