By Deacon Godsey, Northern Student in the MA in NT Context cohort WHAT A PASTOR GOES THROUGH WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR CHURCH… Deacon Godsey Pastor, Vintage Church Over the last 6+ years of serving as a Lead Pastor in a local church I like to think I’ve grown as a pastor, preacher, teacher and leader. I’ve expanded my skill set, broadened the pool of voices that speak into my life, and deepened my theological education. Unfortunately, one of the things... Read more

Jerusalem, the west side of the temple: Pictures by Erick Hodge: Sir Hodge Read more

Kathryn Applegate, on Hidden Figures: Fifty-five years ago Katherine Johnson helped put a man in space. Why are we still struggling with this stereotype now? I don’t know. It’s a complicated issue and there are no magic bullets. I do know, however, that—contrary to the screeds of atheists—faith in Christ ought to bring hope and confidence, not false humility and fear of failure. The Gospel is the great leveler. “There is neither Jew nor Geek, there is neither slave nor free,... Read more

There are two primary fronts in the conflict or apparent conflict between science and Christian faith: (1) Are the scientific claims intrinsically atheistic? and (2) How do we reconcile Scripture with the scientific data? Neither of these are new problems, but they play a significant role in Western society today. In his book Evolution: Scripture and Nature Say Yes Denis Lamoureux seeks to demonstrate that scientific claims are not intrinsically atheistic, rather that it requires faith to move from science... Read more

Review: The New Christian Zionism By Michelle Van Loon http://MomentsAndDays.org For decades, it seemed that there were only two basic options in the Church when it came to discussions of Israel. The first, dispensationalism, objectifies the idea of Israel both now and in the future, and requires elaborate charts and the entire fictional Left Behind canon to unpack. The second, supercessionism, says that the Church has replaced Israel. The first two-thirds of the Bible, the Old Testament, becomes nothing more... Read more

A view from Masada at the top down on a Roman encampment: Pictures by Erick Hodge: Sir Hodge Read more

A new cohort for the DMin in New Testament Context is taking shape, and I could not be more excited about who is enrolling. Think about joining us… we begin July 10-14, 2017. This will be our second iteration of a new and innovative Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at Northern Seminary. Here’s our announcement: “The DMin in New Testament Context will give pastors the opportunity of a lifetime.  In my speaking and conversations with pastors, preachers, and lay folks,... Read more

I was very impressed with the deadly serious honesty in Wade Hodges’ e-book, Before You Go: A Few Sneaky-Good Questions Every Minister Must Answer Before Moving to a New Church, about pastors leaving churches and what they need to think about. So I asked Wade to write something up for this blog about why he wrote that book, and here are his reflections: From Wade Hodges I occasionally get a comment on my blog that perks me up like a... Read more