Have you ever read a book or heard a sermon on the so-called “spiritual gifts.” There is actually no such thing. Go ahead. Search your Bible. You won’t find the phrase “spiritual gifts” anywhere. Okay. You found it? But it isn’t in the original Greek language (the language that the New Testament was first written […]
On the odd occasion my theology class discusses the theology of worship songs. Yesterday a student asked me about the song Days of Elijah, wondering if it seemed to be okay theologically since one church objected to him singing the song. I imagine many people have wondered about this, but even more so what on […]
I have a new article out in the Canadian Journal of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity (vol. 5.1, 2014) entitled: “The Spirit and the Doctrine of God: On Gendered Language, Violence, and the Trinity and Philosophy” (pages 81-87). My article is a response to three essays (in the same volume of CJPCC) that review my book The Lord is the […]
When the first two books below were first published they were not available as e-books or on Googlebooks, so I’m happy to see them now more readily available in those places for those who use those resources. For those who aren’t familiar with Googlebooks, this page allows users a limited viewing (that is, you can’t […]
Some people think of theology as dry. However, theology is found in anything that expresses our ideas of God and all things in relation to God. Hence, theology is found not only in textbooks—it is also found in places like art and music. With respect to worship and music specifically, it is important for us […]
One might think that the experiences of being slain in the Spirit (or “falling under the power of God”) or trembling in the presence of God have only happened in the last hundred years during the contemporary pentecostal-charismatic movement. However, there is a long history of such experiences and they are no stranger to the […]
If speaking in tongues is a gift (1 Cor 12 and 14), then wouldn’t we think that only the gifted would be able to speak in tongues? The answer might seem to be “yes.” This possible answer might find support in Paul’s questions at the end of 1 Corinthians 12. Here, after he has said […]
MAPPING MODERN THEOLOGY: A THEMATIC AND HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION, edited by Kelly M. Kapic and Bruce L. McCormack (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012). x + 421pp. $25 paperback. Most books on contemporary theology trace key themes in theology or focus on the contributions of influential theologians. While these approaches are helpful, it can be easy to miss […]
For a number of reasons some people have wondered if perhaps Jesus was married and if Jesus had children: “Jesus’s Family Tomb“— Was Jesus buried with his wife and kids? The tomb was found in 1980, but a 2007 movie and book made a big deal about it. The so-called “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife”—Discovered in […]
In an earlier post I noted that discipleship includes more than just telling people to read the Bible and pray, yet it seems that this is often the primary focus when it comes to discipling people (especially new Christians). That is, we tell them to read the Bible and pray every day and send them […]