Reviews, Reflections, & Research on Exegesis, Theology, and Church Life
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
In Canon Revisited, Kruger defends the view that Christians have intellectually sufficient grounds for affirming that the 27 books rightfully belong to the canon of the New Testament (p. 20). Kruger responds to the de jure objection to the NT canon, which argues that Christians have no rational basis to know which books are part… Continue reading “Canon Revisited” by Michael J. Kruger — A Book Review
In Jesus the Word According to John the Sectarian, Gundry argues that North Americans must return to the fundamentalism based on John’s sectarian portrayal of Jesus the Word. Through christological exegesis of pertinent passages in the Fourth Gospel, Gundry, in the first chapter, demonstrates how Jesus presents himself as the Word (cf. John 1:1). The… Continue reading “Jesus, the Word, According to John the Sectarian” by Robert Gundry – A Book Review
James Barr. The Semantics of Biblical Language. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1961. iv + 313 pp. James Barr, an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland, taught at Edinburgh (his alma mater), Manchester, Oxford, Princeton, and at Vanderbilt. Some of his mentors include F.F. Bruce and Donald Guthrie. His most well-known student who continued… Continue reading “The Semantics of Biblical Language” by James Barr – A Book Review
Dever, Mark. Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016. 122 pp. In Discipling, Dever describes biblical discipling and shows how it is practiced in and through the local church. To be a Christian means being a disciple of Jesus and discipling others, which means doing deliberate spiritual good to help others… Continue reading “Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus” by Mark Dever – A Book Review
In The Hermeneutical Spiral, Osborne argues that biblical interpretation entails a “spiral” from text to context, from original meaning to significance for today’s church (p. 22). As one wrestles with biblical interpretation, he is spiraling nearer and nearer to the text’s intended meaning for contemporary significance. For Osborne, the hermeneutical enterprise has three levels: 1)… Continue reading “The Hermeneutical Spiral” by Grant Osborne: A Book Review
In The Church, Dever’s premise is that “wrong ecclesial teaching and practices obscure the gospel while right ecclesial teaching and practices clarify it” (Loc 103). Furthermore, Dever argues that the Bible is sufficient for life and doctrine, including practical ecclesiology through clear commands or reasoning from biblical principles (Loc 191). For example, the practices of… Continue reading “The Church: The Gospel Made Visible” by Mark Dever
Gone are the days when asking who someone voted for was taboo. Currently, the Filipino people are divided between anti-Duterte and pro-Duterte. These two camps, strongly convinced by their position, are so far away from each other that seemingly nothing can bridge the two. In this polarized political climate, there is a great opportunity for… Continue reading Jesus Is King: A Call for Moderation and Church Unity amidst a Polarized Political Climate
Last week, I had the privilege of participating in a Charles Simeon Trust workshop in Charleston, SC. The focus was preaching historical narrative in 1 Samuel. The organization is named after Charles Simeon, a faithful Bible preacher in England during the 1700s. Charles Simeon pastored for fifty-four years, faithfully preaching God's Word Lord's day after… Continue reading Charles Simeon Trust
What does worship in the early church look like? That is the question that this short series tries to answer. This is now the final installment (here are Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). I have been arguing that while worship forms may be different between the ancient church and today, the essence of… Continue reading Introduction to the Worship Practices of the Early Church—Part 4
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