Of the many reasons I love teaching at Southeastern (and hope to do so ad multos annos) is our President’s vision for the institution and for theological studies. He is determined to forge a path for our faculty and students whereby theology is riveted to the Christian Scriptures, but also to worship, obedience, and mission. In the first case, we must allow our theology to arise from God’s authoritative word, which testifies to his Son … [Read More]
Doing Theology as a Servant of Jesus (2): Theology Aims at the Head, the Heart, and the Hands
One of the benefits of marriage is that it brings a theologian down to earth. During the first years of my marriage to Lauren, my patient wife had to listen to hours of my theological bloviations, which I delivered with the oratorical verve of Will Ferrell and a great deal of unsuccessfully suppressed self-satisfaction. After I had finally given birth to the entirety of my “train of thought” (on creational ontology, revelational epistemology, or some … [Read More]
Doing Theology as a Servant of Jesus (1): The Most Exciting Endeavor of All
I will never forget my first day of Systematic Theology. (The year was 1996. Think Billy Ray Cyrus. America Online. Super Nintendo. Doc Martens. Et, as they say, cetera). I had decided to take Systematic during my first semester and the opening class period would be the first experience I would have in a seminary environment. I sat on a row with J. D. Greear, Keith Errickson, Micah Patisall, and Chris Thompson. As Dr. Patterson … [Read More]
Book Notice: “Invitation to Biblical Interpretation” by Andreas J. Köstenberger
Zut Alors. I will never catch up with Andreas Köstenberger. Every time I publish an article, he publishes four books. (In fact, one should never compare one’s CV with his, for fear that one will descend into a state of weltschmerz. Don’t say I never told you.) Speaking of which, Dr. Köstenberger recently published Invitation to Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology (Kregel, 2011). This work promises to be a … [Read More]
J.D. Greear Offers a Gospel-Centered Warning to Young Zealous Theologians
I’m one of those young evangelicals who talks about the gospel all the time. Though the word gospel is a noun, I frequently use it as an adjective. I’d probably use the word as a verb if I could justify the move linguistically. I’m immensely thankful for the renewed emphasis so many Christians are placing on the centrality of the gospel, not only for our conversion, but for the totality of our Christian life. I think … [Read More]
Is the Cooperative Program Worthy of Sacrifice?
Is the Cooperative Program Worthy of Sacrifice?
by Nathan Finn and Micah Fries
We are concerned. As we look across our beloved Southern Baptist Convention, we see a problem that is significant, and is growing. Sadly, statistics inform us that this is an issue across the entire spectrum of SBC life, regardless of location or age and type of congregation. This issue is no respecter of persons. Our shared commitment to the Cooperative Program (CP) is on … [Read More]
Insider Movements and Theological Method
This past week, I posted a book notice about Doug Coleman’s fine new book, A Theological Analysis of the Insider’s Movement.[1] Because the book notice prompted some vigorous discussion, I thought it might be helpful to post an excerpt from an essay I am writing on theological method. In the essay, I try to show how significant one’s theological method is for ministry and mission in general. In the excerpted portion, below, I try to … [Read More]
On the Future of the Southern Baptist Convention: A Graduation Meditation
This morning, we’ll celebrate our December graduation at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. This is our smaller of two annual commencements, but we’ll still graduate around 130 students today. The vast majority of them are Southern Baptists who are currently serving in paid vocational ministry, are presently looking for paid church staff positions, or are preparing to be domestic church planters or foreign missionaries. I hope you’ll pray for those who are transitioning to their next … [Read More]
Interview with Heath Thomas: “Great is Thy Faithfulness? Reading Lamentations as Sacred Scripture”
Here we go again. Southeastern prof Heath Thomas (Old Testament & Hebrew) has committed yet another act of Old Testament theology. This makes, umm, five publications in the past five weeks. Along with Robin Parry, Thomas is coeditor of Great is Thy Faithfulness? Reading Lamentations as Sacred Scripture (Pickwick). This work seeks an answer to the question: how is Lamentations Holy Scripture for the Church? In order to answer this question, I’ve provided a brief … [Read More]
Q&A 19: What is the greatest strength of the SBC? The greatest weakness?
Question: What is the greatest strength of the SBC? The greatest weakness?
Reply:
I think the answer to these 2 questions is the same: our fraternal and family orientation. We gain great strength by being a family or convention of Southern Baptist churches united by a passion for international missions, North American church planting and theological integrity. Those are the three things that I mentioned in the “Axioms of a Great Commission Resurgence” message which I believe … [Read More]
