- Formerly a pastor I became a university professor. I am recently retired from fulltime teaching and now serve as an a... moreFormerly a pastor I became a university professor. I am recently retired from fulltime teaching and now serve as an adjunct professor. Author of numerous essays on a wide range of topics for a variety of periodicals, journals, and books. I have also written, contributed to, or edited several books. The principal field of study is the Greek New Testament, but I write and publish on diverse topics including current cultural issues. My wife and I are avid world travelers. We delight in spending time with our family, including our six grandchildren. I enjoy crafting wood projects, biking, reading, playing games with my wife.edit
All that God discloses to us in Scripture comes to us with its own theological categories and structures for understanding God and his ways. Therefore, should not the first work of the church's theologians be biblical theology, with the... more
All that God discloses to us in Scripture comes to us with its own theological categories and structures for understanding God and his ways. Therefore, should not the first work of the church's theologians be biblical theology, with the Bible's message altering us, forging our theological categories, shaping our understanding of the world we inhabit, and changing the
world itself? Surely, the theologian's task is to embrace the Bible's covenantal categories and structures for understanding God and his ways, for interpreting and explaining the world in which we live, for transforming us to live in this present world, and for preparing us to inhabit the world for which we hope in Christ, rather than to draw upon contemporary culture as a source
for theology.
world itself? Surely, the theologian's task is to embrace the Bible's covenantal categories and structures for understanding God and his ways, for interpreting and explaining the world in which we live, for transforming us to live in this present world, and for preparing us to inhabit the world for which we hope in Christ, rather than to draw upon contemporary culture as a source
for theology.
Research Interests:
There is one body and one Spirit just as also you were called with one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph 4:4-6). 1 Today, this... more
There is one body and one Spirit just as also you were called with one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph 4:4-6). 1 Today, this unity of which the apostle Paul wrote in the first century seems illusory. From the single root of the apostolic faith many branches have emerged. Among these branches the singular aspect that most visibly distinguishes the varieties of multiple ecclesiastical traditions and theological systems seems to be baptism. It is lamentable that the body of Christ is fissured, particularly over this issue. Yet, from Paul's questions to the Corinthians, it seems that baptism was partially a source of division even among the earliest Christians, at least in Corinth. Paul asks, "Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified on your behalf? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?" (1 Cor 1:13). His expression of gratitude that he personally baptized few of the Corinthians confirms that Paul recognizes that some in Corinth are inclined to attribute to baptism a significance that Christ did not give it (1:14-15). To correct their sacerdotal-born factionalism, Paul subordinates baptizing to preaching the gospel (1:17) and makes clear that sacerdotal power resides neither in baptism itself nor in the hands of the baptizer. Nevertheless, Paul regards baptism as significant and not a bare symbol, for in his letter to Christians in Galatia he declares, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ you have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Gal 3:27). He seems to equate all who have put on Christ with all who are baptized into Christ, as though the two were fused as one.
Research Interests:
SBJT 24.1 (2020): 103-124
Research Interests:
From page 141 of the essay: What follows may seem pedantic. Nevertheless, the point made is consequential, because to identify typology as a hermeneutical term or key locates the discussion within interpretation of Scripture rather than... more
From page 141 of the essay:
What follows may seem pedantic. Nevertheless, the point made is consequential,
because to identify typology as a hermeneutical term or key locates the discussion within interpretation of Scripture rather than principally within the nature of revelation where it belongs.34 To categorize typology as the NT writers’ “hermeneutical endeavor” and to identify biblical typology with nomenclature such as “typological interpretation” or “exegetical method” seems to subvert the claim that biblical types are prophetic foreshadowings or prefiguring clues of things to come which are recognizable within the OT before they reach fulfillment in their NT antitypes.
What follows may seem pedantic. Nevertheless, the point made is consequential,
because to identify typology as a hermeneutical term or key locates the discussion within interpretation of Scripture rather than principally within the nature of revelation where it belongs.34 To categorize typology as the NT writers’ “hermeneutical endeavor” and to identify biblical typology with nomenclature such as “typological interpretation” or “exegetical method” seems to subvert the claim that biblical types are prophetic foreshadowings or prefiguring clues of things to come which are recognizable within the OT before they reach fulfillment in their NT antitypes.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This is a review article of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. By Fred Chay and John P. Correia.
Haysville, N.C.: Schoettle Publishing Company,
2008, 170 pp., $15.00 paper.
Haysville, N.C.: Schoettle Publishing Company,
2008, 170 pp., $15.00 paper.
Research Interests:
A segment on justification in Paul's letters
Research Interests:
This is a limited clothbound Festschrift publication that is freely available as open-source book readable and downloadable in PDF at this link:
https://guide.unwsp.edu/ld.php?content_id=48196084
https://guide.unwsp.edu/ld.php?content_id=48196084
Research Interests:
Debates over literal interpretation versus figurative interpretation misdirect our reading of both the first and last books of the Bible. Thus it is not surprising that the church has so many disagreements and divergent views concerning... more
Debates over literal interpretation versus figurative interpretation misdirect our reading of both the first and last books of the Bible. Thus it is not surprising that the church has so many disagreements and divergent views concerning the origins and consummation of all things.
To inquire whether we should interpret the early chapters of Genesis literally or figuratively is to ask the question incorrectly, which renders the discussion tendentious We are not to interpret Genesis 1-2 either literally or nonliterally. The proper question is, how does the text represent God's creation of all things? Does Genesis portray these things non-figuratively or figuratively?
To inquire whether we should interpret the early chapters of Genesis literally or figuratively is to ask the question incorrectly, which renders the discussion tendentious We are not to interpret Genesis 1-2 either literally or nonliterally. The proper question is, how does the text represent God's creation of all things? Does Genesis portray these things non-figuratively or figuratively?
Research Interests:
Disagreement on whether God’s covenants are conditional or unconditional is rooted in debates over the law-gospel contrast including the divine-human correlation variously expressed: promise-requirement, grace-command, divine favor-human... more
Disagreement on whether God’s covenants are conditional or unconditional is rooted in debates over the law-gospel contrast including the divine-human correlation variously expressed: promise-requirement, grace-command, divine favor-human response, and covenant provisions-covenant stipulations. Many object that God’s covenant of promise to Abraham is fulfilled in Christ Jesus and is conditioned upon repentance, faith, love, and obedience. They represent the Abrahamic covenant and the gospel as unconditional but the Mosaic covenant as conditional. This essay challenges this as too stark and simplistic.
Research Interests:
For anyone interested in a PDF copy of The Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel, here is one. One of my colleagues created an MSWord document from the statement online. I converted it to a PDF for your convenience. I DID NOT WRITE... more
For anyone interested in a PDF copy of The Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel, here is one. One of my colleagues created an MSWord document from the statement online. I converted it to a PDF for your convenience.
I DID NOT WRITE THIS STATEMENT. I merely created a PDF of the statement from https://statementonsocialjustice.com/.
I DID NOT WRITE THIS STATEMENT. I merely created a PDF of the statement from https://statementonsocialjustice.com/.
Research Interests:
An Excerpt: "Political correctness is a virus. Intimidation carries this contagion from one individual to another as receiving hosts offer little resistance to the virus. Because the contagion exploits its host’s reluctance to offend... more
An Excerpt:
"Political correctness is a virus. Intimidation carries this contagion from one individual to another as receiving hosts offer little resistance to the virus. Because the contagion exploits its host’s reluctance to offend the alleged sensibilities of hypersensitive people, political correctness
seduces its host to accept the virus as newly acquired virtue to be passed
on to others with religious zeal. Herein is the genius and power of political correctness."
Once the host accepts political
correctness as virtuous, external policing
is rarely needed because the virus internally
intimidates one’s conscience so that
it becomes second nature to use newspeak
and to chastise others who do not. Hence,
the tyranny of political correctness: newspeak
represents itself as virtue.
"Political correctness is a virus. Intimidation carries this contagion from one individual to another as receiving hosts offer little resistance to the virus. Because the contagion exploits its host’s reluctance to offend the alleged sensibilities of hypersensitive people, political correctness
seduces its host to accept the virus as newly acquired virtue to be passed
on to others with religious zeal. Herein is the genius and power of political correctness."
Once the host accepts political
correctness as virtuous, external policing
is rarely needed because the virus internally
intimidates one’s conscience so that
it becomes second nature to use newspeak
and to chastise others who do not. Hence,
the tyranny of political correctness: newspeak
represents itself as virtue.
Research Interests:
I offer this essay in honor of Doug Moo to tease out how Paul links the "already" aspects of the new creation with the "not yet" aspects by focusing on Rom 5:17: "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man,... more
I offer this essay in honor of Doug Moo to tease out how Paul links the
"already" aspects of the new creation with the "not yet" aspects by focusing on Rom 5:17: "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" Many exegetes associate "will . . . reign in life" (Rom 5:17) with the believer's yet future dominion over creation that is set free and renewed (8:18-25). This essay proposes that "will . . . reign in life" refers instead to the reign that Paul elaborates on in Romans 6. It is the believer's present dominion over sin in these mortal bodies. Through his death and resurrection, Christ, whom Adam foreshadowed, reverses the first man's abdication of dominion over sin to sin's reign and to death's tyranny so that everyone who receives God's provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness through Christ Jesus is no longer under sin's reign but already reigns in life.
"already" aspects of the new creation with the "not yet" aspects by focusing on Rom 5:17: "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" Many exegetes associate "will . . . reign in life" (Rom 5:17) with the believer's yet future dominion over creation that is set free and renewed (8:18-25). This essay proposes that "will . . . reign in life" refers instead to the reign that Paul elaborates on in Romans 6. It is the believer's present dominion over sin in these mortal bodies. Through his death and resurrection, Christ, whom Adam foreshadowed, reverses the first man's abdication of dominion over sin to sin's reign and to death's tyranny so that everyone who receives God's provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness through Christ Jesus is no longer under sin's reign but already reigns in life.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Preface P. Andrew Sandlin One of the great evangelical myths of our time is the virtue of “unconditional forgiveness.” We hear Christians again and again demanding that if other believers do not forgive in all situations, they are not... more
Preface
P. Andrew Sandlin
One of the great evangelical myths of our time is the virtue of “unconditional forgiveness.” We hear Christians again and again demanding that if other believers do not forgive in all situations, they are not being “Christ-like.” Indeed, many Christians are under the impression the Bible teaches that God himself forgives in every situation, and therefore if we are to be godly Christians, we too must not allow any conditions whatever to enter into our forgiveness of others. The fact that the most cursory reading of the Bible refutes this notion has not cautioned its perpetrators.
In the present booklet, Dr. Ardel Caneday explodes the myth of “unconditional forgiveness” fairly, rigorously, uncompromisingly — and, most important, Biblically. He shows both that refusal to forgive repentant sinners as God does jeopardizes one’s eternal destiny and that eagerness to forgive unrepentant sinners assaults the justice and grace of God.
In our tragically lawless times (lawlessness from which the church is not exempt) Caneday issues a clarion call for a truly Biblical practice of forgiveness, grounded in the atoning death of Jesus Christ — not in guilt-inducing, pious sentimentality.
Purchase and download at http://www.lulu.com/shop/a-b-caneday/must-christians-always-forgive/ebook/product-17516558.html
Purchase hardcopies at http://www.lulu.com/shop/a-b-caneday/must-christians-always-forgive/paperback/product-16539784.html
P. Andrew Sandlin
One of the great evangelical myths of our time is the virtue of “unconditional forgiveness.” We hear Christians again and again demanding that if other believers do not forgive in all situations, they are not being “Christ-like.” Indeed, many Christians are under the impression the Bible teaches that God himself forgives in every situation, and therefore if we are to be godly Christians, we too must not allow any conditions whatever to enter into our forgiveness of others. The fact that the most cursory reading of the Bible refutes this notion has not cautioned its perpetrators.
In the present booklet, Dr. Ardel Caneday explodes the myth of “unconditional forgiveness” fairly, rigorously, uncompromisingly — and, most important, Biblically. He shows both that refusal to forgive repentant sinners as God does jeopardizes one’s eternal destiny and that eagerness to forgive unrepentant sinners assaults the justice and grace of God.
In our tragically lawless times (lawlessness from which the church is not exempt) Caneday issues a clarion call for a truly Biblical practice of forgiveness, grounded in the atoning death of Jesus Christ — not in guilt-inducing, pious sentimentality.
Purchase and download at http://www.lulu.com/shop/a-b-caneday/must-christians-always-forgive/ebook/product-17516558.html
Purchase hardcopies at http://www.lulu.com/shop/a-b-caneday/must-christians-always-forgive/paperback/product-16539784.html
Research Interests:
Here is a portion that we cut out of our book, The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance. If we had retained this section, it would have appeared beginning on page 183, directly before the portion on... more
Here is a portion that we cut out of our book, The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance. If we had retained this section, it would have appeared beginning on page 183, directly before the portion on Philippians. This is just one of several segments that we wrote but had to cut from the book because of length. As it is, chapter 4 is 70 pages. If we had kept all the portions we cut for length, that chapter would have been more than 100 pages.
Thomas R. Schreiner & A. B. Caneday
InterVarsity, 2001
Thomas R. Schreiner & A. B. Caneday
InterVarsity, 2001
D. A. Carson has lamented that no one has followed up on his engaging essay to explore the phenomena concerning “how the first disciples came to ‘read’ Scripture in a different way, a Christian way. For on the one hand, the evangelist... more
D. A. Carson has lamented that no one has followed up on his engaging essay to
explore the phenomena concerning “how the first disciples came to ‘read’ Scripture in a different way, a Christian way. For on the one hand, the evangelist insists that the crucial events in Jesus’s life and passion and resurrection fulfill Scripture, and on the other hand he acknowledges—indeed, insists—that the disciples themselves did not read Scripture this way until after the events.”1 Like Carson, I have also found within John’s Gospel a theme “analogous to the dominant notion of μυστήριον in the Pauline corpus: the gospel is simultaneously said to be hidden in times past but now disclosed, and prophesied in times past and now fulfilled.” My essay contends that without using μυστήριον, John’s Gospel expresses the concept. Thus, throughout the evangelist’s narrative he unfolds in literary form how Jesus replicates the pattern of the OT Scriptures wherein the mystery of the gospel for long ages lay hidden and is now brought to light by those same Scriptures. Likewise, the incarnate Word reveals and conceals his glory in his signs, teachings, and prophetic acts, even actually hiding himself, dramatizing divine judgment by concealment (12:36). Yet, now the light of his resurrection discloses the revelation he concealed in his words and actions.
Key words: disclose, conceal, misunderstanding motif, mystery, reveal, revelation, riddle, sign
explore the phenomena concerning “how the first disciples came to ‘read’ Scripture in a different way, a Christian way. For on the one hand, the evangelist insists that the crucial events in Jesus’s life and passion and resurrection fulfill Scripture, and on the other hand he acknowledges—indeed, insists—that the disciples themselves did not read Scripture this way until after the events.”1 Like Carson, I have also found within John’s Gospel a theme “analogous to the dominant notion of μυστήριον in the Pauline corpus: the gospel is simultaneously said to be hidden in times past but now disclosed, and prophesied in times past and now fulfilled.” My essay contends that without using μυστήριον, John’s Gospel expresses the concept. Thus, throughout the evangelist’s narrative he unfolds in literary form how Jesus replicates the pattern of the OT Scriptures wherein the mystery of the gospel for long ages lay hidden and is now brought to light by those same Scriptures. Likewise, the incarnate Word reveals and conceals his glory in his signs, teachings, and prophetic acts, even actually hiding himself, dramatizing divine judgment by concealment (12:36). Yet, now the light of his resurrection discloses the revelation he concealed in his words and actions.
Key words: disclose, conceal, misunderstanding motif, mystery, reveal, revelation, riddle, sign
Research Interests:
The Son's being led into the oiKouμEVTJ where angels worship him is not a reference to his incarnation, though what is said of him in Hebrews 1.6 does not occur without his becoming flesh and blood (2.14). The Son's being made lower... more
The Son's being led into the oiKouμEVTJ where angels worship him is not a
reference to his incarnation, though what is said of him in Hebrews 1.6
does not occur without his becoming flesh and blood (2.14). The Son's
being made lower than the angels for a little while, during the days of his
flesh (5.7), was necessary so that by his death he might sanctify his siblings
(2.11) and finally subject the οίκουμένη to come to us for whom he tasted
death.
The Son's exaltation in the oiKouμevri is also not his parousia. What is
said of the Firstborn in 1.6 does not occur disconnected from his second
advent. His being led into the otKouμevri is already accomplished in the
Firstborn's ascension into the heavenly realm that angels inhabit. The
man Christ Jesus, led into the oiKouμevri by God (1.6), is now enthroned
'at the right hand of God' as he waits 'until his enemies should be made a
footstool for his feet' (10.12; 1.2, 13; 2.8-9). He will appear a second time
to consummate the inheritance of all whom he came to help (9.28; 1.14),
not angels but Abraham's seed (2.16), to whom he will subject the
οίκουμένη to come (2.5). Thus, the Son has brought the old era of the first
covenant with its earthly shadows to a close and has inaugurated the new
aeon of the new covenant with its heavenly realities. Heaven has come to
the cosmos in order that the cosmos might finally come to its consummation
in the world that is to come, the habitable world that will be subject to humans, not to angels, thanks to the exalted Son who was once made lower than the angels for a little while.
reference to his incarnation, though what is said of him in Hebrews 1.6
does not occur without his becoming flesh and blood (2.14). The Son's
being made lower than the angels for a little while, during the days of his
flesh (5.7), was necessary so that by his death he might sanctify his siblings
(2.11) and finally subject the οίκουμένη to come to us for whom he tasted
death.
The Son's exaltation in the oiKouμevri is also not his parousia. What is
said of the Firstborn in 1.6 does not occur disconnected from his second
advent. His being led into the otKouμevri is already accomplished in the
Firstborn's ascension into the heavenly realm that angels inhabit. The
man Christ Jesus, led into the oiKouμevri by God (1.6), is now enthroned
'at the right hand of God' as he waits 'until his enemies should be made a
footstool for his feet' (10.12; 1.2, 13; 2.8-9). He will appear a second time
to consummate the inheritance of all whom he came to help (9.28; 1.14),
not angels but Abraham's seed (2.16), to whom he will subject the
οίκουμένη to come (2.5). Thus, the Son has brought the old era of the first
covenant with its earthly shadows to a close and has inaugurated the new
aeon of the new covenant with its heavenly realities. Heaven has come to
the cosmos in order that the cosmos might finally come to its consummation
in the world that is to come, the habitable world that will be subject to humans, not to angels, thanks to the exalted Son who was once made lower than the angels for a little while.
Research Interests:
Culture replaces universal virtues with individualized values and makes uncertainty the most prized form of humility. Tolerance toward people with whom we disagree has been replaced in the public square with tolerance for ideas, except... more
Culture replaces universal virtues with individualized values and makes uncertainty the most prized form of humility. Tolerance toward people with whom we disagree has been replaced in the public square with tolerance for ideas, except for the idea of absolute truth. This means that anyone who does not tolerate ideas and beliefs that formerly were universally condemned stands condemned as intolerant. This is where true followers of Jesus will find themselves. But this is no surprise. Everyone who lives a godly life in Christ Jesus will inevitably encounter controversy, for to live the Christian life entails controverting the culture (cf. 2 Tim. 3:12).
Following Christ Jesus as his disciples requires us daily to deny ourselves (Luke 9:23). If we lose sight of this and desire instead to save ourselves from pluralism's frown, rebuke, and hostilities, we will lose our lives forever in perdition. We must be willing to endure inconveniences and even hostilities for the sake of Christ and the gospel. Otherwise, what benefit is the biblical worldview that we desire others to embrace? The gospel's consolation to us is that all who lose their life for Christ's sake will be saved (Luke 9:24).
Following Christ Jesus as his disciples requires us daily to deny ourselves (Luke 9:23). If we lose sight of this and desire instead to save ourselves from pluralism's frown, rebuke, and hostilities, we will lose our lives forever in perdition. We must be willing to endure inconveniences and even hostilities for the sake of Christ and the gospel. Otherwise, what benefit is the biblical worldview that we desire others to embrace? The gospel's consolation to us is that all who lose their life for Christ's sake will be saved (Luke 9:24).
The gospel is at stake. A century ago the social gospel, led by Gladden and Rauschenbusch, openly subverted the gospel to employ it for social reform. The new social gospel is much more subtle and far more seductive than that of a century... more
The gospel is at stake. A century ago the social gospel, led by Gladden and Rauschenbusch, openly subverted the gospel to employ it for social reform. The new social gospel is much more subtle and far more seductive than that of a century ago. Evangelicals, loath to be called racists and, wanting to purge themselves of "white guilt," rush to embrace the new social gospel as though it were the gospel itself. Regrettably, evangelical ministers and leaders who champion the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ already incorporate the social gospel into the message they regularly proclaim from pulpits and and lecterns. Multiculturalism and diversity has become the new orthodox system of belief at Christian institutions of higher learning. Anyone who challenges and critiques this new orthodoxy at Christian colleges and universities will be identified as divisive and will be targeted for reeducation or even for purging from the institution.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This essay analyses the theme of Christ’s faithfulness in the theology of Galatians as indicative of Paul’s theology as a whole. It sees ἔργα νόμου (‘works of the law’) and πίστις Χριστοῦ as reflecting Paul’s antithetical pairing of Torah... more
This essay analyses the theme of Christ’s faithfulness in the theology of Galatians as indicative of Paul’s theology as a whole. It sees ἔργα νόμου (‘works of the law’) and πίστις Χριστοῦ as reflecting Paul’s antithetical pairing of Torah and Christ. This
polarity means that the contrast is between two distinct covenants, one bounded by law the other bounded by Christ. According to Caneday the source of this polarity is a narrative of Israel incurring the curse of the law for its unfaithfulness to the covenant and those who belong to the ‘works of the law’ are under the curse of Torah. In contrast,
Christ’s faithfulness through his curse-bearing death serves to redeem others from the curse of the Torah. The coming of πίστις is the restating of the coming of Abraham's seed, the coming of Christ’s faithfulness to fulfill God's promise covenant made with Abraham and his seed (the Christ) and to undo the curse of the law covenant.
polarity means that the contrast is between two distinct covenants, one bounded by law the other bounded by Christ. According to Caneday the source of this polarity is a narrative of Israel incurring the curse of the law for its unfaithfulness to the covenant and those who belong to the ‘works of the law’ are under the curse of Torah. In contrast,
Christ’s faithfulness through his curse-bearing death serves to redeem others from the curse of the Torah. The coming of πίστις is the restating of the coming of Abraham's seed, the coming of Christ’s faithfulness to fulfill God's promise covenant made with Abraham and his seed (the Christ) and to undo the curse of the law covenant.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Conclusion “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one was in the beginning with God.” John designs his whole Gospel to flow from these words because every act Jesus performs and every word... more
Conclusion
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one was in the beginning with God.” John designs his whole Gospel to flow from these words because every act Jesus performs and every word he speaks are God’s deeds and words. Tus, the Fourth Gospel aptly introduces God’s Son as the Word, God’s creative Word. For as in the beginning everything that was made came into existence through the Word, so also now, new creation already begins through the same Word who became flesh, as a human dwelling among humans, as the light of life shining in sin’s darkness. For the Word’s incarnation brings his heavenly glory down to earth and his powers of the last day forward. While the Word’s glory and powers of the last day are displayed through each of his signs and their accompanying discourses, the convergence of his glory and last day powers are most fully displayed in his crucifixion and resurrection to which Jesus’ signs point. Here, divine judgment and resurrection are not only dramatically portrayed but also historically enacted. Heaven’s just verdict issues forth in Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, for his incarnation already brings forward the two verdicts that will be issued on the last day, either resurrection of life or resurrection of condemnation.
Thus, the Word who was with God and came from heaven presents himself as “the Resurrection and the Life” and as one to whom the Father has given authority to judge in order that all might honor him by believing in him. Because he has authority to impart life to whomever he desires, to everyone who hears his word and believes the One who sent him, Jesus already enacts the powers of the coming last day both to impart life to the spiritually dead and already to commence judgment upon all who do not believe in him.
So, God’s Son came not to condemn the world but to present himself as bread from heaven, the very source of eternal life. Yet, because the true Light now shines in the darkness exposing the works of darkness, judgment issues from his presence. His incarnation brings the last day verdict of justification to all who believe but brings the last day verdict of condemnation to remain upon everyone who disobeys by unbelief.
So, just as Jesus Christ already gives eternal life to the dead who hear his voice ahead of the last day, so also, ahead of time Jesus announces the verdict of the last day, that those who do not believe in the Son already stand condemned while those who believe in him already stand not condemned, which is to say, they are already assuredly justified (3:18). And the gif of eternal life which is already theirs is the sign and seal of justification, God’s assuring foretoken of his acquitting verdict, resurrection of life on the last day.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This one was in the beginning with God.” John designs his whole Gospel to flow from these words because every act Jesus performs and every word he speaks are God’s deeds and words. Tus, the Fourth Gospel aptly introduces God’s Son as the Word, God’s creative Word. For as in the beginning everything that was made came into existence through the Word, so also now, new creation already begins through the same Word who became flesh, as a human dwelling among humans, as the light of life shining in sin’s darkness. For the Word’s incarnation brings his heavenly glory down to earth and his powers of the last day forward. While the Word’s glory and powers of the last day are displayed through each of his signs and their accompanying discourses, the convergence of his glory and last day powers are most fully displayed in his crucifixion and resurrection to which Jesus’ signs point. Here, divine judgment and resurrection are not only dramatically portrayed but also historically enacted. Heaven’s just verdict issues forth in Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, for his incarnation already brings forward the two verdicts that will be issued on the last day, either resurrection of life or resurrection of condemnation.
Thus, the Word who was with God and came from heaven presents himself as “the Resurrection and the Life” and as one to whom the Father has given authority to judge in order that all might honor him by believing in him. Because he has authority to impart life to whomever he desires, to everyone who hears his word and believes the One who sent him, Jesus already enacts the powers of the coming last day both to impart life to the spiritually dead and already to commence judgment upon all who do not believe in him.
So, God’s Son came not to condemn the world but to present himself as bread from heaven, the very source of eternal life. Yet, because the true Light now shines in the darkness exposing the works of darkness, judgment issues from his presence. His incarnation brings the last day verdict of justification to all who believe but brings the last day verdict of condemnation to remain upon everyone who disobeys by unbelief.
So, just as Jesus Christ already gives eternal life to the dead who hear his voice ahead of the last day, so also, ahead of time Jesus announces the verdict of the last day, that those who do not believe in the Son already stand condemned while those who believe in him already stand not condemned, which is to say, they are already assuredly justified (3:18). And the gif of eternal life which is already theirs is the sign and seal of justification, God’s assuring foretoken of his acquitting verdict, resurrection of life on the last day.
Research Interests:
Christians universally confess “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” Yet, with psychotherapy’s ascendancy and its blending with Christian theology, Christians have come to disagree whether in interpersonal relationships repentance... more
Christians universally confess “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” Yet, with psychotherapy’s ascendancy and its blending with Christian theology, Christians have come to disagree whether in interpersonal relationships repentance properly conditions forgiveness of sins. Many use Jesus’ Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) to endorse the popularly accepted notion of “unconditional forgiveness.” After all, to Peter’s question—“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”—Jesus
replies, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” On the contrary, Matthew’s placement of Jesus’ parable immediately following 18:15-20 shows that Jesus’s response to Peter and the parable that follows
reinforces that repentance is necessary to receive forgiveness of sins in relationships with both fellow humans
and God.
replies, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” On the contrary, Matthew’s placement of Jesus’ parable immediately following 18:15-20 shows that Jesus’s response to Peter and the parable that follows
reinforces that repentance is necessary to receive forgiveness of sins in relationships with both fellow humans
and God.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Four views by four different theologians concerning the historicity of Adam with interaction between all four for each of the four views.
Research Interests:
As a part of the Counterpoints series, Four Views on the Historical Adam clearly outlines four primary views on Adam held by evangelicals, featuring top-notch proponents of each view presenting their positions in their own words and... more
As a part of the Counterpoints series, Four Views on the Historical Adam clearly outlines four primary views on Adam held by evangelicals, featuring top-notch proponents of each view presenting their positions in their own words and critiquing the positions with which they disagree. You will come away with a better understanding of the key biblical and theological issues at stake and of the implications of Adam for contemporary Christian witness and church life.
Contributors include Denis O. Lamoureux, John H. Walton, C. John Collins, and William Barrick. Each focuses his essay on answering the following questions:
--What is the biblical case for your viewpoint, and how do you reconcile it both with modern science and with passages and potential interpretations that seem to counter it?
--In what ways is your view more theologically consistent and coherent than other views?
--What are the implications of your view for the spiritual life and public witness of the church and individual believers, and how is your view a healthier alternative for both?
Concluding reflections by pastor-scholars Gregory A. Boyd and Philip Graham Ryken highlight the significance of the topic in the faith of everyday believers.
Contributors include Denis O. Lamoureux, John H. Walton, C. John Collins, and William Barrick. Each focuses his essay on answering the following questions:
--What is the biblical case for your viewpoint, and how do you reconcile it both with modern science and with passages and potential interpretations that seem to counter it?
--In what ways is your view more theologically consistent and coherent than other views?
--What are the implications of your view for the spiritual life and public witness of the church and individual believers, and how is your view a healthier alternative for both?
Concluding reflections by pastor-scholars Gregory A. Boyd and Philip Graham Ryken highlight the significance of the topic in the faith of everyday believers.
Discipline. Endurance. Perseverance. The New Testament often describes the Christian life as a marathon, a race set before us. But what exactly is the prize? Do all those completing the race share in it? And can the prize be lost?... more
Discipline. Endurance. Perseverance. The New Testament often describes the Christian life as a marathon, a race set before us. But what exactly is the prize? Do all those completing the race share in it? And can the prize be lost? Tackling these and other vexing questions, Thomas Schreiner and Ardel Caneday offer in this book a serious, exegetical wrestling with the biblical understanding of the nature of saving faith and its implications for the people of God. Here is a foundational study that considers all of the relevant New Testament texts and that weighs the meaning of those texts for both Christian living and pastoral ministry.
Research Interests:
The Faithfulness of Jesus Christ as a Theme in Paul's Theology in Galatians
The Eschatological World Already Subjected to the Son: The Οἰκουμένη of Hebrews 1.6 and the Son's Enthronement
Baptism in the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement
Is Theological Truth Functional or Propositional? Post-Conservatism's Use of Language Games
Veiled Glory: God's Self-Revelation in Human Likeness--A Biblical Theology of God's Anthropomorphic Self-Disclosure
This is an essay I wrote for a course on the Organization & Administration of the Local Church while I was in seminary. I argue against what has been called "the invitation system" used by many, especially many Baptists, to pressure... more
This is an essay I wrote for a course on the Organization & Administration of the Local Church while I was in seminary.
I argue against what has been called "the invitation system" used by many, especially many Baptists, to pressure one's hearers to "come forward" to "make a decision for Jesus."
In all of the objections raised the central theme is that the invitation system represents salvation as a work of man. The Scriptures violently oppose any notion that men can work out their standing before God.
Salvation is from the Lord. It is a plan that was decreed before the foundation of the world which came from God's eternal plan and purpose. His plan included the entirety of salvation including the preaching of the message. Therefore, it is essential that ministers must preach the
gospel without attaching their own devices onto it.
God has chosen His people to be faithful not successful. In order to be faithful, preachers must abide by the rules of God's Word and never use the wisdom of men to make the message more appealing. The devices of men shroud God's truth when the two are placed together.
I argue against what has been called "the invitation system" used by many, especially many Baptists, to pressure one's hearers to "come forward" to "make a decision for Jesus."
In all of the objections raised the central theme is that the invitation system represents salvation as a work of man. The Scriptures violently oppose any notion that men can work out their standing before God.
Salvation is from the Lord. It is a plan that was decreed before the foundation of the world which came from God's eternal plan and purpose. His plan included the entirety of salvation including the preaching of the message. Therefore, it is essential that ministers must preach the
gospel without attaching their own devices onto it.
God has chosen His people to be faithful not successful. In order to be faithful, preachers must abide by the rules of God's Word and never use the wisdom of men to make the message more appealing. The devices of men shroud God's truth when the two are placed together.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This file includes only the introduction. To read the entire book, it is available for purchase.
Research Interests:
IntroductIon Among Paul’s uses of the Old Testament, perhaps most complex, baffling, and elusive are his uses of Genesis and of Isaiah in Gal 4:21-31, with the claim, “these things are avllhgorou,mena.”1 What warrants his appeal to... more
IntroductIon Among Paul’s uses of the Old Testament, perhaps most complex, baffling, and elusive are his uses of Genesis and of Isaiah in Gal 4:21-31, with the claim, “these things are avllhgorou,mena.”1 What warrants his appeal to allegory? What in the Old Testament authorizes the apostle’s dual assertions: (1) “Now you, brothers, in keeping with Isaac, are children of promise” (4:28), and (2) “But what does the Scripture say? ‘Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not receive an inheritance with the son of the free woman’” (4:30). The conundrum is ancient as Antiochene commentaries indicate.2 Likewise, the Reformers puzzle over Paul’s appeal to allegory, viewing it as out of character with his uses of the Old Testament.3 Contemporary exegetes tend to reflect the assessment of their Antiochene forebears that Paul really had in mind typology or perhaps a restrained allegory that fades into typology.4 Because scholars describe Paul’s statement, “t...
This essay analyses the theme of Christ’s faithfulness in the theology of Galatians as indicative of Paul’s theology as a whole. It sees ἔργα νόμου (‘works of the law’) and πίστις Χριστοῦ as reflecting Paul’s antithetical pairing of Torah... more
This essay analyses the theme of Christ’s faithfulness in the theology of Galatians as indicative of Paul’s theology as a whole. It sees ἔργα νόμου (‘works of the law’) and πίστις Χριστοῦ as reflecting Paul’s antithetical pairing of Torah and Christ. This polarity means that the contrast is between two distinct covenants, one bounded by law the other bounded by Christ. According to Caneday the source of this polarity is a narrative of Israel incurring the curse of the law for its unfaithfulness to the covenant and those who belong to the ‘works of the law’ are under the curse of Torah. In contrast, Christ’s faithfulness through his curse-bearing death serves to redeem others from the curse of the Torah. The coming of πίστις is the restating of the coming of Abraham's seed, the coming of Christ’s faithfulness to fulfill God's promise covenant made with Abraham and his seed (the Christ) and to undo the curse of the law covenant.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Four views by four different theologians concerning the historicity of Adam with interaction between all four for each of the four views.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: History and Evangelism
Research Interests:
A Cloud of Witnesses is a collection of sixteen essays on interpreting Hebrews. They are papers delivered at a conference on the epistle of Hebrews and Christian Theology held in the University of St Andrews, Summer 2006. There are two... more
A Cloud of Witnesses is a collection of sixteen essays on interpreting Hebrews. They are papers delivered at a conference on the epistle of Hebrews and Christian Theology held in the University of St Andrews, Summer 2006. There are two essays on 'Cosmology and ...
Research Interests:
Page 1. BELIEVER'S BAPTISM SIGN OF THE NEW COVENANT IN CHRIST EDITED BY THOMAS R. SCHREINER & SHAWN D.WRIGHT SERIES EDITOR: E. RAY CLENDENEN Page 2. Page 3. Page 4. Page 5. BELIEVER'S BAPTISM Thi s Or Page 6. ...
Reclaiming the Center is a valuable contribution to the study of contemporary evangelicalism. It is a guide for how evangelicals can move forward with wisdom and discernment without succumbing to the spirit of this age. ... Millard J.... more
Reclaiming the Center is a valuable contribution to the study of contemporary evangelicalism. It is a guide for how evangelicals can move forward with wisdom and discernment without succumbing to the spirit of this age. ... Millard J. Erickson is Distinguished ...
One of the most perplexing problems in Pauline studies is the meaning of the phrase pistis christou. Is Paul speaking of our faith in Christ or of Christ's own faithfulness toward God? Here noted contemporary New Testament scholars... more
One of the most perplexing problems in Pauline studies is the meaning of the phrase pistis christou. Is Paul speaking of our faith in Christ or of Christ's own faithfulness toward God? Here noted contemporary New Testament scholars join forces - and lock horns - to shed light on the answer by presenting rigorous exegetical studies from both sides of the debate. They also bring fresh creative proposals to bear on the problem, and place the discussion in the wider spectrum of historical, biblical, and systematic theology. The most penetrating and comprehensive attempt to date to grapple with the significance of Jesus' faithfulness and obedience for Christian salvation, and the extent to which it is represented in key biblical texts.
Research Interests:
The style of Mark's Gospel is to use the Hebrew Bible in a cryptic, enigmatic, and allusive manner that provokes the reader's imagination to uncover intertextual connections with those scriptures. It is a style that effectively... more
The style of Mark's Gospel is to use the Hebrew Bible in a cryptic, enigmatic, and allusive manner that provokes the reader's imagination to uncover intertextual connections with those scriptures. It is a style that effectively draws the reader into Mark's narrative, but it also brings one to recognize that Mark has skillfully woven into his narrative many allusive words and phrases that subtly link the Jesus of his story with the Coming One of the Hebrew Bible. In particular, Mark's description of Jesus in the wilderness ("he was with the wild animals and angels ministered to him," 1:13) provokes the reader's imagination to discover that there is a strong verbal collocation of "the way," "the wilderness," and "the wild beasts" which focuses upon Isa 35:8-10 (in contrast to the study by R. Bauckham, who focuses upon Isa 11:6-9). Yet, the Isaiah text functions as a prism through which Ps 91:9-13 refracts. This psalm seems to...
Research Interests:
It has become commonplace for many evangelical scholars to describe the New Testament’s use of the Old as entailing “typological interpretation” while some persistently claim that the hermeneutic of the NT writers is “literal.”... more
It has become commonplace for many evangelical scholars to describe the New Testament’s use of the Old as entailing “typological interpretation” while some persistently claim that the hermeneutic of the NT writers is “literal.” Interpretation of significant portions of Scripture among increasing numbers of evangelical scholars persists in setting figurative interpretation over against literal interpretation. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in the burgeoning volumes of essays and books on the creation account. Debates over the early chapters of Genesis quibble over whether we are to be read these chapters literally or figuratively. Because later Scripture draws significantly upon Genesis, this debate engulfs much of the Bible, but especially its beginning and ending, creation in Genesis and new creation in Revelation.
This debate originates from the ancient church, featuring luminaries from two competing centers of thought: Alexandria and Antioch of Syria. For example, Origen’s reading of Genesis is gaining ascendancy among several who contend for a figurative interpretation of the creation account. This ancient debate continues and will persist until Christians come to terms with the fact that interpretation of Scripture is neither literal nor figurative but rather that God’s revelation in Scripture is presented literally or figuratively.
Therefore, this essay will argue that to contend for either literal or figurative interpretation is wrongly focused and mires us in a misguided and unfruitful debate that entrenches advocates on both sides. Neither literal nor figurative are suitable descriptions of how we are to interpret any text or speech. Instead, both literal and figurative concern how speakers and writers refer to things, including how they portray reality. Likewise, typological and literal are equally incorrect descriptions of interpretation, for neither properly describes how NT writers interpret the OT. Again, typological is a term that NT writers use to represent how Scripture presents OT events, persons, institutions, etc. Typological, literal, and figurative are terms that do not at all properly describe how we interpret Scripture; they are terms that properly describe how God’s revelation is portrayed in Scripture.
This debate originates from the ancient church, featuring luminaries from two competing centers of thought: Alexandria and Antioch of Syria. For example, Origen’s reading of Genesis is gaining ascendancy among several who contend for a figurative interpretation of the creation account. This ancient debate continues and will persist until Christians come to terms with the fact that interpretation of Scripture is neither literal nor figurative but rather that God’s revelation in Scripture is presented literally or figuratively.
Therefore, this essay will argue that to contend for either literal or figurative interpretation is wrongly focused and mires us in a misguided and unfruitful debate that entrenches advocates on both sides. Neither literal nor figurative are suitable descriptions of how we are to interpret any text or speech. Instead, both literal and figurative concern how speakers and writers refer to things, including how they portray reality. Likewise, typological and literal are equally incorrect descriptions of interpretation, for neither properly describes how NT writers interpret the OT. Again, typological is a term that NT writers use to represent how Scripture presents OT events, persons, institutions, etc. Typological, literal, and figurative are terms that do not at all properly describe how we interpret Scripture; they are terms that properly describe how God’s revelation is portrayed in Scripture.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Theological Research Exchange Network - edocs.
Research Interests:
The purpose of this essay is to provide a sampling of a variety of grammatical mistakes that biblical scholars routinely commit concerning conditional sentences of the first and third-class. It is not my intention to develop a brief... more
The purpose of this essay is to provide a sampling of a variety of grammatical mistakes that biblical scholars routinely commit concerning conditional sentences of the first and third-class. It is not my intention to develop a brief grammar of the Greek conditional sentence, at this time. Much good work has already been done toward that end. Rather, it is my objective to show that grammatical errors concerning conditional clauses regularly attach to theological biases. In many cases it seems apparent that a theological bias comes first and then seeks justification by misappropriating grammar and syntax. Following a sampling of contemporary fallacies, a look at an apostolic corrective will demonstrate that the misreading of conditional clauses is no recent phenomenon. But more than that, the apostolic grammar lesson should correct contemporary missteps.
Research Interests:
Not long ago Richard Hays argued that the pastoral character of the Apostle Paul's letters "obviates overt attention to christological prophecy."(l) He rejects the idea that... more
Not long ago Richard Hays argued that the pastoral character of the Apostle Paul's letters "obviates overt attention to christological prophecy."(l) He rejects the idea that Paul's interpretation of the Old Testament is principally shaped by christology because "his hermeneutical procedures do not ordinarily produce christological interpretations of particular Old Testament texts."(2) Instead, because Paul's letters presuppose, rather than aim
Research Interests:
The style of Mark's Gospel is to use the Hebrew Bible in a cryptic, enigmatic, and allusive manner that provokes the reader's imagination to uncover intertextual connections with those scriptures. It is a style that... more
The style of Mark's Gospel is to use the Hebrew Bible in a cryptic, enigmatic, and allusive manner that provokes the reader's imagination to uncover intertextual connections with those scriptures. It is a style that effectively draws the reader into Mark's narrative, but it also brings one to recognize that Mark has skillfully woven into his narrative many allusive words and phrases that subtly link the Jesus of his story with the Coming One of the Hebrew Bible. In particular, Mark's description of Jesus in the wilderness ("he was with the wild animals and angels ministered to him," 1:13) provokes the reader's imagination to discover that there is a strong verbal collocation of "the way," "the wilderness," and "the wild beasts" which focuses upon Isa 35:8-10 (in contrast to the study by R. Bauckham, who focuses upon Isa 11:6-9). Yet, the Isaiah text functions as a prism through which Ps 91:9-13 refracts. This psalm seems to be the principal text that informs Mark's narrative concerning Jesus' being with the wild animals while angels tended to him. It is significant that both of the other Synoptic Gospels explicitly bring Psalm 91 to the foreground in their temptation narratives (see Matt 4:6ff.; Luke 4:9ff.). Key Words: allusive, angels, cryptic, fulfillment, intertextual, prismatic, wild animals
Research Interests:
A. B. Caneday - Keeping an Open Mind--How Open Theists Interpret the Bible - Areopagus Journal - March-April 2004, pp. 14-18
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Simply being in the presence of Jesus brought neither belief nor understanding. Throughout the tapestry of each of the Gospels runs a motif hat discloses the harsh reality that the Twelve who were continually with Jesus, though... more
Simply being in the presence of Jesus brought neither belief nor understanding. Throughout the tapestry of each of the Gospels runs a motif hat discloses the harsh reality that the Twelve who were continually with Jesus, though distinguished from the crowds and from the religious leaders in their blindness, nevertheless misunderstood Jesus' true identity because of impaired sight. Not until after Jesus' resurrection did their impaired vision clear because the resurrected Lord opened their eyes [uke 24:3D. Mark stitches this "blindness" theme in bold relief into the fabric of his narrative. Neither seeing Jesus' miracles nor hearing his teaching caused belief leading to understanding. Jesus' parables, miracles, and prophetic acts, being symbolically revelatory needed explanation. Need for Jesus to explain the Parable of the Soils makes this evident (Mark 4:I0ff). Hearing Jesus teach and seeing his miracles and prophetic deeds (e.g., cursing the fig tree and the cleansing of the Temple, 11:12ff) did not produce belief. Even with the privileged “inside” instruction Jesus gave the Twelve (4:11), they did not understand, because while they saw and heard his signs, they failed to see the things signified.
Research Interests:
The significance of the violator of the old covenant who was executed and then hung upon a pole for exposure is not unlike the mere two mentions of Melchizedek in the Old Testament (Gen 14:18; Ps 110:4). Thus, the theological magnitude of... more
The significance of the violator of the old covenant who was executed and then hung upon a pole for exposure is not unlike the mere two mentions of Melchizedek in the Old Testament (Gen 14:18; Ps 110:4). Thus, the theological magnitude of the regulation concerning the practice of hanging the corpse of a covenant breaker is disproportionately greater than its apparent obscurity, being tucked away in a series of case laws in Deuteronomy 21. No prior bearer of the law’s curse could effect permanent removal of that curse, but each one presaged the Coming One who would end both the law and its curse. Thus, the repugnant practice foreshadowed the Coming One.
Use of Deuteronomy 21:22-23 in Galatians 3:13 is the keystone of Paul’s argument because it explains how Jesus Christ, who as the Righteous One, would be hung upon a pole as though he were a covenant breaker. Thus, he became a curse in the place of others in order that he might redeem his people from the “curse of the law” and in place of the curse bring blessing, the
blessing of Abraham and the giving of the Spirit. By taking the law’s curse upon himself, Jesus removes the law’s sanction, putting an end to the law’s jurisdiction (cf. 4:4). The law as broken covenant required satisfaction; the curse needed to be removed in order that the blessing of Abraham, which entails justification and the Spirit, might be given to Jew and Gentile believers without distinction.
Use of Deuteronomy 21:22-23 in Galatians 3:13 is the keystone of Paul’s argument because it explains how Jesus Christ, who as the Righteous One, would be hung upon a pole as though he were a covenant breaker. Thus, he became a curse in the place of others in order that he might redeem his people from the “curse of the law” and in place of the curse bring blessing, the
blessing of Abraham and the giving of the Spirit. By taking the law’s curse upon himself, Jesus removes the law’s sanction, putting an end to the law’s jurisdiction (cf. 4:4). The law as broken covenant required satisfaction; the curse needed to be removed in order that the blessing of Abraham, which entails justification and the Spirit, might be given to Jew and Gentile believers without distinction.
Research Interests:
“Multiculturalism and diversity,” a twentieth-century-born vision among the intellectual, political, and religious elite has established a new and prevailing orthodoxy in the West, especially on America’s college campuses, both secular... more
“Multiculturalism and diversity,” a twentieth-century-born vision among the intellectual, political, and religious elite has established a new and prevailing orthodoxy in the West, especially on America’s college campuses, both secular and religious, and in the media. This vision is religious in character, for it anoints all who embrace it with a “special state of grace.” Those who do not share their vision receive chastisement for being mean-spirited.
This new orthodoxy that imposes a demand for what it calls diversity simultaneously imposes a demand for uniformity of thought and belief. The new orthodoxy has no tolerance for any diverse belief or idea that thoughtfully and critically assesses its claims and its uncritical acceptance. Those who embrace “multiculturalism and diversity” in the cause of tolerance are intolerant of every person who will not tolerate their vision, the new orthodoxy.
The issue at stake is not whether we should welcome diverse peoples among us, but on what principles we should welcome them. No one can possibly oppose the embrace of diverse peoples and at the same time retain a credible confession of being a Christian. The gospel of Jesus Christ obligates us to love and to embrace all who are Christians despite nonconfessional differences, whether racial, social, or sexual. The burden of this article concerns the clash of orthodoxies, the conflict of visions, and the hostility of multiculturalism’s worldviews toward Christianity.
This new orthodoxy that imposes a demand for what it calls diversity simultaneously imposes a demand for uniformity of thought and belief. The new orthodoxy has no tolerance for any diverse belief or idea that thoughtfully and critically assesses its claims and its uncritical acceptance. Those who embrace “multiculturalism and diversity” in the cause of tolerance are intolerant of every person who will not tolerate their vision, the new orthodoxy.
The issue at stake is not whether we should welcome diverse peoples among us, but on what principles we should welcome them. No one can possibly oppose the embrace of diverse peoples and at the same time retain a credible confession of being a Christian. The gospel of Jesus Christ obligates us to love and to embrace all who are Christians despite nonconfessional differences, whether racial, social, or sexual. The burden of this article concerns the clash of orthodoxies, the conflict of visions, and the hostility of multiculturalism’s worldviews toward Christianity.
Research Interests:
SBJT 13.3 (2009): 34-50
Research Interests:
sbjt_103_fall06
Research Interests:
SBJT 15.3 (2011): 26-40
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The style of Mark's Gospel is to use the Hebrew Bible in a cryptic, enigmatic, and allusive manner that provokes the reader's imagination to uncover intertextual connections with those scriptures. It is a style that effectively draws... more
The style of Mark's Gospel is to use the Hebrew Bible in a cryptic, enigmatic,
and allusive manner that provokes the reader's imagination to uncover intertextual connections with those scriptures. It is a style that effectively draws the reader into Mark's narrative, but it also brings one to recognize that Mark has skillfully woven into his narrative many allusive words and phrases that subtly link the Jesus of his story with the Coming One of the Hebrew Bible. In particular, Mark's description of Jesus in the wilderness ("he was with the wild animals and angels ministered to him," 1:13) provokes the reader's imagination to discover that there is a strong verbal collocation of "the way," "the wilderness," and "the wild beasts" which focuses upon Isa 35:8-10 (in contrast to the study by R. Bauckham, who focuses upon Isa 11:6-9). Yet, the Isaiah text functions as a prism through which Ps 91:9-13 refracts. This psalm seems to be the principal text that informs Mark's narrative concerning Jesus' being with the wild animals while angels tended to him. It is significant that both of the other Synoptic Gospels explicitly bring Psalm 91 to the foreground in their temptation narratives (see Matt 4:6ff.; Luke 4:9ff.).
Key Words: allusive, angels, cryptic, fulfillment, intertextual, prismatic,
wild animals
and allusive manner that provokes the reader's imagination to uncover intertextual connections with those scriptures. It is a style that effectively draws the reader into Mark's narrative, but it also brings one to recognize that Mark has skillfully woven into his narrative many allusive words and phrases that subtly link the Jesus of his story with the Coming One of the Hebrew Bible. In particular, Mark's description of Jesus in the wilderness ("he was with the wild animals and angels ministered to him," 1:13) provokes the reader's imagination to discover that there is a strong verbal collocation of "the way," "the wilderness," and "the wild beasts" which focuses upon Isa 35:8-10 (in contrast to the study by R. Bauckham, who focuses upon Isa 11:6-9). Yet, the Isaiah text functions as a prism through which Ps 91:9-13 refracts. This psalm seems to be the principal text that informs Mark's narrative concerning Jesus' being with the wild animals while angels tended to him. It is significant that both of the other Synoptic Gospels explicitly bring Psalm 91 to the foreground in their temptation narratives (see Matt 4:6ff.; Luke 4:9ff.).
Key Words: allusive, angels, cryptic, fulfillment, intertextual, prismatic,
wild animals
Research Interests:
The purpose of this essay is to provide a sampling of a variety of grammatical mistakes that biblical scholars routinely commit concerning conditional sentences of the first and third-class. It is not my intention to develop a brief... more
The purpose of this essay is to provide a sampling of a variety of grammatical mistakes that biblical scholars routinely commit concerning conditional sentences of the first and third-class. It is not my intention to develop a brief grammar of the Greek conditional sentence, at this time. Much good work has already been done toward that end. Rather, it is my objective to show that grammatical errors concerning conditional clauses regularly attach to theological biases. In many cases it seems apparent that a theological bias comes first and then seeks justification by misappropriating grammar and syntax. Following a sampling of contemporary fallacies, a look at an apostolic corrective will demonstrate that the misreading of conditional clauses is no recent phenomenon. But more than that, the apostolic grammar lesson should correct contemporary missteps.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Theological Research Exchange Network - edocs.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Biblical and Scientific Cosmologies-Compatible or Contradictory? The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind (Psalm 115:16). Does the Bible teach a wrong cosmology-and, does the doctrine of accommodation... more
Biblical and Scientific Cosmologies-Compatible or Contradictory? The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind (Psalm 115:16). Does the Bible teach a wrong cosmology-and, does the doctrine of accommodation shed any light on this question? When Copernicus published his theory, challenging Ptolemy's model (2 nd cent. A.D.) and favoring that of Aristarchus of Samos (3 rd cent. B.C.), that the sun not the earth is the center of the solar system, he could not stand outside his earth-bound frame of reference to prove that the earth, on which he stood, rotates daily on an invisible axis and annually revolves around the sun while suspended in space without any visible hanger. His earth-boundedness constrained him to present his theory with a constructed model, an analogical representation of his conceptual hypothesis. Unsurprisingly his proposition met resistance from scientists and theologians, Catholics and Protestants alike.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper seeks to demonstrate that Luke's theological narrative expresses a coherent and consistent theology concerning the Spirit. Through his accounts of John the Baptist and Jesus, Luke's Gospel narrative shapes the metaphor... more
This paper seeks to demonstrate that Luke's theological narrative expresses a coherent and consistent theology concerning the Spirit. Through his accounts of John the Baptist and Jesus, Luke's Gospel narrative shapes
the metaphor "baptized in the Holy Spirit" so that the reader expects an eschatological event of epochal proportions. Luke's theological coherence and consistency in Acts restricts the metaphor "baptized in the Holy Spirit" to describe the risen Messiah's two-phased (Pentecost and Caesarei;) outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon a company of people--Jewish and Gentile believers alike. Luke shows that Christ bestowed the charismatic Spirit equally to demonstrate that from the beginning God intended that all people who believe in Messiah --Jew and Gentile alike-share without distinction in the Christ's salvation, and this apart from submission to the Mosaic Law. For Luke, the dual episodes of Pentecost and Caesarea are epoch-making extensions of the redemptive acts of the now risen and ascended Christ.
the metaphor "baptized in the Holy Spirit" so that the reader expects an eschatological event of epochal proportions. Luke's theological coherence and consistency in Acts restricts the metaphor "baptized in the Holy Spirit" to describe the risen Messiah's two-phased (Pentecost and Caesarei;) outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon a company of people--Jewish and Gentile believers alike. Luke shows that Christ bestowed the charismatic Spirit equally to demonstrate that from the beginning God intended that all people who believe in Messiah --Jew and Gentile alike-share without distinction in the Christ's salvation, and this apart from submission to the Mosaic Law. For Luke, the dual episodes of Pentecost and Caesarea are epoch-making extensions of the redemptive acts of the now risen and ascended Christ.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Admonition and encouragement for students who are devoting themselves to theological studies
Research Interests:
Master of Divinity Thesis - Grace Theological Seminary - 1976
The laying on of the apostles' hands has significance, for the act bestowed the sign gifts to others.
The laying on of the apostles' hands has significance, for the act bestowed the sign gifts to others.
Research Interests:
I wrote this paper for a Th.M. Seminar on the Apostolic Fathers in April 1977. Thomas F. Torrance's critique of Polycarp in The Doctrine of Grace in the Apostolic Fathers gravely misunderstands Polycarp's beliefs concerning God's grace in... more
I wrote this paper for a Th.M. Seminar on the Apostolic Fathers in April 1977. Thomas F. Torrance's critique of Polycarp in The Doctrine of Grace in the Apostolic Fathers gravely misunderstands Polycarp's beliefs concerning God's grace in his Letter to the Philippians.