The Scriptorium Daily

Category: Theology

  • Happy Birthday, Samuel Sebastian Wesley

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    Fred Sanders
    in ,

    Today (August 14) is the birthday of Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876), an English composer of church music. Wesley was a musician’s musician, with strong opinions about the number of pedals on the organ, the quality of Anglican music, the training of vocalists, and precisely how to combine tradition and innovation. To hear what he was…

  • "Trinitarian Theology's Exegetical Basis: A Dogmatic Survey"

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    Fred Sanders
    in

    I have a new article about the Trinity and the Bible in the latest issue of the Midwestern Journal of Theology. It’s called “Trinitarian Theology’s Exegetical Basis: A Dogmatic Survey.” It’s based on a paper I presented last year in New Orleans at the national meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. If you’re into “Dogmatic…

  • The Coming of the Book

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    Fred Sanders
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    Today (August 10) is the day when, in the year 610, Muhammad began to receive the revelation of the Qur’an. That is, Muslims believe that Allah revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel, and most scholars believe that August 10 was the date of that event in 610. The event is called Laylat…

  • Adoniram Judson (1788-1850): Three Yadanas and the Threefold Cord

    Adoniram Judson (1788-1850): Three Yadanas and the Threefold Cord

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    Fred Sanders
    in ,

    Today (August 9) is the birthday of Adoniram Judson, a great missionary who knew how to change his plans when the situation demanded it. For example, he intended to be a missionary to India, but when he got to India, missionaries were no longer welcome, and he ended up working in Burma. He wanted to…

  • Tragedy of King Saul

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    Fred Sanders
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    Reading the story of Israel’s first king this week, it occurred to me that this story in 1 Samuel has all the makings of a classic tragedy: his early promise, his fatal flaws, his downfall, the lament sung over him by David his successor. It’s got the epic sweep of salvation history, the dark mystery…

  • Who Says We've Got Trinity Problems?

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    Fred Sanders
    in

    Over at Justin Taylor’s blog, Robert Sagers points out that all the back issues of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology are now online. That journal has had some good editorial vision in the last 13 years, so having every article just a .pdf away is a great resource. One of my favorite moments in…

  • Giant Chocolate Bunny: Siedell's God in the Gallery

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    Fred Sanders
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    My review of Dan Siedell‘s book God in the Gallery just came out in the latest issue of Cultural Encounters. The same issue also has a short essay by Siedell, extending and updating some of his ideas about art and religion since the 2008 publication of his book. In fact, the whole issue of Cultural…

  • How Mark Begins His Gospel

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    Fred Sanders
    in

    Where does the story of Jesus begin? Mark opens with “the beginning of the gospel,” as written in Isaiah. Not with a genealogy going back to Abraham (as Matthew), not with an author’s preface, the conception of John the Baptist, or a genealogy going back to Adam (as Luke), and not with high-flown theological dicta…

  • Mark Shaw on Christian Revival

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    Greg Peters
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    I imagine most Christians would agree that they would love to see revival come to their local church and, more so, to the worldwide Christian church. In fact, there are still a handful of churches out there that schedule a weekend or week of “revival” meetings each year. Yet most of us have likely never…

  • Easily Edified, like Simeon

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    Fred Sanders
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    As a college student, Charles Simeon had to attend chapel services. Like all mandatory chapel requirements, this one ran the risk of being an open invitation for students to go through the motions, with no real mental or spiritual involvement. To make matters worse, the chapel services Simeon had to attend were also events at…

  • Charles Simeon of Cambridge

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    Fred Sanders
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    The history of the church is filled with great pastors and teachers. Even if you skip over the church fathers, the medievals, and the reformers, confining yourself to recent times–say these past two and a half centuries– there are more than enough great theologians and devotional writers to keep you busy, well-fed, informed, and inspired.…

  • Year of the Priest

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    Greg Peters
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    Last year I wrote a blog about the “Year of the Priest” called by the Roman Catholic Church that began on June 19, 2009. I suggested that it would be a good idea for evangelical pastor-priests to also take a year to reflect on their calling and commitments as “servants of the servants of God”…