The study of the Old Testament involves not only analyzing the Hebrew text but also understanding how it was transmitted, translated, and interpreted over time. One important but often overlooked resource in this field is the Targums—Aramaic...
As to be expected (which is wonderful), I received a question about Romans 9:10–33 in response to this post. Here’s my response. While Calvinists interpret Romans 9:10–33 as a definitive affirmation of unconditional election—God choosing...
The doctrine of the millennium—the thousand-year reign of Christ mentioned in Revelation 20—has been a significant point of theological discussion throughout church history. Three major views have emerged regarding how this period relates...
As Global Methodist clergy in Southern Baptist country, one of the doctrines that I get questioned about most is “once saved, always saved” (OSAS). Technically, OSAS is another way of referring to the “P” of Five-Point...
(As a preface to this post, I’m currently working on my next book, which is a study of reading the book of Psalms eschatologically. As I conduct my research, I hope to share little nuggets of interesting data along the way! This is a start!)...
I hold John Wesley in very high regard (I am, after all, Methodist!). The guy was simply amazing on so many levels. The thing I love the most is how many churches were planted under his leadership (it’s estimated that at his death Methodism...
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...