On a weekly basis I take each of my three children out, one-on-one, to spend some quality time together. Part of that time involves going through some sort of study resource and the other part involves us going to get a meal, or a small toy of the equivalent price. It is a time we all look forward to and are sore if we miss it, yet my sentiments are probably a bit different than my children’s. I look to... Read more
I am under the unwavering conviction that unless I am genuinely ill, people are in the throes of death, my legs are rendered inoperable, or we are trapped in our house, church attendance is mandatory. I will not miss it. Even when I’ve had to miss it under those circumstances, which is quite rare indeed, I have hated it. However, for the sake of being completely transparent, this was not always the case, especially early on in my faith. There... Read more
One of the least comprehended realities of the Christian worldview is bound up within the doctrine of forgiveness. When I make this statement, I do not have in mind the overlooking of small or insignificant offenses. Anyone can do this. Anyone can overlook the sins of their child if they love them. Any person can find it within themselves to forgive someone of something hurtful if they like the individual enough. What I speak towards is the reality bound up... Read more
My pastor recently preached upon the Parable of the Sower and I’ve come back to it a handful of times in further reflection since then. Parables were designed to conceal the truth from those whom Isaiah prophesied of (Is. 6:9-10), yet then were revealed to Christ’s disciples (and us vicariously). In this particular example, the text speaks not primarily of the sower—but of the soils upon which the seed fell. The seed represents the Word of God and the soils, of... Read more
I recently set myself to the task of reviewing books once again. Prior to seminary, I had started this practice as a means to both quench my thirst for reading books that far surpassed my means of income, but also, find helpful resources for the church. There are many books written each year from an Evangelical persuasion that are unhelpful, unbiblical, or simply just poorly written. My hope with reviewing books was to be able to wade through these materials... Read more
Despite modern efforts to minimize the importance of fathers, the reality is that dads will invariably set the tone of the entire household. Regardless if they are active or passive in their leadership, they will lead by example. The negligent and lazy father will set the tone for his sons; they too shall more than likely grow to be negligent and lazy men. The diligent and hard-working father will likewise lay a path before his sons to walk when they... Read more
Far too often we use words so flippantly that when we see them in the Scriptures or hear of them ascribed to the Lord, we lose any sense of impact or grandeur that might usually accompany them. When everything is described as “awesome” then God Himself cannot be not awesome, simply because God is outside of and above created order, and we have then relegated what is common to creation to be like the Creator. Some might find this level... Read more
Our culture has become so delusional in correctly identifying biblical sexuality and masculinity, that an entire generation is missing the beauty in the emotive, platonic bond between Frodo and Sam. Read more
In my last article, I offered some explanation as to why so many American Evangelicals don’t understand the theology and practice of infant baptism. I argued that, due to a preconditioned hermeneutic to read the Bible with a dispensational paradigm, many miss the cultural and scriptural substrata (Covenant Theology) for pedobaptism. If you have not read that article, I encourage you to do so; this article is the second in the series and builds on that important premise. As we... Read more
My aim is not to provide exhaustive histories, compressive scriptural explanations, and detailed summaries for both sides of the debate. For as I’ve hinted, this topic has been written and discussed for centuries. There are volumes of relative content available (much better than mine) if the reader wishes to expand beyond my simple treatise. Rather, my intention is to provide a straightforward introduction to the practice and theology of pedobaptism, answer why its often overlooked by modern evangelicals, and defend it from scripture. My experience is that many Evangelicals do not rightly understand the theology behind infant baptism. I hear all too often that such practices are only lingering remnants of Roman Catholicism and “popery”. I can assure you that this is not the case. The practice of pedobaptism within Protestantism is not a result of a failure to finish the Reformation. If I accomplish nothing else than to put that nonsense to rest, I will have done well. Read more
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