The Reception of the Book of Revelation in the Early Church
There is little doubt that most people are confused by the book of Revelation. Perhaps is not surprising, then, that people are equally confused by its journey into the New Testament canon.
Revelation is one of those “debated” books in the early church, along with books like 2 Peter, 2-3 John, and Jude.
If you are looking for more on the canonical history of Revelation, I point you to my recent article entitled, “The Reception of the Book of Revelation in the Early Church” which has just come out in the new volume Book of Seven Seals: The Peculiarity of Revelation, its Manuscripts, Attestation and Transmission, eds. Thomas J. … Continue reading...
Does the Bible Have Mistakes?
One of the most common questions I get from people when I travel and speak is “Does the Bible have mistakes?” People are concerned about contradictions, problems, and inconsistencies.
I can’t address that issue fully in one blog post, but here is a brief video I did for the RTS “Wisdom Wednesdays” series that at least offers an overview of the issue:
For the many other excellent “Wisdom Wednesday” videos from RTS faculty, see here.… Continue reading...
Taking Back Christianese #5: “Just Ask Jesus into Your Heart”
Some of us grew up in churches where it seemed every Sunday included an atlar call. Congregants were invited to walk the aisle and to make a “decision” for Christ.
During these occasions, very specific language would be used to explain how a person becomes a Christian. “Just ask Jesus into your heart,” was the common refrain, usually followed by an appeal to Rev 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.”
Thus, we come to the next installment in the “Taking Back Christianese” series. Our purpose here is to evaluate … Continue reading...
7 Tips on How to Survive Your Ordination Exam
Although seminary is a challenging experience in and of itself, something more formidable (at least in terms of stress) awaits most students. The dreaded ordination exam.
This is the time when a candidate stands up in front of the presbytery (perhaps with 50 -75 elders in attendance) and is publicly examined, probed, prodded, and picked at for several hours on a variety of topics ranging from church history to sacraments to eschatology to the famed Book of Church Order.
And from candidate’s perspective, it is easy to feel like you are looking into the eyes of a hungry cat. And you are the mouse.
So, needless to say, I have … Continue reading...
Where Are They Now? RTS Charlotte Alumnus Chad Grindstaff
One of the things we love here at RTS Charlotte is church planting. In fact, we have just launched this fall the new Center for Church Planting on the Charlotte campus. It’s still in its infancy, but you can read the initial announcement here.
On this note, I am pleased that this installment of our Where Are They Now? alumni series features Chad Grindstaff (class of 2005 ). Chad is a church-planter in Cincinnati and is a great example of how our grads are planting new churches all over the country (and the world) .
Here is his interview:
1. What are you currently doing?
We are in the … Continue reading...