Was Jesus Neither a Democrat Nor a Republican?
Well, the political season is upon us again. And it’s time for all sorts of Christian stock phrases about politics to be used and reused. One of my favorite is the phrase, “Jesus is neither a Democrat nor a Republican.” This is one of those phrases that is used so frequently that no one really bothers to ask what it means; nor does anyone bother to ask whether it is really true. But, I want to take a moment to analyze this phrase as we head into this political season. What does it really mean? Here are some possibilities:
1. The phrase could simply mean that the Bible doesn’t speak … Continue reading...
Where Are All the Heretical Bishops in the Second Century?
A number of my recent posts (e.g., see here) have been dealing with Walter Bauer’s 1934 book Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity which insists that Christianity was wildly diverse in the earliest centuries and that the heretics outnumbered the orthodox. It was not until the 3rd and 4th centuries, it is argued, that the orthodox began to turn the tide.
But let’s test this theory by asking a simple question: who were the bishops in second-century Christianity? If heresy was as widespread as orthodoxy, we should expect to find a number of bishops that are openly Marcionite, Ebionite, Gnostic, and beyond.
The problem for Bauer’s thesis is that … Continue reading...
Where Are They Now? RTS Charlotte Alumnus Chris Horne
One of the most exciting programs over the last few years at RTS Charlotte is the Institute for Reformed Campus Ministry (IRCM). The IRCM is designed to equip our students for the challenges that are unique to campus ministry–and there are many. The college campus is one of the most critical battle grounds in our world today, and we are please to play a role in sending well-trained men and women to labor there.
The IRCM involves a specialized degree emphasis in campus ministry, as well as the IRCM Fellowship (a community of folks headed to campus ministry), IRCM events and lunches, and more. You can read more about it … Continue reading...
Was the Divinity of Jesus a Late Invention of the Council of Nicea? Probing Into What the Earliest Christians Really Believed
One of the most common objections to Christianity is that the divinity of Jesus was “created” by later Christians long after the first century. No one in primitive Christianity believed Jesus was divine, we are told. He was just a man and it was later believers, at the council of Nicea, that declared him to be a God.
A classic example of this in popular literature can be found in the book The Da Vinci Code:
…“My dear,” Teabing declared, “until that moment in history [council of Nicea], Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet… a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.”
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Where Are They Now? RTS Charlotte Alumnus Cole McLaughlin
Over the last number of years, God has really used RTS Charlotte to help train folks headed into campus ministry (or coming from campus ministry). In fact, we have an entire institute designed to do just that: the Institute for Reformed Campus Ministry (IRCM).
The IRCM has allowed us to connect with campus ministries like RUF, CRU, Campus Outreach (and others). Many of those folks head to college ministry, and others to the pastoral ministry.
Cole McLaughlin (class of 2007) is a great example of both. After working with CRU for 15 years, Cole is now Senior Pastor at Peace PCA in Cary, NC.
Cole is the next installment in … Continue reading...