Category: Theology
-
Pastoral Theologians Part 1 of 2: A Living Theology
Read Part 2 here. There is great momentum toward the vocation of theologian pastor—a pastor who cares deeply about studying theology in a careful and sustained way. I hope there is similar momentum in the opposite direction, toward pastoral theologians. Lord knows we need them! Theologians who are deeply pastoral as theologians, weaving together Christian doctrine…
-
Let Truth Sneak In: Tertullian’s Apology
Tertullian’s Apology is a magnificent work from around the year 197. In 50 short chapters, this legally-trained apologist from Roman North Africa lays out the case for the truth of the Christian faith, defends Christians against all sorts of bizarre urban-legendy slanders, and defies the injustice of the church’s imperial persecutors. He starts out with…
-
9 Papers on the Doctrine of Scripture at LATC 2016
The 4th annual Los Angeles Theology Conference will be held on January 14 and 15, 2016, at Fuller Theological Seminary. Our theme is the doctrine of scripture: “The Voice of God in the Text of Scripture,” to be precise. Our plenary speakers will be William Abraham, Stephen Fowl, John Goldingay, Amy Plantinga Pauw, and Daniel Treier.…
-
A Theology of Woodworking: The Creative Joy of Oak
I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our furniture family: a mid-sized oak bookcase. And more importantly, of course, I would like to introduce you to the theology behind it. A Bit About the Case The bookcase is built from white oak, which I purchased from the man who milled it…
-
Edwards, Fiddling on the Roof: The Role of Religious Affections in the Christian Life
In “The Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye asks his wife: “do you love me?” A beautiful song follows, as his wife relives the last 25 years of their marriage, thinking through the chores, the children, the sacrifices… but through all this Tevye’s refrain echoes: “yes… but do you love me?” Pardon the anachronism, but Jonathan…
-
Christian Comics Collection at Biola Library
Today the Biola University Library announced the opening of its Christian Comics Collection, an archive of comic books housed as a special collection in the university library’s archives. The announcement was made at the second annual Alpha-Omega Con held at Redeemer Church in La Mirada (I’ve been to a lot of conferences, but this is the only…
-
Father, Son and Michael Jordan? Gatorade’s Image of the Trinity
You have likely heard several bad images of the Trinity. Ice, water and steam are one in that they are all water, but three states. There are three leaves to a clover, but one clover…. There are any number of such images, each offering an incomplete and largely unhelpful instance combining threeness and oneness. Ultimately, of…
-
The Full Armor of Achilles to Withstand Odysseus (Eph. 6)
In a well-written and fantastically-footnoted 2011 article, Jeffrey R. Asher of Georgetown College (KY) connects Homer to Ephesians 6 (“An Unworthy Foe: Heroic Ἔθη, Trickery, and an Insult in Ephesians 6:11,” in the Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 130, No. 4; Winter 2011). Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are part of our regular reading rotation here at the Torrey…
-
Our Reading Life (Torrey Convocation 2015)
. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. –2 Timothy 3:14-15 The first book you ever read was a book…
-
Stephen Fowl at LATC 2016
The 2016 Los Angeles Theology Conference is about the Bible: “The Voice of God in the Text of Scripture.” We’re looking forward to a great gathering at Fuller Theological Seminary on January 14-15. And here is the big announcement of an addition to our lineup of plenary speakers: Stephen Fowl of Loyola University has agreed…
-
Event: Future of the Church, Sept. 9
Mark your calendar for an event Torrey Honors Institute is hosting at Biola University on Wednesday September 9 at 7pm (PST): The Future of the Church. It’s a follow-up to last year’s very popular Future of Protestantism discussion, and an attempt to go one step bigger with the scope of discussion. “Bigger” could mean a lot…
-
Christ and the Prophetic Mountain Range
This month I got to preach on Mark 13:1-27 at my church home, Grace Evangelical Free Church (La Mirada and Fullerton). We’re preaching through the gospel of Mark, and behold, the time had come for the Olivet Discourse. Though most of the commentaries I consulted on this text are not what I would call encouraging…