In my GBTS class on ecclesiology the other night, Dr. Jeffrey Johnson told us the story of John Calvin’s pastoral ministry in Geneva during the plague of 1542. I was able to check out Harry Reeder’s work in John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion Doctrine & Theology (edited by Burk Parsons) to learn a little more. […]
ecclesiology
Everything Egalitarianism and Then Some
Do you miss the days not too long ago when the hot social media topics were egalitarianism and social justice instead of virtual church? No? Regardless, here’s everything we’ve written on complementarianism and egalitarianism (so far) in one convenient list. Commentaries Beth Moore the Broken Clock I suppose I should be thankful for God’s use […]
Sundays Are For Training
I graduated from High School and Bible College with adequate grades. I tried, but I didn’t exactly over-exert myself, to be honest. “Coasting” was probably the right word for it. I learned enough and enjoyed the classes I enjoyed and got through the classes I needed to get through. Regrets Not a day goes by […]
1 Timothy 2:12 Revisited — The Authority Word Problem
In How to Use a “For” Clause: 1 Timothy 2:12 and Egalitarianism, I explained how the two phrases in verses 13 and 14 should guide our understanding of how Paul uses the verb “do not permit” in verse 12. More recently, I came across Defusing the 1 Timothy 2:12 Bomb, an argument that “there are too […]
A Letter to a New Believer
I received a question about how to grow as a Christian and what advice I would offer to someone who was recently converted on how to “practically” mature in the faith. The person specifically stated “I need a literal path, not just read your Bible, attend church, etc.” My response is below. Feel free to […]
Women Professors and the Seminary’s Place in the Church
John Piper controversially opined back in January that women should not teach in seminaries. The essential reason he gave is that seminary professors should be models of the pastoral office that seminary students can emulate. I made some thoughts on the topic known on Twitter, but let’s explore this a bit more. Must All Seminary […]
Don’t Get Woke. Get to Know Your Local Church Brethren.
Nestled within 1 Corinthians 11, we find a likely familiar passage concerning the Lord’s Table which pertains to the current social media conversation on racism and socioeconomic class. Critical race theory is probably the last topic I want to write about at the moment, but it certainly is the topic du jour, so let’s take it on […]
3 Reasons not to Baptize Young Children
A 2014 Christianity Today article highlighted a growing trend in the SBC of baptizing children age 5 and under. From my personal observation and discussions among other Southern Baptists, I have no reason to believe this practice is slowing down in 2018. It is my desire in this post to hopefully help us curb this […]
How to Use a “For” Clause: 1 Timothy 2:12 and Egalitarianism
Did Paul mean in 1 Timothy 2:12 that he is really prohibiting women from teaching or exercising authority over men on a permanent basis? Let’s do some grammar work. 12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was […]