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The new August 2024 issue of Themelios has 263 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. It is freely available in three formats: (1) PDF, (2) web version, and (3) Logos Bible Software.

Editorial: What Makes a “Good” Theological Article?

BRIAN J. TABB

Strange Times: The Tightrope of Teaching Typology

DANIEL STRANGE

A Tale of Two Texts: How the Westminster Confession of Faith Was Changed by American Presbyterians to Reflect a New Understanding of the Civil Magistrate

BY KEVIN DEYOUNG

Kevin DeYoung juxtaposes the American Presbyterians’ revision of the Westminster Confession of Faith in 1788 with the original 1646 version. He highlights how the American Presbyterians rejected the European model of the relationship between church and state, preferring to keep the two generally separate.

“Do Not Think It Is Impossible for Anyone to Please God While Engaged in Active Military Service”: An Augustinian Critique of the Narrative of the American Military

BY NATHAN CANTU

Nathan Cantu applies Augustine’s insights in Confessions and The City of God. According to Augustine, Christians do not participate in military service for the glory and expansion of the state but to preserve peace, restrain evil, and facilitate the work of the church.

Wisdom Is Vindicated by Her Deeds: Ecclesiastes 3:1–15 in Matthew 11:16–19

BY JOSHUA BREMERMAN

This article proposes an Old Testament allusion to Ecclesiastes 3 in Matthew 11:16-19. Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 is the “wisdom” that Jesus has in mind, and Bremerman argues that the context of Ecclesiastes 3 sheds light on Jesus’ biting critique of his audience.

Irenaeus and the Adam-Christ Typology in the Gospel of John

BY MARK MAKOWIECKI

Some scholars propose that Adam Christology is only found in Pauline literature. Makowiecki, however, argues that it can be discerned in Irenaeus’s reading of the Gospel of John. The Fourth Gospel is a treasure trove of insights into the relationship between Adam and Christ.

Unbelieving Child and Qualified Elder: A Case for “Faithful” Children in Titus 1:6

BY TIMOTHY E. MILLER

Commentators and English translations have leaned towards the “believing” position, that is, elders must have Christian children to remain qualified for ministry. Miller argues, though, that the Greek word πιστά is best rendered “faithful” in accordance with lexical, contextual, theological, and practical considerations.

John Owen’s Theology of Public Worship

BY JACOB BOYD

Boyd presents the case that John Owen pushed back against imposed liturgies, such as the Book of Common Prayer, because their enforcement crippled a congregation to worship God freely. Owen’s theology of public worship is established on the triune God and beholding him by faith now. A church’s worship should be characterized by actively being in communion with Christ and by looking at him through the prescribed ordinances of worship found in the Word of God.

An All-Out Ministry: Strain and Suffering in Spurgeon’s Pastoral Theology

BY LELAND BROWN

While C. H. Spurgeon’s sufferings and pastoral ministry have often been explored separately, Leland Brown recognizes that Spurgeon viewed his own suffering and ministry going hand-in-hand. Pastors must suffer because they are Christ’s servants, conduits of his grace to others. Spurgeon’s outlook is also a model for pastors today.

Atonement by Union: Probing Crisp’s Union Account with John Owen

BY J. BRITTAIN BREWER

Oliver Crisp has recently suggested a novel “union account” that takes into consideration many of the classic atonement views while arguing for a basic coherence in terms of realistic solidarity with Christ. Brewer’s article appraises the strengths and weaknesses of Crisp’s account, suggesting that the Reformed tradition, especially John Owen, provides a stronger atonement model that incorporates union and does not fall prey to the problems of a realist solidarity.

Contraception and the Church: Making Sense of the Debate and Some Pastoral Advice

BY DENNIS M. SULLIVAN

Sullivan reviews the ethical and theological issues surrounding birth control, with an emphasis on hormonal methods. He evaluates emergency contraception, intrauterine devices, natural family planning, and sterilization. The article concludes with practical implications for local-church ministry.

Simultaneous Prayer: A Pentecostal Perspective

BY ROBERT P. MENZIES

Menzies responds to Scott MacDonald’s Themelios article that questions the practice of simultaneous prayer in Acts 4:23-31. Menzies argues that Acts 4:23–31 describes the corporate practice of praying different prayers at the same time. The Acts 4 prayer, when viewed against the backdrop of Luke’s literary style and his emphases on prayer, is neither pre-planned nor liturgical.

The Spirit of God and the Religions of the World: A Response to Amos Yong’s Claims

BY J. DAVID WILLOUGHBY

Amos Yong, an acclaimed Pentecostal scholar, argues for what he calls a pneumatological theology of religions. Such a viewpoint allows him to “bracket the soteriological question” and bypass the constraints of a narrow Christology, opening the possibility of salvation to those outside the Christian faith. Yong goes on to suggest that the Holy Spirit sustains non-Christian religions, and that they are in fact his instruments in the world today. Willoughby surveys Yong’s view on the Spirit and world religions, evaluates it in light of biblical data, and then proposes a more biblical way of speaking of the Spirit’s interaction among those of other faiths.

Pastoral Pensées: “We Do Not Lose Heart”: Theological Encouragement for Endurance and Opportunities for Reflection from 2 Corinthians 4:1–16

BY CODY WILBANKS

Pastors often experience great hardship in ministry and are prone to burnout and discouragement. Cody Wilbanks explores Paul’s theological encouragement for endurance in 2 Corinthians 4:1–16 and offers opportunities for personal reflection for those in the throes of gospel ministry.

Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters

REVIEWED BY STEVEN W. GUEST

Creator: A Theological Interpretation of Genesis 1

REVIEWED BY THOMAS HAVILAND-PABST

Being Elisabeth Elliot

REVIEWED BY KARIN SPIECKER STETINA

Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing

REVIEWED BY BLAKE JOHNSON

Hope for God’s Creation: Stewardship in an Age of Futility

REVIEWED BY LIONEL WINDSOR

David Livingstone: Missionary, Explorer, Abolitionist

REVIEWED BY KEVIN RODGERS

Themelios is a peer-reviewed international evangelical theological journal that expounds on the historic Christian faith. Its primary audience is theological students, pastors and scholars. It was formerly a print journal operated by RTSF/UCCF in the UK, and it became a digital journal operated by The Gospel Coalition in 2008.