For the last year+ I’ve been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I’ve finally completed my M.Div, I’ve taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog posts with our readers. I hope you’re edified […]
regeneration
A Change of Heart — Chapter 2: Mere Christianity (Part 1)
For the last year+ I’ve been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I’ve finally completed my M.Div, I’ve taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog posts with our readers. I hope you’re edified […]
A Change of Heart, ch. 1 — Heart Matters
For the last year+ I’ve been working on a new book, A Change of Heart: Understanding Regeneration and Why it Matters. Now that I’ve finally completed my M.Div, I’ve taken this project back up again. I thought I would share the first two chapters in a series of blog posts with our readers. I hope you’re edified […]
The Immeasurable Greatness of His Power
We are working through the book of Ephesians at Perryville Second Baptist Church. Recently, we came upon Ephesians 1:19 where Paul prays that the Ephesians would know what is the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward believers. It’s a really great prayer. And it’s an important truth for us today. I’m sure you’ve heard some wrong ways […]
Christianity is Supernatural
The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book — A Change of Heart Christianity is supernatural. Left to ourselves we do not fear God, seek God, truly understand God, or care about God’s glory at all. Without the Holy Spirit, we don’t even want to know the problem, much less possess the means or […]
Augustine vs. Pelagius
The Debate In the 5th century — the early 400s — there was a controversy in the church between two men, Augustine and Pelagius, over God’s grace in salvation. Pelagius essentially argued in such a way that would minimize the necessity of regeneration. He taught against men being guilty because of Adam’s sin and against […]
A Primer on Jacob Arminius, John Wesley, and Charles Finney
Jacob Arminius and John Wesley Jacob Arminius (1560-1609), in response to William Perkins, wrote, “No one believes, without the exercise of his will. But the actual exercise of the will to believe is a different thing from the ability to will to believe; the latter belongs to all men, the former to the regenerate only, […]
4 Conversion Stories
John Wesley I disagree with Wesley on several important doctrinal points. But consider how he recounts his own testimony from May 24, 1738: “In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he […]
You Must be Born Again: Make Regeneration Great Again
In God’s kind providence, it was a biblical understanding of the great doctrine of regeneration that birthed (I’m not sure if I’m intending the pun or not) the evangelical movement of the 18th century. Sadly, it is also a misunderstanding and underemphasis of this doctrine that has contributed to the unraveling of evangelicalism in the […]
The Religious Affections and Pastoral Ministry
Recently, I had the opportunity to preach a message at a Jonathan Edwards conference on The Religous Affections. I’d like to share a few practical applications for pastors when it comes to religious affections. But first: What are Religious Affections? One of Edwards’ most famous works is his Treatise on the Religious Affections. In this book, […]
A Short Recounting of George Whitefield’s Conversion
Before Lifeway, there was the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. In the Mid-20th Century, this board put out a series of studies for churches to use with their parishioners. One such study was called Soul-Winning Doctrines by J. Clyde Turner (1943). In his section on regeneration, he gives a short recounting of George Whitefield’s […]
Brittany the Broccoli Hater
It was funny at first. Little two-year-old Brittany’s parents thought it was so cute as she’d spit out the green vegetable and then viciously rub her hands on her tongue as though attempting to erase every shred of taste completely out of her mouth. Well, it was sort of cute actually. The way she’d furrow […]