Noel Woodbridge

No one can deny that modern culture is opposed to Christian values. The adverse influences that bombard the moral development of children today can be deadly. However, few parents and church leaders fully realise just how critical it is to initiate the development the child's biblical worldview, from an early age. The problem is complex, especially in light of the common circumstance of parents themselves not having received adequate (early) spiritual training. As a result, they often seem to leave their children's training and development solely to the church. Yet, the church generally focuses on older children, not realising that a child's moral development is set by the age of nine.

The Shack, one of the most popular and controversial Christian books of recent years, is the fictional work by first-time author William Young, which embodies lengthy conversations between the main character, a man named Mack, and three persons who represent a version of the Trinity. It is a national bestseller widely embraced by some churches and many professing Christians. The Shack is a fresh, unique, and thought-provoking book that manages to touch the heart in very real ways. Young uses contemporary metaphor to reveal God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Evangelical recording artist Michael W. Smith states, "The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God."

Mark Hitchcock, whose books have sold more than 300,000 copies, is the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. He earned his law degree from Oklahoma State University, and a PhD from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is uniquely equipped to present the various 2012 end-time scenarios, in addition to the Bible's last-days prophecies. Moreover, many consider him to be the foremost expert on Bible prophecy today. He has written over a dozen books on the Bible and the end times, including The complete book of bible prophecy, Cashless, Iran: the coming crisis, 101 answers to the most asked questions about the end times, The coming Islamic invasion of Israel, Is America in Bible prophecy?, and What on earth is going on?

Contemporary theology is a maze of conflicting beliefs and approaches. The present situation poses unique challenges to evangelical orthodoxy. Using typology (as developed by social scientists), this article surveys a limited variety of intellectual constructs around which the greater variety of contemporary theologies are built. The article analyses Toon's four basic types of theology and evaluates their dangers, especially when their research methods are applied in a total manner. The article concludes with an appropriate Christian response to the contemporary challenges to evangelical orthodoxy posed by these approaches to theology.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the true nature of psychotherapy. In particular, an attempt will be made to answer the question : Is psychotherapy a science or a religion? It is a sad fact that today's church has to a large extent given up its call to minister to hurting people, because Christians believe the myth that psychotherapy is a science. The paper argues that psychotherapy, in fact, is not a science, but rather another religion and that today's church needs to return to the biblical counselling of the early church, which is far more effective than psychotherapy.

The aim of this article is to analyse the theological basis of Christian ethics and to evaluate Christian ethics in terms of criteria for an adequate ethical system. The article draws attention to the moral crisis facing modern culture, hence the need for an adequate ethical system. Several contemporary ethical systems are evaluated and found to be lacking in many important areas. In spite of the challenge of contemporary ethical systems and ethical dilemmas confronting Christian ethics today, and some problematic areas in Christian ethics, the article finds that Christian ethics is a valid ethical system with a sound theological basis. Finally, an evaluation of Christian ethics in terms of six specific criteria clearly reveals that Christian ethics is an adequate ethical system, which is far superior to the contemporary ethical systems of modern culture.

Nowadays there is much confusion in the field of eschatology. On the one hand, believers are being advised to 'follow the unbiblical, complex and bizarre scheme of Dispensationalism with its "Secret Rapture," political Anti-Christ and worldly Millennium' (WTS Books 2013). On the other hand, the 'full preterists' inform us 'that all biblical prophecy has been fulfilled', and they say that we ought not to expect Christ to descend from the sky in judgment and triumph. However, in his book, The end times made simple, Waldron claims that both of these end-time schemes are incorrect and that the Bible teaching on the end-times is actually quite straightforward (WTS Books 2013).

The central focus of this article is to show that a normative theological foundation for sports ministry leaders as a Manifesto should be developed. Seeking a normative theological foundation for sports ministry is a relatively new field of research. Most authors on the subject acknowledge that the sports ministry movement has developed without a clearly articulated theology of sport. The aim of this article is, therefore, to develop a normative theological foundation to address this challenge. This is conducted through providing a short exposition of five passages of Scripture that may be used as points of departure and contribute towards a Manifesto for sports ministry leaders. For each of the five passages the focus is on three primary elements of the exegesis, namely, a) why the passage was chosen, b) the relevance of the passage for sports ministry leaders today, and c) basic theological principles that can be derived from each pericope. Finally, the article proposes a normativ...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the emerging church movement (ECM) in order to come to a better understanding of its strengths in the context of a postmodern society, and its areas of concern relating to matters of doctrine and ethics. The paper concludes with remarks concerning the emerging church Movement and some implications for today’s evangelicals.

The purpose of this article is to show that the prophetic witness of Amos is relevant for today's church in African countries for promoting social justice, because of the growing corruption in African societies, especially in democratic South Africa. Firstly, relevant concepts relating to the prophetic witness of the church for promoting social justice are defined. Secondly, an attempt is made - using three theological arguments - to demonstrate that the church is called upon by God to be a prophetic witness for social justice in secular society. Thirdly, a biblical examination of the prophetic witness of Amos is presented, especially relating to the context, the call and the message of Amos. Fourthly, a discussion on the relevance of the prophetic witness of Amos for African churches today, especially in South Africa, is provided. Sixthly, recent developments and challenges for today's church in African countries like South Africa to revive their prophetic witness are descr...

After a brief review of the historical development and essential characteristics of Dispensationalism, this article argues Dispensationalism's sharp distinction between Israel and the church represents a serious departure from sound exegetical theology resulting in a distortion of key Biblical doctrines.

The book is 'the outcome of a sustained conversation on the text of Matthew 18:1-14' (p. 1). The passage 'provides the overall framework' (p. 15) for the exploration Towards Child Theology with Matthew 18. Besides the Introduction and Conclusion, the book is divided into seven chapters.

Dr. Sam Waldron serves as the Professor of Systematic Theology at the Midwest Center for Theological Studies. This is an institution dedicated to the training of God's servants for both the vocational pastorate and effective service to the Lord Christ in other vocations. Prior to moving to Kentucky to pursue his doctorate at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids from 1977 to 2001. He is the author of numerous books and pamphlets including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.

Over the centuries, numerous major theological errors, based on a faulty interpretation of the book of Acts, have crept into the teaching of the church. These errors have had and continue to have a detrimental effect on the church. For this reason, when interpreting the book of Acts, it is important for Bible scholars to pose the following key questions: Should the practices of the early church serve as the norm for our church practices today? Should we derive our key doctrines from the early church history alone? After discussing the nature and purpose of biblical narratives and some general guidelines for interpreting the narrative portions of scripture, the article examines Luke's purpose for writing the book of Acts. In this article the author proposes the INCUR model for assessing the normative value of narrative passages in the Bible. The proposed model covers five hermeneutical principles derived from the work of recognised theologians. When placed together, these hermene...

In recent times, there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding the issue of wealth and poverty. The article describes the Lukan theology of wealth and poverty in the Gospel of Luke and Acts in terms of Brewer's analysis and indicates its implications for today's Church and the individual Christian. In terms of Brewer's analysis, the Gospel of Luke focuses largely on the condition of the poor, the way that God views poverty, the attitudes, actions and teachings of Jesus relating to the poor, and his warnings regarding their abuse and neglect. Brewer's analysis of the Book of Acts reveals that Luke seeks to exemplify the theological principles found in his gospel in the circumstances and responses of the Early Church. When one applies the Lukan theological concepts to the present day, it can be concluded that the church has a particular obligation to acknowledge and address the problem of poverty effectively.

Music seems to play a very different role in the lives of our youth of today than in that of previous generations. Many have demonstrated a need for contemporary music. A large gap has formed between traditional church music and the type of music preferred by post-modern youth, leading them to the secular market to satisfy this need. This is what this paper seeks to address. The article sees this as an opportunity for the Church to step in and become more active in closing the gap that has formed. By doing so, models are evaluated and criteria discussed so that besides using traditional worship hymns and songs, or turning to secular music as an option, our youth can be enabled to worship God with the aid of contemporary Christian songs. By making use of the "Heart Model", this paper seeks to assist worship leaders in the selection of suitable worship hymns and songs.

This article is a proposal of the EDNA model for doing practical theology using a Biblical approach. The proposed model covers four areas of research in practical theology. When placed together, these areas of research form an acronym that spells out the name EDNA: (1) Exploratory research asks: 'What has led to the present situation?' (2) Descriptive research asks: 'What is happening now?' (3) Normative research asks, 'What should be happening?' and (4) Action research asks, 'How should we respond?' The article is organised around these four areas of research. After grounding the EDNA model theologically and philosophically, an attempt is made to ground and describe the function of each of the EDNA model's four areas of research in practical theology. This is done, firstly, by defining each of the four areas of research, as presented in the social sciences; secondly, by conducting a phenomenological analysis of recurring themes in a selection of ...

Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices may very well be one of the most important books written on the Christian church in the last two millennia. Viola and Barna team up to give their readers a critical examination of the last 1,700 years of church history.

The desired approach to worship in the Emerging Church is a revival of liturgy and other ancient traditions, brought back with life and meaning. The aim of this paper is to answer the question: Is Emerging Worship a modern-day revival or is it merely a return to ancient traditions? In particular, an attempt will be made to evaluate some of the common values or characteristics of Emerging worship gatherings in terms of the ECLECTIC model. The paper concludes with a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of Emerging Worship and provides recommendations regarding the application of Emerging Worship in today's church.

As a member of the religious education faculty at Boston College, Thomas Groome has for a number of years been working on and refining an approach to Christian education, which he calls shared Christian praxis. His interest in developing this approach emanates from a concern that arose during his doctoral work. He pursued it diligently in his dissertation, in a series of essays, and later in this and other books.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the true nature of psychotherapy. In particular, an attempt will be made to answer the question: Is psychotherapy a science or a religion? It is a sad fact that today’s church has to a large extent given up its call to minister to hurting people, because Christians believe the myth that psychotherapy is a science. The paper argues that psychotherapy, in fact, is not a science, but rather another religion and that today’s church needs to return to the biblical counselling of the early church, which is far more effective than psychotherapy. 1. Statement of the problem The contemporary climate of counselling is therapeutic, and not religious. People today do not hunger for a personal salvation, but for a sense of “feeling good”—that “momentary illusion of personal well-being, health and psychic security” (Lasch 1979:98). The cure of souls, which once was a vital ministry

The purpose of this study was to investigate church leaders’ perceptions of motivational factors for a sports ministry in churches in Pretoria. A survey questionnaire was developed by the researchers to investigate the above perceptions. The survey consisted of demographic questions and perception questions using a structured and a semi-structured questionnaire. The results of the survey were assessed by calculating the significance of each motivational factor for a sports ministry in the church, as perceived by the respondents. Participants were recruited from 32 church leaders from a wide variety of denominational and cultural backgrounds in Pretoria. Results showed that a sports ministry could assist the church in evangelism and fulfilling the Great Commission. Over 95% of all respondents agreed that a sports ministry would have a positive impact on evangelism. The results of the survey showed that the participants from the churches in Pretoria are supportive of a sports ministry...

This article explores the connection between life and theology. Today, many people do not understand the connection between theology and everyday life. In particular, many of today’s theological students are leaving theological institutions and entering the ministry with a fragmented theology instead of an integrated theology. A brief historical and literature review indicates that there are three perspectives in contemporary theology, namely the theological triad of orthodoxy, orthopathy and orthopraxy. A brief analysis of the three perspectives indicates a close connection between theology and everyday life: theology and life are linked in praise (orthodoxy), action (orthopraxy) and passion (orthopathy). This article focuses on the paradigm of narrative theology and shows that, when used correctly, narrative theology provides the building blocks for systematic theology and biblical theology. Narrative theology also provides helpful insights when it takes into account legitimate li...

The purpose of this study was to investigate church leaders’ perceptions of motivational factors for a sports ministry in churches in Pretoria. A survey questionnaire was developed by the researchers to investigate the above perceptions. The survey consisted of demographic questions and perception questions using a structured and a semi-structured questionnaire. The results of the survey were assessed by calculating the significance of each motivational factor for a sports ministry in the church, as perceived by the respondents. Participants were recruited from 32 church leaders from a wide variety of denominational and cultural backgrounds in Pretoria. Results showed that a sports ministry could assist the church in evangelism and fulfilling the Great Commission. Over 95% of all respondents agreed that a sports ministry would have a positive impact on evangelism. The results of the survey showed that the participants from the churches in Pretoria are supportive of a sports ministry...

Violence in any form, including rape, has a corrosive effect on the psychological, moral, spiritual and social lives of people. The high incidence of rape in South Africa has led to its being dubbed the 'Rape Capital' of the world, and violence against women has become the new 'normal'. To help understand, explain and prevent this phenomenon, this paper presents a biblical analysis of the narrative of the rape of Tamar in 2 Samuel 13, and identifies the contributing factors that led to rape. It then offers a biblical analysis of human passions, with special reference to sexual lust, to help us to understand a person's character. A contemporary psychological and moral profile of Amnon, the rapist, is then presented. Finally, a six-fold pastoral response to a contemporary rape situation is proposed, based on the biblical, psychological and moral analysis of the rape of Tamar by Amnon.

Each Western worldview (Colonialism, Anti-colonialism and Globalism) profoundly shaped the way Westerners related to other people and cultures and the way they did missions.  This paper examines the West’s two fundamental worldview shifts away from Colonialism precipitated by the encounter of missionaries with people from other races, cultures and religions, as well as the implications of these shifts for missions.

Book review by Noel Woodbridge D.Ed. (Unisa), D.Th. (Unizul)                        The warning passages in Hebrews have troubled Bible students for centuries. The purpose of the book is to examine the apparently sharply worded statements generally referred to as The Five Warnings of Hebrews plus one more which often the writer includes with the five. The main objective is to determine: To whom were the "warnings" addressed? What was the nature and implications of the pleadings made? Why were the cautions made? The book is scholarly and is about complex and arguable concepts. Nevertheless, the author tries to make its ideas as clear and comprehensible as possible. After the Introduction, the book is structured according the four main divisions: Prologue to times and circumstance, Prologue to Interpretation, The Expositions, and Safety and Security.

The chronology of Daniel's 70th week has been the subject of many debates among Bible scholars for a long time. Some scholars place it in the past, while others place it in the future. The aim of this paper is to argue in support of the Historical-Messianic interpretation.

Book review by Noel Woodbridge D.Ed. (Unisa), D.Th. (Unizul) The warning passages in Hebrews have troubled Bible students for centuries. The purpose of the book is to examine the apparently sharply worded statements generally referred to as The Five Warnings of Hebrews plus one more which often the writer includes with the five. The main objective is to determine: To whom were the "warnings" addressed? What was the nature and implications of the pleadings made? Why were the cautions made? The book is scholarly and is about complex and arguable concepts. Nevertheless, the author tries to make its ideas as clear and comprehensible as possible. After the Introduction, the book is structured according the four main divisions: Prologue to times and circumstance, Prologue to Interpretation, The Expositions, and Safety and Security.

Robert Charles’ book on Amazon is a scholarly and highly readable book, This Mystery: An Exposition of Romans 11, is essential reading for all Bible scholars and students, who are seeking answers to the following questions relating to biblical prophecy: (1) Are Jewish people still God’s chosen people with a glorious future? (2) Does modern Israel play any part in the end times? (3) Can a person be rejected and condemned on the one hand, or accepted and approved on the other, purely by accident of birth?
Contending against the misinterpretations and deeply flawed doctrines relating to the role of Israel in biblical prophecy is a crucial aim of this book. One of the most popular views among Christians in the USA is Dispensationalism: a bizarre teaching which denies the oneness of Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church, rejects the unity of the covenant of grace and regards the creation of the modern state of Israel as the literal fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in the end-times. As a result of a literal interpretation of biblical prophecy, one of the major characteristics of Dispensationalists is their false, unbiblical distinction (in terms of the Dual Covenant theory) between Israel (the Jewish nation) and the Church. They believe that the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament (especially regarding physical blessings, such as land), apply only to Israel unless God has stated otherwise.
Underpinned by the proper interpretation of this mystery (Rom.11:25), this book provides a comprehensive, verse-by-verse exposition of Romans 11 (supported by other Scriptures) that provides answers to the following questions:
(1) Are Jewish people still God’s chosen people with a glorious future? God's eternal purpose never included the salvation of every ethnic Jew. The Jews today continue to reject God’s Messiah. They are utterly lost to God in the same way as any unbelieving non-Jew. The Bible clearly teaches that God's plan for Israel and the Old Testament promises and prophecies spoken to Israel are now being fulfilled in the Church. For example, Paul uses the word everyone in Romans 10:13 to indicate that the way of salvation is open to all Jews and Gentiles alike. Righteousness is available to both Jew and Gentile and it is also received in the same way by both (Acts 15:11). The one true and only living God justifies both Jew and Gentile “by grace... through faith”  (Ephesians 2:8). Hence, both Jewish and Gentile believers together comprise God’s Church, which is the New Israel.
As I see it, the greatest biblical argument against the Dual Covenant Theory can be found in Hebrews 8:13 (ESV): “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” According to this verse, the Old Covenant in which the nation of Israel was the chosen people of God, is obsolete, and has been replaced by the superior New Covenant, in which both Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ are the new chosen people of God.
(2) Does modern Israel play any part in the end times? The formation of the modern state of Israel has no bearing on the Christian understanding of biblical prophecy. The people occupying modern secular Israel are different from the biblical kingdom of God, which consists of all those who believe and obey Christ, the only hope of a broken world. Biblical evidence reveals that the greatest mystery of ages in Romans 11 is the way God plans to save all men everywhere in every age who will believe the gospel of His Son. The church today fulfills the regathering and restoration of the Church, the New Israel.
(3) Can a person be rejected and condemned on the one hand, or accepted and approved on the other, purely by accident of birth? There is no biblical basis for the claim that God has saved or will save certain people, such as Jewish people, purely by accident of birth. After the cross of Christ, none can ever enter into covenant with God on the basis of natural birth. Neither will any person ever be rejected by God by accident of birth. Jesus made it  clear, “to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name... who were born,  not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but  of God”  (John 1:12, 13). Following the birth of the church at Pentecost, God’s promise of  salvation was offered and continues to be offered in one gospel to all nations and peoples of the earth. Both Paul and Peter proclaimed a  gospel by which both Jew and non-Jew could enter the kingdom by grace through faith in Christ. But, whereas the Old Testament promises were made to  natural Israel, they now are made to all humankind.
I conclude by recommending this book as an excellent source for understanding the  key questions derived from Romans 11 relating to Israel in end-time biblical prophecy. I would like to have seen some reference to the Amillennial view of Romans 11, which is closely related to the topic of this book. For example, most Amillennialists insist that the salvation of the nation of Israel as a whole, during the end-times, will not be for the purpose of restoring Israel to her Old Testament theocratic glory. Rather, believing Jews will be saved into and as a vital part of the body of Christ, the Church, the true Israel of God. Despite this omission, I personally have benefited from reading this book and would strongly recommend that Bible scholars from all sides of the argument doing research into the place of Israel in end-time biblical prophecy (as recorded in Romans 11), should take this timely book very seriously.