The answer is Yes. There are a number of theologians doing “theological interpretation of Scripture” (TIS) today. While it is unfair to the nuances of each theologian to mix them all into one batch, the fundamental strategy is generically alike. That is, they know where they stand theologically, they believe where they stand is solid footing (they think it’s truth), and they then are liberated to see either reflections or intimations of that theology in the Old Testament. What, after all,... Read more

The Bible needs to become more central to our faith, not by way of absolute certain interpretations but by putting it on the table first. As NT Wright says, To affirm “the authority of scripture” is precisely not to say, “We know what scripture means and don’t need to raise any more questions.” It is always a way of saying that the church in each generation must make fresh and rejuvenated efforts to understand scripture more fully and live by... Read more

https://soundcloud.com/user-212639123/living-like-christ-in-the-face-of-evil-kr-53 Read more

The apostle Peter advocated “doing good” (e.g., 1 Peter 2:11-12) in one’s community. This community is doing that around its interests and giftedness and needs. CODY THOMPSON | The Journal Gazette Outside Door 3 at a run-down garage on Cass Street, they wait. Some are old. Some are young. About half of them have bikes with rudimentary locks. Whenever cars pull into the lot, they look at them with suspicion. They talk amongst themselves, sometimes laughing and sometimes arguing. Then... Read more

I recently picked up yet another book on Creation, this one by Justo L. González, a United Methodist minister and scholar. [Creation] The Apple of God’s Eye is a short book (99 pages) ideal for a small group study from high school through adult. This book isn’t a Bible study, rather it is a theological discussion of the nature of creation. In this post I want to look at two of the points González brings up in the second chapter.... Read more

The Bible needs to become more central to the faith of more Christians. Books and ideas are good but they do not replace the Word about the Word. The Bible’s central passage about the Bible is Psalm 119, so to Psalm 119 we go! Psalm 119, captured by some as Torah piety, is a “medley of praise, prayer and wisdom” (Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101-150, Word). This Psalm, noted above by it being an acrostic with eight lines beginning with the same... Read more

By Kristen Marble, an ordained elder with the Free Methodist Church, is the Pastor of Mars Hill Free Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. She also teaches Bible & Theology courses for the Free Methodist Church during January intensive J-Term Courses. Kristen is working on a doctorate on the NT Context at Northern Seminary. Her doctoral project is exploring how the Old Testament should be used in the Church today. Kristen loves to travel, read, write, speak, explore thrift stores and experiment with new recipes alongside John,... Read more

From Jonathan Storment: The author of this blog is a missionary in North Africa with Pioneer Bible Translators. She, along with her husband and three little girls, lives on the outskirts of a refugee camp in a very politically unstable part of the world. There they are working to facilitate disciple-making, Bible translation and mother tongue literacy among two least-reached Muslim groups. Despite the occasional craziness, they really love what God has called them to do. So this past Christmas... Read more

There is still time to apply for my New Testament Context Doctorate of Ministry.   There are only 3 spots left, so apply today!  (application deadline is June 5th.) Course Schedule The courses meet in January and summer of each year. A course/class meets for one week long intensive, five days per week, beginning on Monday at 9 a.m. and ending on Friday around noon. This is a wonderful format for DMin study and it allows you to focus for about 5-6 months... Read more

Dennis Venema’s final chapter in Adam and the Genome examines his move from a position of Intelligent Design to Evolutionary Creation. It isn’t that he finds the world a random mess with humans as lucky accidents. Rather, he has come to believe that evolutionary mechanisms are God’s means of intelligently designing and sustaining his creation. This is an important point. All Christians believe that God intelligently designed the earth and that humans are created in his image. The issue is... Read more