At the turn of the 20th century, Augustus H Strong (1836-1921) was the premiere Baptist theologian among northern Baptists, and he remains one of my favorites to read. This morning I was reading his discussion of whether or not this is the best of all possible worlds, and I came across a number of quotes that he had collected (Systematic Theology, 406). How one answers this question, Strong opines, often determines whether he is an optimist … [Read More]
Ken Keathley
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| Email: | kkeathley@sebts.edu |
Recent Posts
The Sword of the Lord…and of John R Rice
Jul 29th, 2011 by Ken Keathley
John R. Rice was, arguably, the leading voice of Fundamentalism in the 20th century. At its peak in the early 1970’s, his weekly paper, The Sword of the Lord, boasted a circulation of over 130,000. Back in those days, as a young Southern Baptist disturbed by the direction of the Convention, I read the Sword faithfully. Articles such as “Southern Baptists–Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing,” “Death in the Pot at Furman University,” and “Liberalism at Southern Seminary … [Read More]
The Four Views among Evangelicals concerning Creation
Jun 29th, 2011 by Ken Keathley
Two weeks ago I attended the Christian Scholars Conference at Pepperdine University. Francis Collins, former head of the Human Genome Project and current director of the National Institutes of Health, gave a keynote address in which he argued that Christians must be open to the notion that God used evolution to bring about the human race. On the plane ride to the conference, I read the latest issue of Christianity Today. Its cover story was … [Read More]
How Many Chinese Christians Are There?
May 9th, 2011 by Ken Keathley
Estimates of the number of Christians in China vary from 16 million to 200 million. Because of the Chinese government’s often hostile approach to religion, getting a credible count has been nearly impossible. Now, in a recent First Things article (First Things, May 2011, pp. 14-16), three Baylor sociologists claim they have arrived at a reasonably accurate count, and they place the number at 70 million.
When the Communists came to power in 1949, there were about one million … [Read More]
Rob Bell, meet Clark Pinnock
Apr 19th, 2011 by Ken Keathley
I just finished reading Rob Bell’s Love Wins. In short, Bell makes the case for a post-mortem opportunity for those who didn’t receive the Gospel during their earthly lives. His gift at turning a phrase helps to hide the weaknesses of his arguments. Take for example his handling of our Lord’s denunciation of the cities of Capernaum in Matt 10 (”It will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for you”). Bell interprets Jesus to be teaching that there … [Read More]
Is the Gospel Worth $6,090,032?
Apr 4th, 2011 by Ken Keathley
Is it possible to determine the economic benefit a church brings to its local community? A recent First Things article reports that researchers led by a University of Pennsylvania professor attempted to make just such an assessment (First Things: April 2011, p. 67). They estimated the economic impact of 12 congregations in the greater Philadelphia area. Some financial benefits could be calculated in a straight-forward fashion: salaries for staff and workers, monies paid for facilities construction and repair, and … [Read More]
The Design Argument in a Little Under Four Minutes
Mar 28th, 2011 by Ken Keathley
The argument from design is very intuitive, and most people get its point immediately. Simply put, something appears to be designed when it demonstrates purpose or function and possesses information. We recognize things as simple as a pencil or a dixie cup to be the products of deliberate design, because we can see they were made for the purpose of accomplishing a task. Because they contain organized, complex structure, we say that these objects, as … [Read More]
A Shocking Question
Oct 18th, 2010 by Ken Keathley
Since July I have had the privilege of serving as interim pastor of Olive Chapel Baptist Church, in Apex, NC. We received the following email last week inquiring about OCBC:
“Hello,
Our family has just moved to your area from Raleigh.
We are seeking a church home and have a few questions please:
*We know the Lord loves all of us, but we believe in honoring the Culture the Lord gave us, so we are seeking a traditionally ‘White’ church … [Read More]
When Writing about Those with Whom You Disagree
Oct 7th, 2010 by Ken Keathley
I know a little about dealing with controversial subjects. My last book, Salvation and Sovereignty, presented an alternative to five-point Calvinism, and my current project (with Mark Rooker) is a book about creation and evolution. Calvinism and creationism—two lightning rod topics if there ever were any! I’ve observed that advocates on either side of these two issues have produced an amazing amount of vitriolic polemics. Some of what’s available is well thought out and well … [Read More]
Molinists and Calvinists: Locked in a Wordy Embrace with the Same Gargoyle
Dec 23rd, 2009 by Ken Keathley
I have put my hand to the tar baby. Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach (Broadman & Holman) came out this month, a book in which I tackle the divine sovereignty–human responsibility conundrum, specifically as it relates to the area of salvation. As the title indicates, the book approaches the issue from a Molinist perspective, which means I advocate a high view of sovereign control but a libertarian understanding of free will (though in a stripped-down version I call “soft-libertarianism”). After grinding my brain cells on … [Read More]
