Articles for tag: Theology

December 17, 2010

Christian Standard

The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 3)

Read “The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 1) Read “The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 2)” ________ By Jack W. Cottrell My thesis is that the understanding of the doctrine of salvation in most Protestant groups is captive to the Zwinglian version of the sola fidei paradigm. In the previous article (last week) I showed how this is the case in the way faith is treated as the sole condition for justification, and not just its sole means. It is also seen in the way repentance either is excluded as a condition altogether, or is diminished by being made simply

December 14, 2010

Christian Standard

The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 2)

Read “The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 1)” Read “The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 3)” _________________ By Jack W. Cottrell Previously I noted that Michael Denton speaks of how modern science regards Darwinian evolution as the determinative paradigm or controlling interpretive principle to which all scientific data must be made to conform””even when the data are in conflict with the paradigm. He calls this faulty methodology the “priority of the paradigm” (à la Thomas Kuhn). In that earlier essay I applied this concept to certain faulty theological systems, which likewise are distorted by the tyranny of their respective paradigms.

October 22, 2010

Christian Standard

The Best Preparation Possible

By Tracy Marx and Mike Sweeney Why attend a Bible college, Christian college/university, or seminary? Are we not all ministers of the church? In a movement that recognizes no distinction between clergy and laity, what”s the point of sending people on for a theological education? Does having a bachelor”s degree in Bible or a master of divinity degree make someone a better harvest worker for the kingdom of God? While no one would claim that a college degree somehow confers spiritual maturity on a person, we believe a strong biblical case can be made for Christian higher education for those

August 8, 2010

Christian Standard

Safe, to Lost, to Saved? (A Response)

This article is a response to John Mark Hicks’s “Safe, to Lost, to Saved?” __________ By Jeff Faull John Mark Hicks”s thought-provoking article in this week”s “Reflections” column leads me to sympathize with him about the ambiguity that appears to exist in regard to the process of our children coming to Christ and the timing of their baptisms. His line of reasoning questions our historically accepted assertions about the entrance of children into the kingdom of God. He questions “the theological underpinnings of the notion that our children move from safe to lost to saved (once baptized).” I respect and admire brother Hicks,

July 18, 2010

Christian Standard

The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 1)

By Jack Cottrell In 1986 Michael Denton wrote Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (Adler & Adler, 1996), in which he is severely critical of evolutionary theory. He presented compelling arguments for intelligent design, especially from the living cell, before most of us ever heard of Michael Behe. This is significant because Denton is a respected molecular biologist and medical doctor””and a complete agnostic. Though he argues for design, he professes ignorance as to who or what the designer might be. Nevertheless, throughout this large volume, Denton offers many examples of scientific evidence that the phenomena of nature could not have

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

The Priority of Preaching

By Wayne Shaw Preaching has always been important in the culture and curriculum of our Bible colleges and seminaries. Earl C. Hargrove championed a theme that has been echoed in the charters of schools across the brotherhood when he launched Lincoln (Illinois) Bible Institute in his inaugural sermon with the promise, “The Preachers Are Coming.” For 45 years I have taught preaching, mainly at what is now called Lincoln Christian University, but also in special courses throughout North America and around the world. I speak with the confidence of experience when I assert that preaching is in the DNA of

May 10, 2009

Christian Standard

A Christian Civics Lesson

  By Rod Roberts On January 9, 2007, the newly elected speaker of the Iowa House gaveled the 82nd General Assembly into session. True to the traditions of the Iowa House, the speaker invited a special guest pastor to bring the invocation that morning. To the surprise of many, the guest invited to pray for the General Assembly was a Des Moines-area Muslim imam. The gesture was, in part, recognition of the election of Iowa”s first Muslim state legislator, who was from Des Moines. In fact, the state Capitol in Des Moines is located in this legislator”s district. The imam

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

December 23, 2007

Christian Standard

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and John the Prophet

By Robert Lowery What in the world does Charles Dickens, the 19th-century British author, have to do with the first-century prophet John? I made a connection just the other night after reading Dickens”s short story, A Christmas Carol. The rereading of this classic work intersected with a paper I had graded earlier that evening written by a student in my class on Revelation. The theology of John and Dickens merged late that evening. Most of us are familiar with the characters in the story published in 1843″” Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Bob Cratchit and his family, notably Tiny Tim””if

September 2, 2007

Christian Standard

Scandalous Risks

By C. Robert Wetzel “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made” (Genesis 3:1). Some time ago I read Susan Howatch”s novel Scandalous Risks. It is the fourth in a series of six novels about the Church of England in the 20th century. I was surprised to see the novel introduced by a quotation from the book of popular theology entitled Honest to God, written by Bishop John A. T. Robinson in 1962. Honest to God was one of those books that attempts to revise Christian faith to make it more

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