I was reading Scot McKnight’s blog this morning, and he offered some critiques of the 18 affirmations and denials recently signed by the fantastic four: Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, Ligon Duncan, and Mark Dever. Among other things, McKnight suggests that the statement leaves some important things out (e.g., second coming, Holy Spirit) while privileging Paul’s language over Jesus’ language. My aim here is not to critique line by line McKnight’s short piece. I do, however, want to add my assent to the”Together for the Gospel” statement and to say that I think it is an important affirmation of core Gospel truths that are without question being contested by voices both…
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The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World
What do John Piper, Mark Driscoll, D. A. Carson, David Wells, Tim Keller, and Voddie Baucham have in common? They are all preaching at the 2006 Desiring God National Conference (Sept. 29 – Oct. 1): “Above All Earthly Powers: The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World.”Desiring God Ministries has produced a promotional trailer for the conference that is posted on their website. The promo is way cool. Beware of watching it. You’ll want to sign-up for the conference if you do. Click on the following link to download it: Promotional Trailer: “Above All Earthly Powers: The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World” (HT: Steve McCoy)
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Ehrman and Hays Debating “The DaVinci Code”
Two eminent scholars of the New Testament recently debated questions raised by The DaVinci Code. The debate was held at the new chapel at Duke Divinity School, and the discussion was meant to address questions raised by the bestselling book, soon to be released as a film. So Bart Ehrman and Richard Hays went at it for an hour and forty-six minutes. The reliability of portrayals of Jesus in the Bible and other ancient texts was among the topics addressed. Hays is definitely the more conservative of the two, though perhaps not conservative enough for some. In any case, this one will definitely be worth the time to download.You can…
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“King of the Hill” on Mega-churches
I just couldn’t pass up this “King of the Hill” spoof on mega-churches. It’s pretty hillarious. Click on the following link to view it: “Hank Looks for a Church” Enjoy! (HT: Steve McCoy)
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Scratching My Head at Baptism for the Dead
Is it okay for a teacher or preacher of the Bible to admit that sometimes he just doesn’t know all the answers?This question was impressed on me as I was preparing to teach on “baptism for the dead” this past Sunday morning. This text (1 Corinthians 15:29-34), to my mind, is one of the most enigmatic sections of the entire Bible. As I worked my way through the text, I just could not find much there to help me figure out exactly what the Corinthians were doing. As I made my way through Gordon Fee’s commentary, it became really clear to me that I am not alone in this predicament…
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N. T. Wright on the Necessity of Believing the Resurrection
I used to think that the “N. T.” in N. T. Wright stood for “New Testament.” He’s such a fine scholar of the New Testament, it only made sense. However, having read his comments in The Australian, I am not so sure (HT: Al Mohler). Contrary to 1 Corinthians 15, and Romans 10:9-10, and a host of other scriptures, the Bishop of Durham thinks that belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ is unnecessary in order for one to be a Christian. He says,
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Good Friday and the Ransom to Satan
Several years ago on the Saturday before Easter, I heard Paul Harvey share a story on his radio program. It was a sweet story, but it represented a fairly common misunderstanding of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. My aim is not to criticize Paul Harvey; I’ve always loved to listen to his show. However, I think the anecdote does reflect an unwitting error that Christians are prone to make–namely, that Jesus’ death was a payment to Satan. You can read the story here: “The Bird Cage.”
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Who’s afraid of Derek Webb? (part 3)
(Click here for Part 1) (Part 2) As I said in part 2, there is much to commend on Derek’s new album, “Mockingbird.” But as I also indicated there, I will now address some items that I think are not so good. First, pacifism plays a big part on this album. That Derek embraces pacifism as the only Christian alternative comes through loud and clear in the song “My Enemies Are Men Like Me.” I don’t know how else to understand the following lines except as condemnation of anyone who might argue for the possibility of a just war: peace by way of war is like purity by…
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Radio Show on the Emerging Church
Some readers of this blog have requested the audio of the recent radio show I hosted. The show was about the emerging church, and I did an interview with Scot McKnight, professor of religious studies at Northpark University in Chicago Illinois. I also interviewed Jim Hamilton, professor of biblical studies of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Right click on the following link, and select “save as” if you want to download the MP3 of the interviews. Denny’s interviews with Scot McKnight and Jim Hamilton on Jerry Johnson Live The most important thing about this show is that it is probably the only time that the Indigo Girls have ever or…
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Who’s afraid of Derek Webb? (part 2)
(Click here for Part 1) When I got home from the Derek Webb concert on Tuesday night, I shot off a blog that was in protest of what I thought was an overtly left-wing political message on Webb’s new album “Mockingbird.” But I later deleted what I wrote because I came to the conclusion that Derek’s message actually deserved a little more serious consideration than I had given it. So that is why this has turned into a three part series. My initial response, however, was provoked in part by how the concert-goers received Derek’s lefty-friendly message. Consider, for example, the response from the crowd when Derek sang these lines:…