Ethics is sometimes apportioned a chapter at the end of a theology and it is often, too, postured as something that is the “application” or “implication” of the real stuff, the theology. There’s something to the priority of theology but there’s also something to thinking of theology as the ideas needed to explain the kind of behavior we need. Enter John Goldingay’s newest book, Old Testament Ethics: A Guided Tour. A book for students, for church groups, for pastors — well... Read more

In his new book called Restless Faith, former Fuller Seminary president Richard Mouw dips into the question of labels and asks if we should call evangelicalism a “former movement.” He’s unwilling to give up on the term. I find the term, at least in the USA, well-nigh useless today. Is it? I don’t want to come off as defensive about my own preference for holding on to the label. I think it is a healthy thing to argue about whether a... Read more

Chapter five of Daniel Harrell’s book, Nature’s Witness: How Evolution Can Inspire Faith, begins with a joke (p. 69): A scientist tells God that he’s figured out how to create life from the dust of the ground, just like God did in the beginning. Consequently, the scientist says, he’s shown that God is no longer a plausible hypothesis for the origin of life. Impressed, the Lord tells the scientist to do it again; he’d like to watch. So the scientist... Read more

By Becky Castle Miller Becky Castle Miller is on the pastoral staff at Damascus Road International Church in Maastricht, Netherlands, as Discipleship Director. She is the co-author, with Scot McKnight, of the discipleship curriculum Following King Jesus,. She conveys her five kids around town on bikes and studies New Testament in the middle of the night via Northern Live. What is the difference between a Christian and a follower of Jesus? There shouldn’t be one. But in practice, often there is.... Read more

By Kellye Fabian, Northern student in our MA in New Testament program She is the Pastor of Protection, Conciliation, and Doctrinal Casework at Willow Creek Community Church Author of Sacred Questions: A Transformative Journey Through the Bible. When I started my masters program at Northern Seminary, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of how the experience would impact the ministry I was doing. I didn’t have any specific plans about how I would use what I’d learned or how... Read more

By Geoff Holsclaw: a professor and pastor, offering a free mini-course on The 3 Forgotten Reasons for Jesus’ Death, to help expand your understanding of Jesus’s death. Is the “sacrifice of atonement” in Romans 3:25 referring to a propitiation (appeasing God’s wrath), an expiation (cleansing human sin), or the mercy seat (the place of God’s reconciling presence)? And why does it matter? Words are Funny Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway? Why does “to... Read more

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.... Read more

A good week — some translating and I spoke at Spring Arbor U in Michigan. Plus, as noted below, Katie Bouman’s imaging of the black hole is now public. It is a sad reality that many women’s stories end up in a black hole in various church groups. We have #MeToo, #ChurchToo, and now #MissionsToo. Dalaina May deserves our attention, folks. The #MeToo movement has successfully pulled back the curtain on hidden misogyny and rampant abuse of women in US... Read more

By Mike Glenn In my life, I’ve seen a lot of things. Most of them are pretty forgettable, but some are hard to forget. One of those images I have in my head comes from an event that happened several years ago. Mother Teresa was in the United States on a speaking tour celebrating her humanitarian work in India. During one of the dinners, she was speaking and President Bill Clinton was seated to her immediate left. During her remarks,... Read more

What do you think? Newsweek: This May, Vice President Mike Pence is set to deliver two commencement addresses, but students at Taylor University are attempting to get his invitation rescinded. On Thursday, Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, announced Pence would be a featured speaker at the May 18 ceremony. “Mr. Pence has been a good friend to the University over many years, and is a Christian brother whose life and values have exemplified what we strive to instill in our graduates,” Taylor... Read more