theology

Introducing Theology: A Forgotten Essential

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Below is a paper written for an Introduction to Theology class at DTS. It is a response paper to two introductory books about theology, but let me explain the picture. I think theology is much more essential to Christian faith than the average Christian realizes. It’s a forgotten essential, as this paper tries to prove. Hence, I show you a rusty old gear without which many a machine would cease to run. Theology is like that gear. We need it for Christianity to run, and you can hate it all you want, but without it, the Christian life goes no … [Read more]

The Kingdom of God

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This is my first graduate level paper… I think it’s about the same as my other papers, but I haven’t had time to write blog posts because I’ve been writing stuff like this. I hope you enjoy it! Ask yourself, “What do I think Jesus meant by ‘the kingdom of God’?”   INTRODUCTION The kingdom of God (KoG) is one of the few major biblical themes that literally spans from the beginning of the book to the end. It is in Genesis 1 and 2 that we see God creating a kingdom on earth to rule, and it is in … [Read more]

Paul on Slavery

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Introduction The Apostle Paul authored almost half of the New Testament, and spoke authoritatively about the Christian perspective on countless subjects from the meaning of love, to the roles and duties of church officials. Much of Christian doctrine is based on the writings of Paul, but one particular issue appears to fall between the cracks in his writing: the question of slavery, its lawfulness, and its role in the Christian life. The crack into which it fell was large enough to fuel the American Civil War. Many Christians saw Paul’s writings as “pro-slavery” and were therefore willing to fight and … [Read more]

The One Thing All Christians Should Agree On

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The One Thing All Christians Should Agree On: Little Christs, Church Unity, and a Lesson in Christology I heard someone in an argument say, “If there is one thing all Christians should agree on, it’s that abortion is wrong.” Now I quite agree that abortion is wrong, and I tend to seriously question someone who calls himself a Christian and supports abortion. They are pretty antithetical ideas. All the way from the beginning, Adam and Eve were told to “multiply.” They weren’t told, “Kill your kids if they’re inconvenient.” Sorry, was I a little sarcastic there? I tend to think … [Read more]

People Have Sex, Words Have Gender

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I’m writing this days after Bruce Jenner decided to become Caitlyn Jenner and the question of Transgenderism is hotter than it’s ever been. Introduction To those who support Jenner’s decision, I ask a single question of you: If Jenner changes back, will you be equally supportive? I’ve been thinking it through for days to be sure I don’t say something about this that I’ll regret. There are so many angles from which to look at this. There’s the Jon Stewart angle, which unknowingly exposes the inconsistency of supporting both feminism and trans-genderism. There’s the Walt Heyer angle, which traces the gruesome … [Read more]