This is an exciting issue of Modern Reformation as it is dedicated to two of our favorite themes: seeing Christ in all of Scripture, and reading the Bible with an understanding of law and gospel. These are critical for recovering Scripture in our preaching, corporate, family, and individual Bible study. Law and gospel is not […]
The distinction between the law and the gospel is a completely foreign concept to many Christians and one that eluded me for many years. Before I heard Christianity presented in these terms, the standard framework by which I understood Christianity was couched in relational language. The foundation of religion was expressed something like: "I want […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. It is common to hear Christians claim that America is a "Christian nation." Because […]
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. In the 1986 comedy The Three Amigos, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short […]
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. There are few Old Testament accounts that better highlight the pastoral necessity for properly […]
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. And this is the tragedy of the Book of Jonah, that a Book which […]
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. In the past decade numerous studies have highlighted the sad demise of biblical literacy, […]
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. When I heard the news on New York City's WFAN that Michael Jordan was […]
