Introduction: Learning Theology in Ongoing Wartime Theological study might appear to be a distraction in times of crisis, but such tumultuous times actually demonstrate the need for that kind of doctrinal formation. It’s a perennial reality that great unrest raises the question of justifying the investment of time, money, or passion in preparing for the […]
Thursday, 01 July, 2021 by Michael Allen
The executive editor of Modern Reformation, Joshua Schendel, recently talked with Dr. Michael Allen, who is the John Dyer Trimble Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Allen is the author of many articles and books, including Reformed Theology (T & T Clark, 2010) and, with his colleague Scott Swain, Reformed Catholicity: The […]
Wednesday, 01 July, 2020 by Joshua Schendel, Michael Allen
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it […]
Friday, 28 June, 2013 by Michael Allen
What does it mean that the church is always being reformed? This question is integrally related to other questions about sin and grace, and authority and Scripture. To reflect on these issues that are relevant to faith and spiritual life, we must consider the Protestant Reformation and its continuing ramifications. Understanding the Reformation What was […]
Tuesday, 03 January, 2012 by Michael Allen
Participation is one of the hottest buzzwords in theology today. Theologians from virtually every church tradition have begun speaking of human participation in the divine life or divine nature, and they have employed this kind of language by drawing frequently from patristic and Eastern resources. While the legal and forensic language so often employed in […]
Tuesday, 03 January, 2012 by Michael Allen
Jesus declared that "all authority on heaven and earth" had been given to him. He also promised to his disciples’the church’"Be-hold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:18-20). Exactly how his authority over all things’heaven and earth’relates to the life of the church has proven to be a difficult […]
Friday, 17 December, 2010 by Michael Allen
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 […]
Wednesday, 01 September, 2010 by Michael Allen
In his Phaedrus, Plato claimed that the spoken word was more powerful than the written word. Presence and gravitas could be conveyed through speech. Print, on the other hand, muted one's rhetoric. The great philosopher intended this as a blanket statement, true with respect to all persons. Plato's observation was prophetic, with regard to the […]
Monday, 01 March, 2010 by Michael Allen
“What would Jesus do?” Though the bracelets were influential, the question is not without controversy. Two key debates deserve mention. First, Jesus has been many things to many people, and he calls for many things from them. Jesus would free the oppressed or have a quiet time or eat with the marginalized or wash people’s […]
Friday, 27 February, 2009 by Michael Allen