Speaking in Tongues as Spiritual Warfare?

Speaking in Tongues as Spiritual Warfare?

One of the theological backdrops to Pauline theology would be the Old Testament, right? After all, the apostle Paul quotes the OT quite a bit as an established authority for the early Christian communities (e.g., Rom. 1:17; 2:24; 3:4, 10; 1 Cor. 9:9; 14:21, etc.). So...
“Always talking about their Jesus”…

“Always talking about their Jesus”…

Bruce Shelley writes, “Once the Romans discovered what the Christians were up to they were confronted by the problem of toleration in a more exhasperating form than even the Jews had presented. The Jews, after all, were “a sort of closed corporation, a...
The “What” and “Why” of Small Groups (5 of 10)

The “What” and “Why” of Small Groups (5 of 10)

I have become convinced that the most biblical (and effective) way to understand Christian discipleship is to view it as process-oriented. The Christian life is experienced in a way where we grow in our likeness of Christ by the work of the Spirit progressively, as we...
God is Love, by Gerald Bray

God is Love, by Gerald Bray

God is Love is subtitled, “A Biblical and Systematic Theology.” Right out the gate I am going to state that I am not sure exactly why the author or publisher provided that subtitle. It actually locked me into expecting something that Bray’s book...
“Always talking about their Jesus”…

Polemics in Early Church History

Polemics are increasingly avoided these days. This is most likely due to the reality that much “polemical” theology is often done in unloving and prideful ways. Post-moderns hate that. Yet I don’t think we should so quickly dismiss the role that...