Join Us for the @RTSCharlotte Alumni Gathering at 2016 PCA General Assembly
This week I am off to the PCA General Assembly in Mobile, AL. There are a number of interesting (and some controversial) overtures on the docket this year, so it should be a busy week. But aside from the formal business, one of the most profitable aspects of GA is connecting with old friends, classmates, and colleagues.
If you are a RTS Charlotte alum, let me call your attention to our annual gathering. This year it will be Wed, June 22, 8:30-10:30 PM, at the Battle House Renaissance Hotel, which is right around the corner from the convention center. We will have drinks and appetizers and a great time … Continue reading...
The Likely Forger Behind the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife
It has been a while since the so-called Gospel of Jesus’ Wife has been in the headlines. It was originally unveiled by Karen King at Harvard (here), but quickly exposed as a likely forgery. I have also written on the fragment (here and here).
While this document’s status as a forgery is relatively certain, what has been uncertain (until now) is the identity of the forger. Who was the person who created this document and convinced King and others to promote it?
The forger must have had some Coptic abilities. But, the abilities would have had limits–as demonstrated by the mistakes in the Coptic text.
What … Continue reading...
Taking Back Christianese #1: “The Christian Life is All about Being Transparent and Vulnerable”
Over the last ten years, especially in Reformed circles, there has emerged a vision of the Christian life where one of the defining characteristics of a believer has now become transparency. A Christian is someone who is authentic, real, and open.
While prior generations might have suggested the essential mark of a Christian was obedience, those days seem long gone. In fact, for many (post)modern Christians the central issue is not whether someone obeys God’s law but whether they are honest about whether they have obeyed God’s law.
Authenticity has become (for some) the number one virtue.
Thus, we come to our very first instance of Christianese: “The … Continue reading...
RTS Launches a New Journal: Reformed Faith and Practice
Last week it was announced that Reformed Theological Seminary has released the first installment of its new online journal. It is entitled Reformed Faith and Practice (RF&P) and can be accessed here.
The launch of the new journal coincides with the 50th anniversary of RTS (the seminary opened its doors in 1966). Other 50th anniversary-related initiatives include the release of the two volumes written by RTS faculty: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament and A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament.
RF&P will be publishing three times a year with contributions mainly from RTS faculty across our numerous campuses: Charlotte, Jackson, Orlando, Washington D.C., Atlanta, New York, … Continue reading...
New Series: Taking Back Christianese
“Christians talk funny.”
This is a sentiment I’ve heard from many a non-Christian over the years. The truth is that Christians have their own lingo and their own vocabulary. Sometimes it can be alienating to folks. Sometimes it is quite hilarious–if we are honest enough to admit it (as in this video here).
But our lingo–our “Christianese” if you will–can sometimes be mistaken. Or at least partially so. It can attempt to express a theological truth that (sometimes) bring more confusion than clarity.
So, I am beginning a new blog series about the way we talk as Christians. This series is designed to analyze a number of theological phrases … Continue reading...