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.…

Burnout is an evergreen threat for those in Christian ministry. While the experience of ministry burnout can often be the result of mental and/or physical obstacles, we should not ignore the effects of unbelief in certain theological truths can have on our resolve in ministry.…

This article reviews the ethical and theological issues surrounding birth control, with an emphasis on hormonal methods. It is written for seminarians, pastors, church elders, and lay leaders who want clarity on these confusing matters for their congregations. After a brief history of the debate…

“Union” has become an increasingly valuable tool in discussions of atonement and soteriology. In the past, T. F. Torrance and Kathryn Tanner have each offered up their own atonement accounts that center around “union.” Oliver Crisp has recently suggested a novel “union account” that takes…

John Owen (1616–1683) believed, as a pastor and theologian, that worshiping the triune God should only be done through the prescribed means regulated by Scripture. Owen pushed back against imposed liturgies, such as the Book of Common Prayer, because their enforcement crippled a congregation to…

While C. H. Spurgeon’s sufferings and pastoral ministry have often been explored separately, Spurgeon himself saw suffering and ministry going hand-in-hand. He argued that pastors must suffer because they are Christ’s particular servants, conduits of his grace to others. He also believed that suffering keeps…

Contemporary theology has grown increasingly disillusioned with Western Liberalism, leading some theologians to question the validity of Christians serving in state roles, particularly in the military. However, Augustine’s use of narrative and cultural analysis in <em>Confessions</em> and <em>The City of God</em> provides a more nuanced…

Paul is the only New Testament author to speak in explicit terms of the Adam-Christ typology, so an assumption is sometimes made that the apostolic foundation of Irenaeus’s “new Adam” doctrine is exclusively Pauline. This article throws doubt on that assumption by tracing key elements…

In 1788, American Presbyterians meeting in Philadelphia approved a revised version of the Westminster Confession of Faith. The most significant change to the original 1646 version concerned the doctrine of the civil magistrate in Chapter 23. In the century and a half following the Westminster…

Jesus alludes to Ecclesiastes 3 in Matthew 11:16–19. The verbs κόπτω, ὀρχέομαι, and κλαίω, in addition to the participles ἐσθίων and πίνων, suggest this allusion. Additionally, the themes of wisdom, appropriate human response, and—most importantly—joy correspond in both texts to reinforce the allusion. Acknowledging how…

Did Paul require elders to have “faithful” or “believing” children? The answer to this question rests on the translation of one word in Titus 1:6. Commentators and versions have leaned towards the “believing” position, but this article develops an extended argument for the “faithful” interpretation…