My New Book on the Second Century is Now Available!

As many of you know from prior posts (for example, see here), I have a forthcoming book on the second century entitled, Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church (SPCK, 2017).

I am excited to announce that it is now available! (technically July 20th).  Since the book is a joint publication between SPCK and IVP Academic, it releases in the UK now (under SPCK) and then will release in the USA in the Spring (under IVP Academic).

Not sure why there is such a big gap of time between the two releases, but there you have it.  Of course, you can …

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Five “Fake News” Stories That People Believe about Early Christianity

There’s been a lot of chatter about “fake news” in recent months.  Some stories, even though they have no basis in fact, are told so often, and with such conviction, that large numbers of people end up believing them anyway.

And some of these fake news stories even dupe legitimate political figures who repeat the story without realizing it is false.  And, of course, once a mainstream political figure repeats a story then it becomes even more entrenched in the national psyche.

While some of these fake news stories are rather harmless, others have become quite dangerous.  Most famous perhaps is the “Pizza Gate” incident in 2016 where …

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Want to Understand How Suffering Fits with the Sovereignty of God? Here’s a Great Place to Start

One of the perennial questions for all theologians (and all human beings) is “Why do we suffer?”  And, “If God is good and sovereign, why does he allow suffering?”

While most of us have these questions, we don’t really have to deal with them until we experience suffering ourselves.  This is when we discover whether we really have a “theology of suffering” that can deal with the hard parts of life.

This is an area of theology which needs more attention.  I am not talking about answers to the intellectual questions regarding the problem of evil and how to resolve it.  Reformed folks have addressed that issue in spades.

What …

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The Importance of Being a Pastor’s Wife

Since we live in a world that doesn’t view pastoral ministry as a high calling, it is probably no surprise that many do not view pastor’s wives as having a high calling either (including some pastor’s wives!).

I suppose there are many reasons why this is the case.  Some people have an image in their head of what a pastor’s wife looks like (or should look like) and they simply don’t want that for themselves.  Perhaps others think being a pastor’s wife means certain things it doesn’t necessarily mean.  And others are probably wary of a life where you are often scrutinized, watched, and maybe even critiqued.

For all these …

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Where Are They Now? @RTSCharlotte Alumnus Michael Knight

One of the things that makes the RTS Charlotte campus distinctive is the number of missionaries we have sent out over the years.   For whatever providential reasons, God has allowed the Charlotte campus to be a fruitful training ground for folks headed to the mission field.

This missions “vibe” in Charlotte simply reflects the overall ethos we are shooting for here.  We not only want our seminary to be theologically solid, but also outwardly focused and passionate about fulfilling the Great Commission.

Right now, Charlotte alums serve in countries such as Peru, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, France, England, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, …

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