Tag Archives: Teaching

How to Tell If a Sermon is Good

Every week, millions of people around the world situate themselves in moderately uncomfortable seating and listen to someone talk at them for an extended period of time. I am, of course, referring to Christians who attend church services and listen to sermons. While Christian denominations differ on all manner of doctrine and practice, the proclamationContinue reading “How to Tell If a Sermon is Good”

Reflections on The Supremacy of God in Preaching

John Piper’s classic The Supremacy of God in Preaching offers an outline of principles for preaching, centering on the need for preachers to recognize (and apply) the supremacy of God in their theology and practice. The revised and expanded edition contains three emphases: why God should be supreme in preaching; how God should be supremeContinue reading “Reflections on The Supremacy of God in Preaching”

Looking Ahead to Fall 2015

Greetings dear readers! After a busy and exciting summer, I’m looking forward to another informative (and similarly busy) fall term here in Saint Louis. As promised a couple of weeks ago, this post is intended to a) share what went on with me this summer and b) look ahead to what’s going on this fall.Continue reading “Looking Ahead to Fall 2015”

The Church Prospers…

My “other” blogging venture (Conciliar Post) has been running a series of thought-provoking quotes on their Facebook page over the past week or so (include this one). If you’re interested in faithful and serious dialogue across Christian traditions, I’d encourage you to check out Conciliar Post and the work that’s being pursued over there. OnContinue reading “The Church Prospers…”

The Marcion Problem: Tertullian (Part I)

This post is part of an ongoing series examining Marcion of Sinope and his influence on the development of the New Testament canon. In comparison to all other extant ancient works, the writings of Tertullian of Carthage against Marcion remain the fullest and most precise rejection of Marcion’s theology. Tertullian composed as least six worksContinue reading “The Marcion Problem: Tertullian (Part I)”

Jesus and Crossan (Part I)

Around Easter, various theories about the life, death, and (non) resurrection of Jesus tend to find their way onto various media outlets. Sometimes these theories are outlandish and little more than attempts at attention; other times claims about Jesus come from more respectable sources. In today’s and tomorrow’s posts, I examine one of the moreContinue reading “Jesus and Crossan (Part I)”

Book Review: Encountering the New Testament (Elwell and Yarbrough)

First impressions matter. Whether at a job interview, social function, or classroom, the initial picture people paint tends to color all subsequent interactions with that person. To a large degree, this is true of non-personal interactions as well, with institutions, places, and subject matter. And while a bad first impression can be overcome (often throughContinue reading “Book Review: Encountering the New Testament (Elwell and Yarbrough)”

Roman Catholicism in the Nineteenth Century

The nineteenth century posed a number of unique challenges to the Roman Catholic Church, among them the continued rise of Protestantism, the increasing influence of modernism, the development of historical and biblical criticisms, and the rise in understanding of numerous world religions. Roman Catholicism developed a number of responses to these challenges, most notably throughContinue reading “Roman Catholicism in the Nineteenth Century”

Comparing the Historical Jesus: Miracles

This is part of our ongoing series comparing the perspectives of J. D. Crossan and N. T. Wright on the Historical Jesus. Given Crossan’s general view of the world and the relationship between the natural and supernatural,[1] it is not entirely surprising that he grants little historical value to accounts of the miracles of theContinue reading “Comparing the Historical Jesus: Miracles”