What are the Differences Between Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies?
To this day, I can still remember watching those “rapture” movies in my middle school youth group. In particular, I remember A Thief in the Night (1972), which scared the pants off of me. It was a bit of a mix between a horror movie and cheesy spy thriller. For the next week I had trouble sleeping, worried that I would wake up and find myself left behind.
As a result, I grew up assuming that the dispensational framework was the only proper way to read the Bible. But when I got to college, some upperclassmen introduced me to Reformed Theology and a covenantal framework for reading Scripture. It was … Continue reading...
Is Everything Sad Going to Come Untrue? Why We Need Eschatology Now More than Ever
In my opinion, some of the most overlooked portions of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy are the chapters right after the final battle in The Return of the King. In these chapters, Tolkien expresses a vision for cosmic renewal that closely mimics the one laid down in the biblical accounts themselves.
In Rev 21:5 Continue reading... 
we read, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” God has declared that one day he will set all things right. Likewise, at the end of The Return of the King, Tolkien describes how evil has been vanquished and all things set …
Is There Only One Motivation for Obedience?
For Christians who know they are saved by grace and not by works, there is always a fundamental question that arises: Why should I obey God? This question is not about whether Christians should obey God (all agree on that), but about the proper motivation for obeying God. What should drive our sanctification?
Some have answered this question by suggesting that there is only one proper motivation for our obedience, namely our justification. We should look back at the finished work of Christ with gratitude and appreciation, and this will drive us to follow and obey him.
Now, there is much that is commendable about this motivation. Indeed, I would … Continue reading...
The Forgotten Second Coming
As Christians, we are fond of reminding people that the Bible is a book of history. It is not just a book of rules, nor a collection of philosophical treatises, but is decidedly a book about the past. It is about what God has done in real time and space. Indeed, that is the core of the Christmas message we have heard over the last month—two thousand years ago, God became man.
But often forgotten in our zeal to show that the Bible is a book about the past, is the reality that the Bible is also a book about the future. The Christian message is fundamentally eschatological (to use … Continue reading...
“Is Everything Sad Going to Come Untrue?”: Eschatology in the Lord of the Rings
In my opinion, some of the most overlooked portions of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy are the chapters right after the final battle in The Return of the King. In these chapters, Tolkien expresses a vision for cosmic renewal that closely mimics the one laid down in the biblical accounts themselves. In Rev 21:5 we read, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” God has declared that one day he will set all things right. Likewise, at the end of The Return of the King, Tolkien describes how evil has been vanquished and all things set … Continue reading...