There is no "rightly dividing the Word of truth" if we confuse law and gospel. Both are essential–neither can be ignored and both are distinct. Commands and promises not only teach different things, they do different things. I agree with Theodore Beza, Calvin's successor in Geneva, who said that "ignorance of this distinction between Law […]
In recent years, numerous theologians have begun advocating an interpretive approach to Scripture that purposefully foregrounds dogmatic commitments and concerns. The call for theologically informed biblical interpretation comes in reaction to post-Enlightenment academic trends that encouraged biblical schol-ars to free themselves from a priori judgments about the book(s) they study, chiefly on the basis that […]
Often we find that differences among Christians over end-times views reveal broader disagreements about how to interpret the Bible as a whole. Ancient Gnostics (especially Marcion) rejected the Old Testament, pitting Yahweh the Creator God of the Jews against the New Testament Christ of Spirit and grace. Irenaeus, second-century bishop of Lyons, refuted Gnosticism not […]
It has been well over a century since C. F. W. Walther's classic The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel was written. While it continues to be reprinted and is familiar among conservative Lutheran clergy, it is written in a scholarly tone for seminarians, bearing the marks of its age. Like an old family heirloom, […]
Most know William Tyndale (1484-1536) as one of the most important figures in translating the Scriptures for the English-speaking world. But rarely discussed are his deep, pastoral concerns that all who read those Scriptures must understand the distinction between the law and the gospel. In fact, Tyndale saw this as so crucial that he wrote […]
What is one of the most commonly asked questions by restless teenagers, fearful young adults, successful businesspeople, lonely single parents, and frail grandparents? The answer is: "What is God's will for my life?" Much of pop evangelicalism gives advice often mystical, ethereal, and downright Gnostic in seeking God's will. That is why Kevin DeYoung's book […]
In their widely acclaimed book The Narcissism Epidemic, authors Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell document the slow and steady growth of narcissistic attitudes, behaviors, and assumptions in various aspects of American life and culture. Reality TV both encourages and normalizes self-centered behavior. Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook encour-age us to post […]
Few Protestants spend time with Thomas Aquinas. He is verbose, antiquated, and "Catholic." He left us over eight million words in print, so the interested may quickly become the intimidated. He did write long ago in a specific milieu, and his theology fits the context and thus requires some knowledge of the era in order […]
You can have too much of a good thing, when it comes to self-esteem. In the past few years I've done a lot of speaking engagements at colleges and universities across the country, and I'll say to students, "My research finds that your generation is very narcissistic; this is what the data shows. What do […]
Swedish author Stieg Larsson's crime thrillers have built an enthusiastic worldwide audience, selling more than 35 billion copies to date. The anticipation leading up to the recent release of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the third in his Millennium Trilogy, is impressive. In fact, only the readers of Charles Dickens and J. K. […]
Recovering the Message of Scripture In this special section of our "Rightly Dividing the Word" issue, nine pastor-theologians help shed light on some popular texts of Scripture that tend to lose their true redemptive-historical significance in a culture of interpretive narcissism. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. (Gen. […]
Recovering the Message of Scripture In this special section of our "Rightly Dividing the Word" issue, nine pastor-theologians help shed light on some popular texts of Scripture that tend to lose their true redemptive-historical significance in a culture of interpretive narcissism. How do modern people relate to a narrative about a man whom God called […]
