The Household Motif in the Letters to Timothy and Titus In recent years, I’ve wrestled with various questions related to men and women in ministry and other church-related topics. As I’ve done so, I’ve increasingly come to realize that ecclesiology is often where it’s at. That is, as I try to adjudicate a question or… Read More
Community and Mission
As we read at the beginning of the book of Acts, the early church was devoted to fellowship, koinōnia (sharing things in common; koinon = common): “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. … And all who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:42). The… 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
Believer’s Baptism and the New Covenant
The book Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ (ed. Thomas R. Schreiner and Shawn D. Wright; Nashville: B & H), has stirred a considerable amount of discussion. In his endorsement of the volume, Daniel Akin says the book “is destined to be a classic concerning the doctrine of baptism.” Wayne Grudem says… Read More