I recently travelled to Los Angeles to record a two-hour conversation with Ray Comfort, Mark Spence, and E.Z. Zwayne about the doctrine of Hell and annihilationism. We get pretty deep in the weeds on this one, but it was definitely necessary to do so. I hope you’ll give it a listen and understand why the vast majority of believers throughout the entire history of the Christian church have embraced the biblical doctrine of the eternal conscious torment of the damned. You can watch the video below, or you can listen to the Apple and Spotify podcast versions beneath the video.
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Debating the so-called “Fourfold Sense” of Scripture
Last month, the Kenwood Institute hosted a “disputation” about the so-called “fourfold sense” of Scripture (a.k.a., “quadriga”). It was a fascinating and clarifying discussion. Patrick Schreiner defended the quadriga. Jim Hamilton advocated authorial intent. Mitch Chase represented what might be described as a kind of mediating position, although he clearly favors authorial intent. If you missed it, you can watch it below. Yesterday, the Kenwood Institute released post-debate reflections on the event that included yours truly, Jim Hamilton, and Tom Sculthorpe (watch below). Patrick Schreiner has penned some post-debate reflections as well.
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What is Hell?| Responding to Kirk Cameron | The Kenwood Institute Podcast | Ep. 3
Kirk Cameron and his son recently recorded a podcast in which they both adopted an annihilationist view on Hell. This view holds that the damned do not suffer in hell permanently but eventually cease to exist. Jim Hamilton, Tom Sculthorpe, and I refute this view in podcast linked below. You can watch or listen to the podcast below.
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On a New Sexuality Statement at the Evangelical Theological Society
On this episode of the CBMW Podcast, Jonathan Swan, Denny Burk, and Colin Smothers discuss the adoption of a new statement on LGBTQ by the board of the Evangelical Theological Society. You can watch the video below, or you can tune into Spotify or Apple podcast versions below that.
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What Happened at ETS 2025?
I attended the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society last week in Boston. Readers may wonder why I take time to write an annual round-up of the goings-on at such an event. The bottom line is pretty simple. This is where evangelical scholars and theologians gather to engage one another in academically rigorous theological debate. These are the authors who shape the pastors who in turn shape congregations across North America. What starts at ETS often doesn’t stay at ETS but eventually makes its way to the pews. For example, I had my first debate about whether same-sex attraction is sinful at the 2014 annual meeting of the ETS.…
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My Interview on Alisa Childers’ Podcast
Thank you to Alisa Childers for inviting me onto her podcast to discuss gender, sexuality, and complementarianism. It was a stimulating conversation, and I am grateful to have been a part of it. Alisa is doing great work and producing really helpful content. I encourage you to check out her books and subscribe to her podcast.
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Why Is John’s Gospel So Different from the Others?
One of the great ironies of the Gospel of John: The Greek version of this gospel is on the level of “See spot run.” It’s some of the easiest and most basic Greek that you will read anywhere. And yet, John fills these simple expressions with the most profound statements of Jesus’ identity and divine nature. It’s no wonder that the Nicene Creed is so indebted to the words of John’s Gospel. As I have been preaching through this book, I have told our congregation that the Gospel of John is like an ocean. There are parts of it that are shallow enough for a toddler to splash around in…
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Should Women Serve as “Shepherds”? – CBMW Podcast
As I mentioned earlier this week, some churches are appointing female “shepherds” in an effort to get around the biblical prohibition on female “pastors.” On this episode of The CBMW Podcast, we discuss what the Bible says about gender, the office of pastor, and why it matters. [Watch below on YouTube, or listen below on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.]
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Why I Do Not Favor the Moniker “Biblical Patriarchy”
Complementarian doctrine doesn’t require adherents to adopt a certain label for their view. It’s far more important for people to accept and affirm the Bible’s teaching on manhood and womanhood than for them to embrace any specific moniker for it. Having said that, there is great value in being precise and clear when thinking about and communicating Christian doctrine. For that reason, I still prefer and recommend the use of the term “complementarianism” to label our position over “biblical patriarchy.” I have made a positive case for “complementarianism” elsewhere. In this essay, I want to respond to some of the critiques in Doug Ponder’s thoughtful essay weighing the relative merits…
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The Innermost Meaning of the Cross is Penal Substitution
“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him… But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will…
