Christian Smith, in his must-read and challenging book, Bible Made Impossible, The: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture, contends that what many of us (evangelicals) affirm is impossible to hold with intellectual integrity.  The fundamental problem that undercuts biblicism as a sufficient basis for articulating the Christian faith is interpretive pluralism. That’s the problem. Smith has explained and attempted to demolish biblicism as impossible and as unworthy for evangelicalism. That’s laudable, if in its place Smith... Read more

By Robert Rakestraw: What is the controversy all about? At the risk of overwhelming serious readers with yet another piece on Trinity and gender, I offer this contribution with the hope that some may gain a bit more clarity on an aspect of the dispute that continues to smolder and even burst into flames regularly. In this series, I will address and support the necessary qualitative distinction between the eternal inner life of the Trinity and the temporal inter-relationships of... Read more

From Logan Young: Ellie McCadams recently gained a new friend. And on top of that, an entire team of friends and teammates now has her back. Just having turned 14 in September, Ellie is the newest and youngest honorary member of the Southeast Missouri State University women’s Redhawks basketball team. And it all started with senior guard Olivia Hackmann. Near the end of August or early September, Hackmann began to swim weekly with Ellie during her physical-therapy sessions for cerebral... Read more

From AJ Willingham: (CNN)A farming community in Indiana stepped up for a grieving grandfather at a time when he needed it the most. Steve Wollyung’s granddaughter Ayla passed away this month after getting trapped in a grain wagon. Time stops when a family faces such a tragedy. But Wollyung is a farmer, and the harvest season waits for no one. In the days following the accident, a family friend called Wollyung’s wife to inquire about the work left to be... Read more

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Kris and I say to one and all, Happy Thanksgiving! Almighty and gracious Father, We give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the... Read more

“Only with an understanding of complementarity in marriage do we have any grounding for monogamy and exclusivity [in marriage; thus, fidelity].” [By complementarity he means roles that are hierarchical and patriarchal.] So, according to DeYoung fidelity is determined by role not by love; he has here accused all egalitarians of not having a grounding for a faithful monogamous marriage. [SMcK: According to my sources, Kevin DeYoung means by “complementarity” only male-female marital relations and not the typical use of complementarianism.... Read more

The Nicene and Reformed doctrine of the Trinity. (A paper given by Kevin Giles at the plenary forum on the Trinity at the Evangelical Theological Society annual conference, 15th November, 2016 at San Antonia. The other speakers were Dr Bruce Ware, Dr Millard Erickson and Dr Wayne Grudem; Dr Sam Storms presided.) Kevin Giles Thank you, Dr Storms, for your welcome. It is a huge honor to be invited to give the introductory address at this ETS plenary forum on... Read more

By Ben Pickett, the Discipleship Minister at the Highland Church of Christ in Abilene Texas. A couple of weeks ago I was one of a handful of ministers invited to join a panel discussion for a group of students at a local Christian university. We were a diverse group both in our respective traditions and in the various roles in which we served. Some on the panel were seasoned vets in ministry and some not so seasoned, but it was... Read more

Christian Smith, in his must-read and challenging book, Bible Made Impossible, The: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture, contends that what many of us (evangelicals) affirm is impossible to hold with intellectual integrity. He calls this belief “biblicism,” which I discussed recently. The fundamental problem that undercuts biblicism as a sufficient basis for articulating the Christian faith is interpretive pluralism. That’s the big idea. In the first three chps Smith unpacks the meaning and problem with... Read more