Reviews, Reflections, & Research on Exegesis, Theology, and Church Life
There are two kinds of people who enter a sports arena. There are the fans. With pompoms and face paint, they are excited and ready to be entertained. Then there are the players. They are not there to be entertained, but to compete. If you're not a sports fan, this dichotomy also works in the arts. There are theater-goers, and then, there are the actors and the production team. In both worlds, there are spectators, and there are participants.
The New Testament considers only two offices for the church: elders/pastors and deacons (cf. 1 Tim 3:1-17). Different terms, however, may be used to refer to the same office.
Since the gospel creates the church, a biblical understanding of the gospel is significant in the life of the church. The opposite is also true: a wrong understanding of the gospel is detrimental and could lead to the death of local churches. Thus, Greg Gilbert’s What Is the Gospel? provides a significant contribution as he clarifies and defends the biblical gospel and the centrality of the cross.
Whether I’m driving on the highway, running on the elliptical, or playing NBA 2K, I like to tune in to some podcasts. I have classified them into two categories. In this post, I'll list podcasts for learning the Bible and pastoral ministry. Next week's post will be on podcasts for academic discussions.
A friend has asked me to respond to a discussion over at larapatricia.wordpress.com regarding speaking up against the government. I'm re-posting my answer to that discussion here at my space for easy reference. Is it biblical to speak up against the government? The simple answer: absolutely! Moses was commanded by God to speak against Pharaoh… Continue reading Speaking Up Against an Unjust Government, Civil Disobedience, and Pursuing Church Unity in Politics
In Conversion, Michael Lawrence addresses the theological and practical problem that leads to false conversion in the church, especially among the children. He laments that, Too often our confessional theology says one thing, while our practical theology says something else. We say that regeneration makes us new creatures in Christ, but then we teach our… Continue reading “Conversion: How God Creates a People” by Michael Lawrence — A Book Review
John Onwuchekwa teaches his readers how to pray better corporately (as churches). In this short volume, Onwuchekwa laments the lack of corporate prayer that slows down and lingers on God's glories, attributes, and character unhurriedly, as well as the lack of meditation that confesses specific sins. Onwuchekwa, John. Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church.… Continue reading “Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church” by John Onwuchekwa — A Book Review
In Missions, Andy Johnson argues that the local church is responsible to identify, train, send, and support missionaries. Based primarily on a biblical understanding of the local church, the gospel, and missions, Johnson provides wise and practical counsel on how a local church effectively accomplishes its role in global missions. Johnson, Andy. Missions: How the… Continue reading “Missions: How the Local Church Goes Global” by Andy Johnson—A Book Review
Happy 2019! Mark Dever encourages pastors to read 9 books with men in their church for 9 months out of the year, not including June to August (see video below). When I first saw this in my news feed, I thought I'm too busy reading required texts from my seminary courses to participate. But I… Continue reading Reading 9 books about the Church with the Church for the Church in 2019
At the end of this month (Sept. 28-29) is 9 Marks at Southeastern. Here is what this conference is about: The 9Marks at Southeastern Conference is a conference about the church, for the church. The conference exists to equip pastors and church leaders to lead their congregations toward greater health for the glory of King… Continue reading Dever: How to find and employ pastoral leaders – 9Marks at Southeastern ’17
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