Theology & Bible

Theology & Bible helps Christians understand Scripture and the core teachings of the Christian faith. Explore Bible-based articles on biblical interpretation, doctrine, salvation, the Holy Spirit, baptism, communion, creation, and key themes across the Old and New Testaments. You’ll find thoughtful guidance for studying the Bible faithfully, applying God’s Word to life and ministry, and growing in theological clarity rooted in the gospel. Whether you’re a church leader, teacher, student, or everyday disciple, this hub equips you to know God through Scripture and live with conviction and hope.

April 12, 2009

Christian Standard

Evan Meets Easter

  By Evan Lowen As a teenager who enjoys the benefits the United States has to offer, I learned the meaning of “culture shock” when I traveled to Africa with my dad. The sights, smells, and experiences will never leave my mind.  The first full day in Nairobi was difficult to digest. My dad and I, along with Erik Wolle and Steve Stewart from our church, went to the very first school created for the kids in the slums. I met Mary and Wallace, who are the most incredible people I”ve ever known. They direct the Hope centers, which include

March 25, 2009

Christian Standard

Highlighting the Beauty of Baptism

By Mark A. Taylor This week”s remarkable baptism story from San Dimas, California (see “CHRISTIAN STANDARD Interview: Jeff Vines”) would have fit well with baptism articles featured in our March 1 and 8 issues. But such stories are welcome anytime in CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Last fall, for example, both our weekly e-newsletter and blogger Arron Chambers reported on a similar story from Savannah (Georgia) Christian Church. Senior pastor Cam Huxford walked into a pool on the church platform October 5 and invited attendees to declare God”s “power as Lord and Savior through baptism””baptism on the spot, in the clothes people came

March 11, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Perry Stepp

By Brad Dupray From an early age, Perry Stepp was captivated by the complexity of Scripture. “As a kid I would listen to my dad preach and I was fascinated with doctrine and how different parts of the Bible connected with each other.” He followed that path to a lifelong study of the Word culminating in the recent release of Reading Paul”s Letters to Individuals, a commentary on Philemon, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus (cowritten with Hulitt Gloer; Smyth & Helwys Publishing). Perry is an alumnus of Dallas (Texas) Christian College and holds a master”s degree from Lubbock (Texas)

March 8, 2009

Christian Standard

Understanding Four Views of Baptism

By Mark S. Krause This article is no longer available online, but all of the articles about baptism that appeared in the March 1 and 8, 2009, issues of CHRISTIAN STANDARD–plus a bonus article–are available for purchase as a single, redisigned, easy-to-read and easy-to-use downloadable resource/pdf (a fuller explanation is below).   Baptism: 7 Practical Perspectives Item 02973  “¢Â  $2.99     What does the Bible teach about baptism? What does baptism symbolize and what does it accomplish? Why is there so much disagreement? Seven writers offer their insights on this controversial but fundamental topic in this 14-page resource that””with the

March 8, 2009

Christian Standard

What Baptism Requests

By Jon Weatherly This article is no longer available online, but all of the articles about baptism that appeared in the March 1 and 8, 2009, issues of CHRISTIAN STANDARD–plus a bonus article–are available for purchase as a single, redisigned, easy-to-read and easy-to-use downloadable resource/pdf (a fuller explanation is below).   Baptism: 7 Practical Perspectives  Item 02973  “¢Â  $2.99     What does the Bible teach about baptism? What does baptism symbolize and what does it accomplish? Why is there so much disagreement? Seven writers offer their insights on this controversial but fundamental topic in this 14-page resource that””with the exception

March 8, 2009

Christian Standard

Read More About Baptism . . .

By Jon Weatherely (This is a sidebar to Jon Weatherly’s article, “What Baptism Requests”)   G.R. Beasley-Murray, Baptism in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962). The most detailed work on the subject, from a British Baptist scholar. G.R. Beasley-Murray, “Baptism, Wash,” New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975″“85), 143-161. A briefer version of material found in the same author”s book. G.R. Beasley-Murray, “Baptism,” Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (Downers Grove: InterVarsity), 60″“66. As above, with particular focus on Paul”s letters. Jack Cottrell, Baptism: A Biblical Study (Joplin: College Press, 2006). A thorough,

March 4, 2009

Christian Standard

To Keep, to Share, to Teach

By Mark A. Taylor Many readers will want to share the baptism articles in this and last week”s issue. So we”ve colllected them in a single, convenient downloadable resource to meet that need–and we’re offering it at a special introductory rate. This is just another in a series of helpful resources we”ve made available in this format. You  may remember the others: A Conversation with Skeptics. Jeff Vines helps anyone who has wondered how God can allow evil, pain, and Hell. Item number 02970. 6 pages. $2.99 Ordination. Three articles help churches decide who should be ordained, why, and how churches

March 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Remember Your Baptism

By Bruce E. Shields   This article is no longer available online, but all of the articles about baptism that appeared in the March 1 and 8, 2009, issues of CHRISTIAN STANDARD–plus a bonus article–are available for purchase as a single, redisigned, easy-to-read and easy-to-use downloadable resource/pdf (a fuller explanation is below).   Baptism: 7 Practical Perspectives Item 02973  “¢Â  $2.99 What does the Bible teach about baptism? What does baptism symbolize and what does it accomplish? Why is there so much disagreement? Seven writers offer their insights on this controversial but fundamental topic in this 14-page resource that””with the exception

March 1, 2009

Christian Standard

What Happened When I Preached on Baptism?

By Brian Jones This article is no longer available online, but all of the articles about baptism that appeared in the March 1 and 8, 2009, issues of CHRISTIAN STANDARD–plus a bonus article–are available for purchase as a single, redisigned, easy-to-read and easy-to-use downloadable resource/pdf (a fuller explanation is below).   Baptism: 7 Practical Perspectives Item 02973  “¢Â Â $2.99 What does the Bible teach about baptism? What does baptism symbolize and what does it accomplish? Why is there so much disagreement? Seven writers offer their insights on this controversial but fundamental topic in this 14-page resource that””with the exception of one article””originally appeared

February 25, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Joe Grana

By Brad Dupray As a professor, Joe Grana has wrestled with the theology of baptism. As a minister, he has seen it worked out in the most practical sense. The combination of those points of view has brought him to a perspective on baptism that meets the spiritual challenges of real-world Christianity. Joe has served in the pulpit, leading churches in three different states as a senior minister for 27 years. Today, he is chairman of the church ministry department at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. Joe is a graduate of Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College, holds postgraduate degrees from

January 14, 2009

Christian Standard

Great Communion in Greater Pittsburgh

By Mark A. Taylor Christians across the country are planning community observances of the 200th anniversary of the Declaration and Address October 4. They will include unity Lord”s Supper services under the banner of “Great Communion,” the nationwide promotion of the anniversary. One of the most significant celebrations may happen in Pittsburgh. “When we first started our planning, we contracted with a local high school,” said Ed Gratton, one of the ministers at Norwin Christian Church in the Pittsburgh suburb of North Huntingdon. The school auditorium seats 1,000, “but from the response to our idea, we decided we”d better look

December 21, 2008

Christian Standard

The Birth That Changed the World

By Victor Knowles   In Frank Capra”s acclaimed and heartwarming 1946 film, It”s a Wonderful Life, God sends an angel named Clarence to earth to show George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) what life would be like if he had never been born. The moral of the movie (this is when movies had morals!) is that each person”s life has value and carries with it the potential of influencing many other lives for good.  In one sense, everyone”s birth somewhat changes the world in which he lives. But in a spiritual and eternal realm, only one birth has truly changed

December 21, 2008

Christian Standard

The Spiritually Dynamic Church

By Ken Idleman Other than the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection, what would you say is the single greatest event in human history? Is it the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492? The emancipation of slaves in 1863? The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, to end World War II? Or is it when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon in 1969? I would reference a more obscure event. My guess is this event would not make anyone”s Top 10 list of greatest happenings in human history. The account is found

December 17, 2008

Christian Standard

Christmas and the Promise of Peace

By Mark A. Taylor As Christmas approaches, a troubled world longs for “peace on earth” amid news of bloodshed, murder, and war. And one spot, not far from volatile Middle Eastern conflict, offers hope. The site is called Bethany beyond the Jordan, at the Jordan River in the nation of Jordan. It is a place rich with recent archeological discoveries made possible only after Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994. Until the accord, the area was rendered off-limits by buried explosives comprising 11 different mine fields. Once the mines were removed, archeologists working there uncovered evidence to

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Stop Baptizing!

By Dave Ferguson Here is my challenge for every leader and paid staff person of every Christian church””stop baptizing! Just so you understand the challenge, let me say it again””STOP BAPTIZING! If you think this is merely an attention-grabber, you are only partially correct. Let me explain. I recently started leading a new small group. In preparation for the first group gathering, I met my apprentice leader at my favorite Starbucks to go over leadership expectations and to make other preparations. This was all new to him; he had never been a leader, never been in a group, and finished

September 28, 2008

Christian Standard

The Earth Is the Lord’s?

By Robert F. Hull Jr. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it” (Psalm 24:1, New Revised Standard Version). How do we understand such an exclusive claim? What does it mean that you and I can hold title to a piece of property, when the whole earth belongs to God? What are my obligations of stewardship for the half-acre on which my house sits, and what are our common obligations to the earth that sustains all living things? COME HOME Come home with me. When native Appalachians who have

August 17, 2008

Christian Standard

Two Views: Complementarian””Men Are Authoritative Teachers

By Joe Harvey Joe Harvey and Lana West adapted these articles from presentations they made to a doctor of ministry class at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian Seminary.  Be sure to read Lana West”s  article. _________________________ As Christianity moves through the first decade of the 21st century, it has entered a cultural vortex pulling it toward political correctness and moral relativism. It”s only natural that students of the Bible and theology react on many fronts, and some of the most heated discussions revolve around issues of gender discrimination and “traditionalist” (presumably nonprogressive) modes of thinking. The question of women”s role in church leadership

July 27, 2008

Christian Standard

The Christ, the Church, and the Christian

By Knofel Staton Is “Christ yes, but the church no” viable? How about, “I”ll support Christ, but not the church?” Is that really possible? The Korean War was in full swing when I graduated from high school, so I enlisted in the Air Force. During boot camp, the military career counselor told me, “Your aptitude test reveals you would make a good control tower operator; may I request that for you?” There were several things about his statement I didn”t understand: (1) I did not know I had taken an aptitude test; (2) I had no idea what the word

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