Systematic Theology I (2ST510), Scripture, God, and Man Fall Term, 2016 Course Handbook
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On Being a Confessional Church by Gregory Edward Reynolds
On Being a Confessional Church by Gregory Edward Reynolds In 1980, at my first General Assembly, in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the late Bernard “Chip” Stonehouse exhorted rookie commissioners to wait five years before we opened our mouths in debate. Fresh out of seminary I thought my Old School theology made my position superior to Chip’s on most questions. However, I am pleased to have heeded his exhortation. Over the past several decades I have been privileged to observe and participate in a system of church government based on principles that are self-consciously Biblical. It has been difficult at times to learn to think and communicate in a way different from my native egalitarian instincts. As an outsider, raised in liberal New England Congregationalism, it took a conscious effort, time and experience to learn to participate in the culture of Presbyterianism. I am glad I waited. Chip gave us good advice on this point. With an increasing number of ministers entering the OPC from outside the Presbyterian tradition, and with the increasing variety of seminary training of our ministers, I would like to pass on some thoughts on what it means to be a confessional church. I, with my fellow officers, have taken a vow to uphold the purity, peace and unity of the church. I believe that only a truly confessional church has the ability to keep such a vow, because we have corporately agreed on what we believe. If we cannot continue our agreement we will face, as is perhaps already evident, a confessional crisis. As one astute observer of the last General Assembly comments: “The church is particularly ill-equipped to judge the way in which her subordinate standards serve to establish both the unity and the diversity of its faith. -
An Analytical Presentation of Cornelius Van Til's Transcendental
An Analytical Presentation of Cornelius Van Til’s Transcendental Argument from Predication By Robin Barrett May 12, 2017 Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 Defending the Methodology ..........................................................................................................2 The Transcendental Argument ...................................................................................................13 The Nature of a Transcendental Argument ........................................................................14 Presenting an Analytical Formulation of Van Til’s Transcendental Argument from Predication .........................................................................................................................18 Supporting and Defending the Transcendental Argument ......................................................24 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................35 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................38 ii Introduction This present author intends to examine the apologetic method and arguments of Cornelius Van Til from within an analytical framework. The purpose of such an endeavor is to subject Van Til’s arguments to an analytical critique to understand if they can withstand such a critique. -
LITERATURE What Angels Long to Read Reading and Preaching the New Testament
LANGHAM LITERATURE What Angels Long to Read Reading and Preaching the New Testament Mark Meynell Foreword by Christopher J. H. Wright ‘Even angels long to look into these things’ Peter wrote to encourage and embolden isolated and vulnerable believers. His timeless words have consoled and challenged ever since and show how the eternal gospel is true even in the toughest circumstances. The last sentence in 1 Peter 1:12 profoundly illustrates that the experience we have each time we open up the Scriptures is nothing less than a heavenly privilege, a privilege that angels do not have but would love to! Mark Meynell skilfully brings the New Testament to life. Guiding the reader through preaching the Gospels and Acts, the Parables, the Letters and Revelation, as well as using a host of worked examples, sample sermons and personal exercises, this book offers ideas and approaches to stretch even the most seasoned preachers. This preaching resource will make an excellent companion to Christopher Wright’s Sweeter than Honey: 2018 subventionnés de livres / Catalogue Catalogue Grant Preaching the Old Testament. MARK MEYNELL is Associate Director (Europe & Caribbean) of Langham Preaching and part-time Whitehall Chaplain for HM Treasury, HMRC & the Cabinet Office. He is an ordained minister in the Church of England, and was previously on the senior ministry LL Price: £5.00 team of All Souls Church, Langham Place, London, UK. He also has experience in Langham Preaching Resources theological education having taught at a small seminary in Kampala, Uganda for four LANGHAM 9781783682669 | Paperback years after being in student ministry for churches in the UK. -
Critique of Theonomy: a Taxonomy — T. David Gordon
T. David Gordon, “Critique of Theonomy: A Taxonomy,” Westminster Theological Journal 56.1 (Spring 1994): 23-43. Critique of Theonomy: A Taxonomy — T. David Gordon I. Introduction 1. Distinguishing Theonomy from Theonomists One of the most difficult aspects of polemical theology is being sure that what is being evaluated is a distinctive viewpoint, not the individuals holding the viewpoint. Of necessity, when evaluating a given view, one examines those dimensions that distinguish it from other views. It would inevitably be lopsided, then, to confuse a criticism of a view with a criticism of those who hold it. Presumably, those who hold a distinctive view also embrace many other views that are identical with those shared by the church catholic. Individual Theonomists are not intended to be the point of an examination such as this; rather, what is evaluated is the viewpoint that distinguishes Theonomy from other approaches to biblical ethics. 2. Distinguishing Theonomy from Christian Reconstruction As socioreligious phenomena, Theonomy and Christian Reconstruction are closely related. The individuals involved in the one are ordinarily involved in the other. However, theologically and religiously they can be distinguished. Christian Reconstructionists exist in a variety of forms, and are ordinarily united in their belief that the Western world, and especially the United States, has departed from the Judeo-Christian ethical basis that once characterized its public discourse, with devastating results. Positively, Reconstructionists wish to see the United States return to a more biblical approach, or even a more Judeo-Christian approach, to the issues of civil life. Theonomy is more specific than this, though it does not disagree with it. -
The Shepherd Student
WRS Journal 12:2 (August 2005): 27-36 THE SHEPHERD STUDENT Earl L. Brown, Jr. Breath of Breath1 says Qoheleth,2 the whole is breath. Not only was Qoheleth wise but he also taught knowledge to the people; he studiously weighed3 and arranged many proverbs. Qoheleth sought to find delightful words,4 and to write true words with precision.5 The words of the sages are like prods, and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails; they are given by one shepherd6 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is wearisome to the body.7 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 [Brown adaptation of NET Bible8] The text set before us is not only the key to the interpretation of the book, but it accurately coalesces the convergent philosophy of life as a précis of the life of Solomon,9 as it is paraphrased in the lives of Robert Dick Wilson, Allan MacRae, and Robert W. Anderson.10 Life Transitions: From Solomon to Jesus, From David’s Son to David’s Greater Son Solomon was the Old Covenant prototype for the masterful Shepherd Student. Unlike Solomon, however, Jesus learned in his earthly human nature, obedience “through the things which he suffered” (Heb 5:8). It is in this capacity that Christ in the New Covenant provides a superior Shepherd and student (see 1 Pet 2:21). -
WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Spring 2017 CONTENTS — Continued CONTENTS REVIEW ARTICLE
Vol. Vol. Vol. 79, No. 1 Spring 2017 79 , No. 1 THE WESTMINSTER THE WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICALTHE WESTMINSTER JOURNAL THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL published by WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY chestnut hill philadelphia, pennsylvania 19118 Spring 2017 issn: 0043-4388 CONTENTS — Continued CONTENTS REVIEW ARTICLE HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL STUDIES Catholic Retrieval and Theological Transformation: An Assessment of Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain’s John Calvin and the Early French Reformation: Christian Dogmatics: Reformed Theology for the Church Catholic Political and Theological Responses to Persecution, 1533–1562 Ryan M. McGraw . 147 Ryan J. Ross . 1 Francis Turretin on Human Free Choice: Walking the Fine Line BOOK REVIEWS Between Synchronic Contingency and Compatibilistic Determinism HyunKwan Kim . 25 David Willgren, Like a Garden of Flowers: Created to Know: A Comparison of the Epistemologies A Study in the Formation of the ‘Book’ of Psalms of Michael Polanyi and Francis Schaeffer Michael G. McKelvey . 161 Adam Lloyd Johnson . 45 Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2 (42–89) Do You See How I See? The Trinitarian Roots of Human Perception Kaz Hayashi . 164 Pierce Taylor Hibbs . 59 Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 3 (90–150) Michael G. McKelvey . 166 BIBLICAL STUDIES Francis Watson, The Fourfold Gospel: A Theological Reading of the New Testament Portraits of Jesus The Cardionomographic Work of the Spirit in the Old Testament Joshua E. Leim . 168 Steven R. Coxhead . 77 Mikeal C. Parsons, Luke Genesis 1:1 Is the First Event, Not a Summary Mark Stephen Giacobbe . 173 Vern S. Poythress . 97 Craig S. Keener, Acts: An Exegetical Commentary: 24:1-28:31 Messianic Expectation in Isaiah 11 Mark Stephen Giacobbe . -
What Does It Mean to Grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)? 27 Joshua M
1 Spring 2019 • Volume 16, Number 1 Spring 2019 • Vol. 16, No. 1 The Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Editor-in-Chief 2019 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Charles S. Kelley, ThD Bart Barber, PhD Executive Editor First Baptist Church of Farmersville, Texas Steve W. Lemke, PhD Rex Butler, PhD Editor & BCTM Director New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Adam Harwood, PhD Research Assistant Nathan Finn, PhD Hoyt Denton North Greenville University Book Review Editors Eric Hankins, PhD Archie England, PhD First Baptist Fairhope, Fairhope, Alabama Dennis Phelps, PhD Malcolm Yarnell, PhD Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry is a research institute of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary is located at 3939 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70126. BCTM exists to provide theological and ministerial resources to enrich and energize ministry in Baptist churches. Our goal is to bring together professor and practitioner to produce and apply these resources to Baptist life, polity, and ministry. The mission of the BCTM is to develop, preserve, and communicate the distinctive theological identity of Baptists. The Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry is published semiannually by the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry. Copyright ©2019 The Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. All Rights Reserved. This peridiocal is indexed in the ATLA Religion Database® (ATLA RDB®), http://www.atla.com. CONTACT BCTM (800) 662-8701, ext. 8074 [email protected] www.baptistcenter.com SUBMISSIONS Visit the Baptist Center website for submission guidelines. TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial Introduction 1 Adam Harwood The Role, Purpose, and Nature of Women according to Martin Luther 2 Joe Early Jr. -
A Review of John M. Frame, the Doctrine of the Christian Life (A Theology of Lordship Series; Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2008)
A Review of John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life (A Theology of Lordship Series; Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2008) Douglas J. Moo Evangelical Theological Society National Conference New Orleans November 2009 John Frame’s The Doctrine of the Christian Life presents an attractive and irenic Reformed approach to Christian ethics. This volume is the third in a series entitled “A Theology of Lordship,” and the authoritative and normative implications of Lordship are central to this book’s presentation of Christian ethics. Following a triadic pattern that apparently dominates this series (I say “apparently” because I have not read the earlier two volumes), Frame argues that one could approach Christian ethics from three different perspectives. The “situational” perspective focuses on the context in which the believer is called on to make ethical decisions. It requires Christians to analyze the situation they find themselves in, asking, “How can we change the world in order to bring glory to God?” (p. 239). The situational perspective leads to a teleological ethic. The second perspective is the “existential.” The focus here is on the believer himself or herself, and the key question will be, “How must I be changed, if I am to please God?” (p. 317). The “normative” perspective, finally, looks at the teaching of Scripture, the revelation of God himself, the ultimate moral norm, and asks “What does God tell us to do?” (p. 239). In the terms of classic ethical theory, then, the “normative” perspective leads to a deontological ethic. A “Christian ethical decision,” Frame says, “is the application of God’s revelation (normative) to a problem (situational) by a person (existential)” (p. -
The Inerrancy and Authority of Scripture in Christian Apologetics
The Journal of Ministry & Theology 50 The Inerrancy and Authority of Scripture in Christian Apologetics Lee Allen Anderson Jr. INTRODUCTION Scripture’s call to Christians to engage in the apologetic task is markedly obvious. For example, 1 Peter 3:15 instructs believers to always be “ready to make a defense (ἀπολογίαν) to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” Similarly, Jude 3 exhorts Christians to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” Here, the “faith” refers not to the subjective element of personal trust in the Lord God, but instead to that “body of truth that very early in the church’s history took on a definite form,” that is, the content of Christian faith—doctrinal truth (cf. Gal 1:23; 1 Tim 4:1).1 Implicit in this verse, therefore, is the acknowledgment of the fact that a certain body of doctrinal truth exists, which in turn implies a source or origin for that doctrinal truth. For the Christian, the principle, authoritative source of doctrinal truth is the “God-breathed” holy Scriptures (2 Tim 3:16). The reliability of Scripture as a standard for Christian doctrine hinges on the fact that, as the inspired word of the true God who does not lie (Num 23:19; Titus 1:2; Heb 6:18), it is wholly true (Ps 119:160; John 17:17). To echo the words of the longstanding affirmation of the Evangelical Theological Society, “The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the Word of God written and is therefore inerrant in the autographs.”2 This affirmation is not a peripheral issue to Christian theology; it is germane to the life of the church and, of logical consequence, the upholding of the Christian faith. -
Hell: Never, Forever, Or Just for Awhile?
TMSJ 9/2 (Fall 1998) 129-145 HELL: NEVER, FOREVER, OR JUST FOR AWHILE? Richard L. Mayhue Senior Vice President and Dean Professor of Theology and Pastoral Ministries The plethora of literature produced in the last two decades on the basic nature of hell indicates a growing debate in evangelicalism that has not been experienced since the latter half of the nineteenth century. This introductory article to the entire theme issue of TMSJ sets forth the context of the question of whether hell involves conscious torment forever in Gehenna for unbelievers or their annihilation after the final judgment. It discusses historical, philosophical, lexical, contextual, and theological issues that prove crucial to reaching a definitive biblical conclusion. In the end, hell is a conscious, personal torment forever; it is not “just for awhile” before annihilation after the final judgment (conditional immortality) nor is its final retribution “never” (universalism). * * * * * A few noted evangelicals such as Clark Pinnock,1 John Stott,2 and John Wenham3 have in recent years challenged the doctrine of eternal torment forever in hell as God’s final judgment on all unbelievers. James Hunter, in his landmark “sociological interpretation” of evangelicalism, notes that “. it is clear that there is a measurable degree of uneasiness within this generation of Evangelicals with the notion of an eternal damnation.”4 The 1989 evangelical doctrinal caucus “Evangelical Affirmations” surprisingly debated this issue. “Strong disagreements did surface over the position of annihilationism, a view that holds that unsaved souls 1Clark H. Pinnock, “The Conditional View,” in Four Views on Hell, ed. by William Crockett (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 135-66. -
Deuteronomy 202 1 Edition Dr
Notes on Deuteronomy 202 1 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable TITLE The title of this book in the Hebrew Bible was its first two words, 'elleh haddebarim, which translate into English as "these are the words" (1:1). Ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties began the same way.1 So the Jewish title gives a strong clue to the literary character of Deuteronomy. The English title comes from a Latinized form of the Septuagint (Greek) translation title. "Deuteronomy" means "second law" in Greek. We might suppose that this title arose from the idea that Deuteronomy records the law as Moses repeated it to the new generation of Israelites who were preparing to enter the land, but this is not the case. It came from a mistranslation of a phrase in 17:18. In that passage, God commanded Israel's kings to prepare "a copy of this law" for themselves. The Septuagint translators mistakenly rendered this phrase "this second [repeated] law." The Vulgate (Latin) translation, influenced by the Septuagint, translated the phrase "second law" as deuteronomium, from which "Deuteronomy" is a transliteration. The Book of Deuteronomy is, to some extent, however, a repetition to the new generation of the Law that God gave at Mt. Sinai. For example, about 50 percent of the "Book of the Covenant" (Exod. 20:23— 23:33) is paralleled in Deuteronomy.2 Thus God overruled the translators' error, and gave us a title for the book in English that is appropriate, in view of the contents of the book.3 1Meredith G. Kline, "Deuteronomy," in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. -
Amos Yong Complete Curriculum Vitae
Y o n g C V | 1 AMOS YONG COMPLETE CURRICULUM VITAE Table of Contents PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL DATA ..................................................................................... 2 Education ................................................................................................................................................... 2 Academic & Administrative Positions & Other Employment .................................................................... 3 Visiting Professorships & Fellowships ....................................................................................................... 3 Memberships & Certifications ................................................................................................................... 3 PUBLICATIONS ............................................................................................................................ 4 Monographs/Books – and Reviews Thereof.............................................................................................. 4 Edited Volumes – and Reviews Thereof .................................................................................................. 11 Co-edited Book Series .............................................................................................................................. 16 Missiological Engagements: Church, Theology and Culture in Global Contexts (IVP Academic) – with Scott W. Sunquist and John R. Franke ................................................................................................