christianity

Trinitarian Doctrinal Statement

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The following is a doctrinal statement I did for my ST 102 class: Trinitarianism. The prompt was as follows: “All students will write a doctrinal statement and ministry application paper. This assignment includes two parts. The first section is a descriptive definition of God, which should not exceed one page in length (single-spaced, normal font and margins) with biblical and theological references arranged as endnotes (no length specified here). The definition should state your beliefs about God. The explanation and defense of those beliefs should be in the endnotes, to avoid distracting from the flow of the definition. The second … [Read more]

Super Heroes Do What the Church Won’t

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Superhero movies are doing what the church won’t: teach theology. I really wish the general public got better theology than what’s taught in superhero movies. This is a thought I’ve had for a while, pretty much since The Dark Knight came out, but it hadn’t been blatant enough for the public until Batman vs. Superman. I saw the movie last night and my friend Sam Bennet, who we ran into at the theater, warned me, “You’re going to want to write a blog post about it.” He was right. Batman v Superman was the first one to make it unmistakable … [Read more]

What is Dispensationalism?

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I’ve recently explained this to a few different people and thought, “I can just write a blog post about this to clear it up a little.” Before I get into this, let me refer you to the best book to understand dispensationalism called, appropriately enough, Dispensationalism by Charles Ryrie. This book is clearer and cleverer than I can ever be. However, if you’re looking for a shorter summary of the concepts, I suppose this blog post can suffice. Okay, what is dispensationalism? Here’s the outline of the post: (1) What it is. (2) The opposites. (3) What usually comes along … [Read more]

Doubting Thomas: Chapter 13

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The following is an assignment I had for my ST102 class (Trinitarianism). It is a hypothetical 13th Chapter to the book “Doubting Thomas” by John Cobb. (The book is out of Print, but I have linked a pdf copy of it here.) I highly recommend not wasting your time reading it. It’s what I would classify as trashy liberal theology designed to prey on those who have not studied historic orthodox Christianity. The author specifically excludes the viewpoint of orthodoxy in this adventure of “christology in story form.” The plot line is that Thomas, a young seminarian, runs into a … [Read more]

When I Criticize “the Church”…

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I feel this is a post in which I will stray and wander, both while I write it and while I try to apply it in my own life. Please forgive me for both. Define “church.” This is a subject that has been covered by many, but it has not been covered by me. Given my insatiable need for clear and precise language, I thought it best to explain the possible meanings of the word “church” when I use it. My Definitions “Church” can mean 4 different things in my vocabulary: The Universal Body. Unalterable, immutable, clothed in white, stretching … [Read more]