Paul’s letter to the Galatians has long held a place of importance for those seeking to understand the power of the Gospel. One of the first books of the New Testament to be written, Galatians forcefully presents many of the Apostle Paul’s most central ideas and themes of grace and justification, displaying in brief, impassionedContinue reading “Book Review: Galatians: Freedom Through God’s Grace”
Tag Archives: Freedom
Ep20: Predestination and Freewill Redux
In this episode of the Church Debates series, guest speaker Kyle Harbaugh leads a discussion of the Predestination and Freewill debates during the Reformation period, especially those surrounding TULIP.
Happy Fourth of July
Happy Birthday to the United States of America! As is my custom on this holiday, I encourage you to read the Declaration of Independence (signed this day in 1776) and to reflect on the ideals of government found therein. IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, WhenContinue reading “Happy Fourth of July”
A Feminist Introduction to Paul
This post is part of an ongoing series reflecting upon Women and Gender in Early Christianity. In her A Feminist Introduction to Paul (St. Louis: Chalice, 2005. 159 pp.), Sandra Hack Polaski outlines some of the major feminist concerns with the Apostle Paul and his writings. Methodologically, Polaski advocates a “transformative” reading of Paul whichContinue reading “A Feminist Introduction to Paul”
Stride Toward Freedom
“To deprive man of freedom is to relegate him to the status of a thing, rather than elevate him to the status of a person.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands apart in American History as a figure of seminal importance. His contributions to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s were virtuallyContinue reading “Stride Toward Freedom”
Predestination and Freewill: Erasmus and Luther Revisited
This post is part of our ongoing series on Romans, Predestination, and Freewill. What then can be used in the soteriological constructions of Luther and Erasmus in light of such a critique? It seems that most scholars would especially prefer Luther, were he able, to rework his understanding of Romans in light of more recentContinue reading “Predestination and Freewill: Erasmus and Luther Revisited”
Predestination and Freewill: Scholarly Consensus
This post is part of our ongoing series examining Romans, Predestination, and Freewill. As one can easily see from our previous posts, there exists no common consensus interpretation of Romans 7-9 among scholars and commentators today. However we can note several important factors as well as some of the more widely accepted interpretations of RomansContinue reading “Predestination and Freewill: Scholarly Consensus”
Predestination and Freewill: N. T. Wright
This post is part of our ongoing series examining Romans, Predestination, and Freewill. In The New Interpreter’s Bible, N.T. Wright begins by writing that, “Romans is neither a systematic theology nor a summary of Paul’s lifework, but it is by common consent his masterpiece.”[1] Wright describes the main theme of the letter as “God’s gospelContinue reading “Predestination and Freewill: N. T. Wright”
Predestination and Freewill: James Dunn
This is part of our ongoing series on Romans, Predestination, and Freewill. In the Word Biblical Commentary, James D.G. Dunn employs the ‘New Perspective’ on Paul to interpret his letters. This perspective argues that “Protestant exegesis has for too long allowed a typically Lutheran emphasis on justification by faith to impose a hermeneutical grid onContinue reading “Predestination and Freewill: James Dunn”
Predestination and Freewill: Joseph Fitzmyer
This post is part of our ongoing series on Romans, Predestination, and Freewill. Having looked briefly at some of the overarching views of scholars on the purpose of Romans and the insights that can be gained from a contextual understanding of Paul’s message and the implications for scriptural interpretation, let us now consider some ofContinue reading “Predestination and Freewill: Joseph Fitzmyer”
Pursuing Veritas 