Yesterday saw the shock announcement that Spurgeon’s College is closing. I say that it was a shock because it seemed to come out of nowhere. However, those who have been following the situation with theological education maybe won’t be so surprised that some places are closing. There have been issues with student numbers and finance… Continue reading Spurgeon’s college: A shock closure and thoughts about the future of theological training
Category: Theology
The Return of the Federal Vision?
When I went to theological college in 2006, I went against the backdrop of three major theological controversies that had been brewing in Evangelical circles. I was familiar with two of them, Open Theism and the controversy surrounding Steve Chalke and Penal Substitution. However, I was completely unaware of the third. Apparently, a few years… Continue reading The Return of the Federal Vision?
Point of departure: responding to Matthew Barrett on leaving the SBC for Anglicanism
Matthew Barrett has recently announced that he has left the Southern Baptist Convention in favour of Anglicanism. This is significant because Barrett has been pushed forward as a leading spokesman of Classical Theism and evidence that it was possible to hold this position and remain baptistic. Barrett writes here about his reasons for departing. There’s… Continue reading Point of departure: responding to Matthew Barrett on leaving the SBC for Anglicanism
Getting the doctrine of the Trinity in focus
If like me you have dodgy eye-sight, and spend a lot of time at the Opticians. You’ll be familiar with the question “better here …or better here” and then “okay, now try again with the last line you can read.” The optician is working hard to finally tune the prescription for your spectacles so that… Continue reading Getting the doctrine of the Trinity in focus
Is God “a united family?”
I want to pick up on the issue that Graham Shearer raised in his Evangelicals Now article. As I observed in my previous article, it’s hard to check and assess what others are actually saying because we haven’t been told where the quotes are from. However, it should be possible for us to think a… Continue reading Is God “a united family?”
Defeating the strongman: When Jesus confronts the Devil’s kingdom
This Sunday we are tackling Luke 11 in church. We cannot cover all the spin off issues in detail. So, here’s a few videos picking up on what we can know about the Devil and demons.
Who actually said that?
Graham Shearer asks “Is the Trinity a united family?” He goes on to say that Evangelistic materials are increasingly talking about the Triune God which he sees as a good thing. However, his concern is that the way the Trinity is described falls short. He offers a specific example: “A few years ago, when teaching… Continue reading Who actually said that?
The case for life part 2. Assisted Dying and what the Bible says about Creation and New Creation
In part 1, we looked at how what we believe about God and about us (humanity) shapes our ethics when it comes to abortion and euthanasia. There are four key questions that I encourage people to think about when making practical and ethical decisions. What do I believe about who God is? What do I… Continue reading The case for life part 2. Assisted Dying and what the Bible says about Creation and New Creation
Are equality and authority in competition?
I recently saw a comment relating to the debate on complementarian marriage that it is not possible to have permanent authority over someone and be equal to them? Is that right? On the surface it seems obviously true, especially from a post modern perspective. However, I just want to get us to push our thinking… Continue reading Are equality and authority in competition?
Do we need to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus for salvation (a response to NT Wright)?
NT Wright has recently raised the question as to whether it is necessary to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. It’s in relation to his friend Marcus Borg, a more liberal scholar. Wright’s assessment is that Borg was a muddled Christian, he didn’t think the body mattered and had rejected a more dogmatic form… Continue reading Do we need to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus for salvation (a response to NT Wright)?
