This series is from the From the Editor's Desk column of the Sword and Trumpet. The articles were co-authored by Paul Emerson and myself. The theological disagreement that we know today as the Arminian/Calvinist controversy is an age-old schism. It first revealed itself in a major way through Pelagius (circa 354-418 AD). We will attempt … Continue reading The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Two
Category: Sword and Trumpet
The Necessity of Divine Revelation | Part Six
Everything we know and experience as believers is predicated upon God’s revelation. Without Scripture, we don’t have even the raw materials to construct true faith. If anything is to be known as truth, it must be revealed to us by God. Read More
The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part One
This series is from the From the Editor's Desk column of the Sword and Trumpet. The articles were co-authored by Paul Emerson and myself. Throughout church history the two truths of the free will of man and the sovereignty of God have often been presented as oppositional to one another. Whole systems of dogmatic theology … Continue reading The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part One
The Necessity of Divine Revelation | Part Five
Our efforts at self-discovery are feeble and frail compared to the effectual word of God. Scripture reveals our condition. But it is not just true that Scripture is one place where we can know ourselves correctly. It is certainly true that Scripture is the only place we can go to know ourselves as we ought. Read More
The Necessity of Divine Revelation | Part Four
Without Scripture we would hopelessly flounder in search of the truth. We must realize, though, that we suffer the same when we neglect the word of God. We in the 21st century have more access to the word of God than any other generation. This is a privilege, but it leads us to underappreciate what we have. This deluge often produces apathy toward what we have. Our ready access to Scripture can, ironically, lead us to neglect it. Read More
Is Hell Eternal? | Part 5
True Christian fellowship is birthed from a common faith, a common doctrine, a common love. The depth of unity experienced when we agree on the truth far surpasses the fragile unity experienced when the truth is compromised because we all just want to get along. Let us strive for the “unity of the gospel”—that is, unity in the gospel, not unity that sacrifices it. Read More
Is Hell Eternal? | Part 4
We need to deal with some of the key words used in Scripture to describe hell. This will get a bit more technical, but I encourage you to stick it out. If we believe that God inspired the very words of Scripture, we must be concerned with the specific meanings of those words. Much of the Conditional Immortality framework depends on subtle redefinitions of language. Read More
Is Hell Eternal? | Part 3
Edward Fudge uses Psalm 37:10 as the starting point for his presentation on Annihilationism, interpreting it as conclusively teaching that the wicked will be annihilated in the judgment. But is that what it means? Read More
Is Hell Eternal? | Part 2
I think we can admit that there’s a certain appeal to the Conditional Immortality understanding of hell. Hell is uncomfortable to talk about and horrifying to think about. Conditional Immortality creatively weaves Scriptures together to soften the severity of hell without erasing it entirely. There’s a good deal of emotional appeal to the idea that God will eventually release sinners from suffering. It portrays a kinder God and eases the terrors of hell. But is it what the Bible teaches? Read More
Is Hell Eternal? | Part 1
You’ve likely been taught that we all will live eternally in one of two places. There are two choices we can make, and two destinies available to us: Eternity with God in heaven, or eternity in hell under God’s judgment. But not everyone agrees. Recent scholarship has resurfaced an alternate view of hell. Read More