I had intended to move on to other topics after publishing a pair of articles on dispensationalism and covenantalism. But I’ve received a fair amount of feedback from those articles, which revealed that not everyone has the same idea of what constitutes dispensationalism. So I decided to write another article outlining some basic features just … Continue reading What is Dispensationalism? A Brief Introduction
Tag: Theology
My Concerns with Dispensationalism
In the previous article in this column I covered a few of my concerns with Covenant Theology. That included an overview of each view and the differences, which I will not rehash at length here. In short, both covenantalism and dispensationalism are meta-systems (whole-Bible theologies) for understanding the overarching storyline of the Bible. Proponents of … Continue reading My Concerns with Dispensationalism
My Concerns with Covenant Theology
Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology[1] are two theological systems which govern how we interpret the overall storyline of Scripture. Each seeks to describe how God’s redemptive purposes unfold through history. These are “whole-Bible theologies,”[2] ways of understanding God’s redemptive purposes throughout Scripture. Anyone who has seriously studied the Bible belongs somewhere in one of these camps, … Continue reading My Concerns with Covenant Theology
Identifying Doctrinal Legalism
What is Legalism? Legalism is a spiritual plague as old as the church. Actually, it’s older than the church because the Pharisees Jesus interacted with during his earthly ministry (before He established the church) were legalists. They had already turned the Mosaic law into a means of salvation. But legalism can take other forms. At … Continue reading Identifying Doctrinal Legalism
Why Every Preacher Needs Systematic Theology – Part 2
Recently I came across a definition of systematic theology as “keeping the whole Bible in view when reading any verse.” I find that definition helpful for two reasons. First, because it emphasizes how all the parts of Scripture work together to help us understand the main truths. And second, because it reminds us that the … Continue reading Why Every Preacher Needs Systematic Theology – Part 2
Why Every Preacher Needs Systematic Theology – Part 1
Much of the weakness of today’s preaching can be traced back to the individual preacher’s failure to understand God’s truths as revealed in the whole of Scripture, and particularly how those truths fit together in a cohesive system of truths. He may preach an idea boldly from his given text, not realizing that he is … Continue reading Why Every Preacher Needs Systematic Theology – Part 1
The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Thirteen
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. Perhaps the main takeaway from this series is our need to keep Scripture central in all things. Christian thought throughout history is fraught with division between men, often caused by too … Continue reading The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Thirteen
The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Twelve
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. As we move toward the conclusion of this summary, it is the hope of the writers that the readers have gained added understanding of the Arminian/Calvinist controversy. Things are not always … Continue reading The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Twelve
The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Eleven
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. Having generally traced the Calvinist movement into the 20th century, we want to examine the development of Arminianism from the early 17th century in the Reformed Dutch Netherlands to the modern … Continue reading The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Eleven
The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Ten
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. During the years following the Synod of Dordt, Calvinism settled into many of the European State Churches. Notorious among these was the Dutch Reformed Church which institutionalized a form of Calvinism … Continue reading The Arminian/Calvinism Conflict and Why It Matters | Part Ten