Several years ago, I was guest-preaching in a church in another state. After I was done I had an interesting confrontation. I preached from 2 Corinthians 1 where Paul talks about his sufferings as an apostle and about how he constantly faced death because of the gospel. On numerous occasions during his ministry, Paul believed that he would surely die. Paul says that when the clouds began to gather and he felt he was about to perish, the thing that got him through was knowing that even if he died, God would raise him up. 2 Corinthians 1:9 “We had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we…

The Roman Catholic theologian George Tyrell famously criticized the theological liberalism of Adolf Harnack with these words: “The Christ that Harnack sees… is only the reflection of a Liberal Protestant face, seen at the bottom of a deep well.” Tyrell’s depiction of Harnack’s project stands as a warning against a temptation that we all face whether we realize it or not—the temptation to project our own values and ideals onto Jesus and then to use this man-made Jesus to support those values and ideals.1 In some ways this temptation is understandable. After all, the writer of Hebrews assures us, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable…

In years past, my customary mode for reading through the Bible every year involved starting in Genesis and reading right through to Revelation. I estimated that about four chapters per day would get me through in under a year’s time. The method worked reasonably well, but it wasn’t without its problems. Sometimes I would miss a day (or days) and get behind, and I had no way to keep up with my progress. I needed a schedule so that I could keep myself accountable for finishing in a year. In 2009, therefore, I did something I had never done before. I followed a Bible reading plan. I adopted Robert Murray…

On Sunday, I preached a “Christmas” sermon titled “Transformation: Glory to God in the Highest.” I put “Christmas” in scare-quotes because its holiday bona fides rely entirely on whether or not you think Rocky IV is a Christmas movie. In any case, the message is below. Merry Christmas! https://kenwoodbaptistchurch.com/media/sites/33/2020.12.20_DennyBurk_2Cor3.18-smaller.mp3

The long-awaited second edition of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology has just been released. Having sold three-quarters of a million copies, the first edition of this book has been a mainstay among evangelicals. And not just among folks attending seminary or Bible college (although Grudem’s work has certainly been ubiquitous there). This book has connected to countless laypeople in the pews who have wished for a simple introduction to Systematic Theology in a way that connects them directly to Scripture. That is why Grudem’s first edition has proven to be so influential and enduring, and it’s why the second edition likely will be too. One of the key items of interest…

The 72nd annual “meeting” of the Evangelical Theological Society begins on Monday. I put “meeting” in scare-quotes because our in-person gathering in Providence, Rhode Island has become another COVID casualty. Nevertheless, the event organizers have put on a fantastic virtual version of our meeting that in some ways may facilitate more scholarly interaction. I’ve already listened to 8 papers including both sections of the “Evangelicals and Gender” group. I never would have gotten to hear so many papers in the usual format. So this is good. Presenters have already uploaded videos of ourselves to the event website, and anyone who is registered for the meeting can watch the presentations. I…