I’ve decided that this is as good a place as any to conclude the debate/conversation I’ve been having with Andrew Bartlett. It’s not a conversation that continue indefinitely and I am at a stage where I need to give my time to other matters that are more my priority here on Faithroots, specifically I’ve got… Continue reading Concluding my interactions with Andrew Bartlett and his book “Men and Women in Christ”
Category: Theology
Biography does not guarantee accuracy
One of the interesting things about blogging is that every so often someone links to your blog. Sometimes that’s other bloggers offering a list of recently read articles, sometimes someone engages to challenge you and sometimes they just reference your article as an example of something.I had one of the last kind the other day.… Continue reading Biography does not guarantee accuracy
Headship and submission, sacrificial love and entrusting to
A lot of the debate about complementarianism in marriage focuses on two questions. I have argued that yes, Ephesians 5:21 does describe mutual submission and that this flows into Paul’s instructions for marriage. So, my approach is that husbands and wives do submit to one an other in marriage, within the context of the husband’s… Continue reading Headship and submission, sacrificial love and entrusting to
“They’re only words”: temptation and confusion in a debate about desire
John Stevens recently shared my article about John Calvin”s views on Concupiscence (desire) via Social Media. Oddly, at the time of writing, I haven’t seen anyone come back either directly to me or via John’s Facebook page to argue that I’ve got the case wrong. instead, a couple of people were very quick to complain… Continue reading “They’re only words”: temptation and confusion in a debate about desire
More reformed perspectives on sin, temptation and desire
We’ve had a look at what John Calvin has to say about desire (concupiscence). It is worth widening out our look at the Reformed tradition. The Westminister Confession The Westminster Confession’s 6th chapter is all about sin. I note that in the version I’ve got in front of me, the term concupiscence doesn’t appear in… Continue reading More reformed perspectives on sin, temptation and desire
Calvin on sin, desire and temptation
The primary claim of those arguing that concupiscence is sin with the implication that it is sinful to even be tempted is that theirs is the historical position of the church. This will often include a reference to Augustine, although his view doesn’t seem to have been as clear cut. However, the claim is also… Continue reading Calvin on sin, desire and temptation
What is an Evangelical?
It’s over twenty years now since the controversy over Steve Chalke’s book, The Lost Message of Jesus. Central to the controversy was his rejection of Penal Substitution and central to the response was that you can’t deny Penal Substitution and continue to be recognised as an Evangelical. It is worth noting that at the time,… Continue reading What is an Evangelical?
Desire: What is the concupiscence debate all about?
I’ve been starting to dip my toe into a little theological debate about something called “concupiscence”. I’ve so far focused on highlighting what Scripture has to say about desire and temptation. It’s probably worth saying a little bit more about what the debate seems to be all about. In the new volume, Ruined Sinners to… Continue reading Desire: What is the concupiscence debate all about?
Jesus, desire and temptation
We cannot talk about desire and temptation without looking at Jesus’ experience of temptation. We can see this exemplified in the temptation he experienced in the wilderness from Satan and secondly in the Garden of Gethsemane. Remember that Jesus’ experience of temptation is different to ours, he was without sin and so his nature was… Continue reading Jesus, desire and temptation
“But I wish you had tap danced”: Why good interpretation of Scripture, historical theology and contemporary conversation partners matters
As noted previously, David and Jonathan Gibson have beef with John Stevens over his book “The fight of your life.” Some of their critique is rather peculiar. They acknowledge that it is a short, pastoral work (in fact it was based on a series of talks” and then complain that rather than engaging at length… Continue reading “But I wish you had tap danced”: Why good interpretation of Scripture, historical theology and contemporary conversation partners matters
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