As a Methodist pastor, I’ve thought a lot of altar calls. As is often the case with Protestants, we define ourselves by how we’re different than other traditions. Methodists do altar calls, but Presbyterians and Lutherans do not (read...
How do you know a Christian when you see one? Is it by what they eat? Their nationality? Their political party? Their race? Gender? Socio-economic status? Put another way, what’s the “mark” of the Christian? The first person to be...
To answer that question right up front: YES! Now to the details. I went to Asbury University where we had mandatory chapel three days a week (chapel was the most spiritually formative component of my time at Asbury). It wasn’t uncommon for...
If you’ve ever read or studied the Old Testament, you’ve likely encountered references to something called the “Masoretic Text” (MT). But what exactly is it, and why is it important? In this post, we’ll break it down in...
In today’s individualistic culture, many professing Christians believe they can have a relationship with Christ while remaining unaffiliated with any church. However, the historic and biblical understanding of salvation affirms that being a member...
In recent years, the concept of house churches has gained popularity, especially among those who seek a more intimate, organic form of Christian fellowship outside of traditional ecclesial structures. While these gatherings may provide Christian...
Where do we find Jesus in the Old Testament? As the ultimate author of both Old and New Testaments, the Holy Spirit inspired the Bible to serve as one big story, pointing to and finding fulfillment in the person of Jesus. After his resurrection...
The nature of the Church has been a central theological discussion for centuries. A key question within this debate is whether non-sacramental denominations—those that reject or significantly diminish the role of sacraments such as Baptism and the...
Interestingly, scholars have long debated how the Joseph story fits into the broader Genesis narrative. Unlike the story of Abraham, whose role in the book’s literary structure is more apparent, the Joseph narrative contains fewer explicit...
The Old Testament is not a text written in a vacuum. Its stories, laws, and poetic expressions emerged from a world deeply rooted in the cultural, religious, and historical milieu of the ancient Near East (ANE). Understanding the parallels between...