The Book of Proverbs wisely counsels, “Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own” (Prov 26:17). For this reason (if no other) I am reluctant to enter into the fray by offering some reflections of my own on the recent interchange between David… Read More
Church Government: Congregationalism
NOTE: The following is a copyrighted excerpt from the entry “Church Government” in the Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization (ed. George T. Kurian; Blackwell), authored by Andreas Köstenberger. At the heart of Congregationalism is the belief that local congregations are to govern their own affairs. This stands in contrast to both Episcopacy and Presbyterianism. Within the… Read More
Evangelicals and Catholics Together?
Subsequent to Dr. Francis Beckwith’s recent “conversion” to Roman Catholicism and his resignation from the ETS presidency and as an ETS member there has been a good amount of discussion as to whether or not Roman Catholics can sign the ETS doctrinal statement while remaining true to the Roman Catholic doctrine of Scripture and divine… Read More
Christ, Marriage, and the Church
Few topics are more important than marriage. In a presentation on “Christ, Marriage, and the Church” at Southeastern’s 20/20 Collegiate Conference, I sought to capture the essence of my book God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation. Here is the outline and main argument of my presentation: 1. The Divinely Revealed Purpose of Marriage (Genesis… Read More
To Tithe or not to Tithe? (with David Croteau)
In a Baptist Press First Person column Mark Coppenger issued a correction to something he said while speaking at Southern Seminary: people’s tithe should be based not on their net but on their gross income. In this Coppenger largely presupposed the (affirmative) answer to the more foundational issue: Should believers tithe (i.e., give at least… Read More