The Wounded Shepherd: Is the Pastor Allowed to Grow?
Ask the question another way. Is there such a thing as a pastor who does not need to grow? Is there such a thing as a Christian who does not need to grow? To whom is 2Peter 1:1-11 and 3:17-18…
Category Theology for Everyone
The Wounded Shepherd: The Abuse of Unrealistic Expectations
The History of Unrealistic Expectations Placed upon Pastors Throughout the history of the church, pastors have been burdened with expectations that exceed both biblical warrant and human capacity. While pastoral ministry has always carried weighty responsibility, the modern period, particularly…
The Wounded Shepherd: When Sheep Bite
It was time for me to leave. When I took the call to a congregational Baptist church four years earlier, I didn’t know that I would soon undergo the change of a lifetime—a change of my convictions. The church’s doctrinal…
Sola Scriptura is Not Solo Scriptura
In understanding the Reformation commitment to Sola Scriptura, it has become increasingly necessary to distinguish this truth from the distorted error of Solo Scriptura – an error that Rome wrongly attributes to the Reformers but also, ironically, an error…
Sola Scriptura & Canon
Earlier this month, a group of art experts in Amsterdam dropped an art world bombshell: “Rijksmuseum Researchers Discover New Painting by Rembrandt van Rijn.” The painting in question, Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, had been rejected by scholars as…
Names of God: Elohim, the Majestic Creator
“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare’s Juliet, frustrated by the fact that, due to a blood feud, Romeo’s surname of Montague prevents them from being an item, posits that a name is just an insignificant label; it’s the person’s character that…
Early Heresies: Marcion
Imagine you belong to an urban church. You have some generous members, but money remains tight as the church continues to grow. Meanwhile, tensions with city and its officials are on the rise. Your social credit score, much like your…
Early Heresies: Pelagianism
Some diseases are more pernicious, causing more damage to the body, than others. And in like fashion some heresies tend to have a kind of pernicious staying power that cause significant damage to the body of Christ more than others. …
Sola Scriptura: What is it?
Many years ago, two friends and I developed an interest in rock climbing. We lived in an area where you could do a lot of top roping or climbs where the rope could be secured at the top of the…
Early Heresies: Montanism
Montanism in the Second Century: “I am the Lord God, the almighty, dwelling in man.”[1] These shocking words were spoken by Montanus of Phrygia (modern-day Turkey) in the mid-second century, A.D. Along with two disciples, Priscilla and Maximilla, Montanus claimed…