The last post on Old Earth or Evolutionary Creation: Discussing Origins with Reasons to Believe and BioLogos outlined John Walton’s approach to biblical interpretation. Today’s post will summarize the approach taken by Kenneth Samples and Reasons to Believe (hereafter RTB).  In many respects the views of RTB and BioLogos are similar. Both take Scripture seriously and view it as the word of God. As Kenneth Samples puts it “Christianity is built on the truth of divine revelation.” (p. 33) God... Read more

In Jonathan Pennington’s virtue-ethics-based approach to the Sermon on the Mount, the finest example I have seen of a virtue-ethics approach (see The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing), seven big ideas in the Sermon are sketched. (These in addition to “blessing” and “perfection.”) These amount to Seven Big Ideas of Jesus, especially if one approaches Jesus through the lens of the Synoptic Gospels (with an emphasis on Matthew!) This is a good discussion of the Sermon’s “lexicon” or... Read more

Beside the hubris and irony of their now connecting the Nashville Statement to Nicea, Constantinople, and Chalcedon, a Trinitarian theology many of their signers have not been affirming (with their unorthodox theology on the eternal subordination of the Son), here’s my response: Those we can’t trust for orthodoxy on the Trinity can’t be trusted when it comes to morality. Read more

By Jimmy Adcox, “Reflections on 40 Years with the Same Church” I can hardly believe I am completing forty years with the same church. In early September of 1977, at the youthful age of 25, my wife and I made the journey from Jackson, Tennessee to our new home with the Southwest Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas. With two little boys in tow, we crossed the Mississippi with youthful inexperience and started a journey we never imagined would extend so long... Read more

Joshua Jipp opens up his first major chapter on salvation by faith and hospitality with these words, words that express insight about high school cafeterias as well as your local church: Whom you eat with can say a lot about who you are or at least about who you think you are. Think about the meals you’ve shared with another person or group in the past few weeks or so. Who comes to mind? For most of 
us, the companions... Read more

Quartz: Many people concerned about climate change assume that eventually, the growing weight of facts will persuade those who dismiss humans’ role in the problem to think again. Surely, the theory goes, the plentiful evidence will eventually make any naysayer understand the severity of the situation. But political ideology has a powerful effect, and new research shows that education and facts don’t prevent climate change deniers from cherry picking evidence to support their own beliefs. A study published this week in Proceedings of... Read more

Chapter two of Old Earth or Evolutionary Creation: Discussing Origins with Reasons to Believe and BioLogos focuses on biblical interpretation. John Walton presents his view as one approach common in evolutionary creation and at BioLogos. Kenneth Samples writes for Reasons to Believe. Today we will look at John’s opening statement. The next post will focus on Ken’s presentation of his view. At BioLogos “we believe the Bible is the inspired and authoritative word of God.” Scripture is taken very seriously... Read more

Does Greg Boyd affirm divine wrath? Good question. It depends. There are plenty of strong-minded theologians who proudly announce their affirmation of divine wrath, John Macarthur being one, who unfortunately do not keep wrath in any kind of tension or balance with grace. It won’t do flatly to announce wrath as divine retribution and leave it at that. Wrath, Yes, but how? Whether you like Greg Boyd’s view or not, he attempts to bring the fullness of Scripture into alignment... Read more

Our prayers today are for Texas: For those impacted by the hurricane on the Gulf Coast of Texas, For all the people, For the damage done, For the leaders of the communities, For the State of Texas’ response, and For federal assistance. Lord, have mercy. Read more

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. BCP Read more