Principles for Reading the Bible
Principles of biblical interpretation are called hermeneutics. In academia, the field is called hermeneutics. For example, when you approach a painting, you attempt to interpret the meaning of the painting. When there is a major cultural event, the goal is to interpret to understand. In this sense, all people are engaged in hermeneutics.
Children, Baptism, and Lord’s Table
The role of parents (especially fathers) in the spiritual development of their children can be summed up with one word: discipleship. In what follows, I attempt to show the relationship between the discipleship of a child/youth and the sacraments of the church – baptism and the Lord’s Table.
Anthropology 201
A person can experience God’s work of redemption and restoration through faith in Jesus Christ. When faith breaths life on a heart dead to God, the sovereign grace of God spings for life. Because of Christ, there is hope for humanity to flourish by living out God’s grand design for men and women.
Anthropology 101
The debate between complementarianism and egalitarianism has been raging on for years. But these terms are meaningless for Christians to discuss and debate unless a foundation is laid. Only after biblical anthropology is laid from Genesis 1 will Genesis 2 and the rest of Scripture make sense.
Subscription to a Confession (Part 4 of 4)
In confessional denominations, one of the most debated issues is about subscription. Here is the question at hand: To what degree should an elder or eldership subscribe to a denomination’s Confession of Faith?
A Vision of Confessionalism (Part 3 of 4)
A Confession of Faith serves as a tool for discipleship. Because of its robust theology – unlike most statements of faith – a confession can help a Christian understand the depth of Holy Scripture in great detail.
Advent (Week 2) – The Plan of Love
I think it’s fair to say the love offered by the culture is wildly confusing, and the definition of love changes with the wind. But what if we could know a love that is consistent, true, and pure? I think Holy Scripture provides a way for us to think about love that edifies and endures.
Substance Over Style
The church exists to make disciples. Got it. But Jesus did not stop at what the church is supposed to do. He told us what to do. When a person becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ, the church responds in two ways. First, the church is to baptize. Second, the church is to teach. In particular, elders teach (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1). And Jesus is specific about what is taught to disciples of Jesus Christ. What Jesus commanded his disciples, those disciples are to teach others.
Advent (Week 1) – The Hope of a Promised Savior
Advent means the arrival of a noble person. Other than my parents, no one was talking about the advent of Shawn Powers. So, when I arrived in the world, my mom was just grateful to survive the arrival of another set of sons. (Yes, there are two sets of twins in my family.) But the birth of Christ is different. We observe advent because the arrival of Jesus changed the world.
The Parameters of Confessionalism (Part 2 of 4)
A Confession of Faith is not a systematic theology book. A systematic theology book has its place, but it is not a functional expression of faith for a local church. A person could study systematic theology for a lifetime and die realizing they have only scratched the surface. And there is the other end of the spectrum. A Confession of Faith cannot be summed up in a few statements on a church website.