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A theology blog dedicated dealing with the most important theological issues of our day.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'theology'
Question about Inspiration
Is the Bible a record of inspired historical events or an inspired record which includes history? Here in lies a major distinction between two major groups of Christians. ...
Should Christians Play Santa?
My annual and updated Christmas post! This is actually from my very first blog I did a few years ago. Tonight we went to see my mother with my children and the subject of Christmas was naturally brought up being so close. We sang some Christmas carol...
Site Problems
As might be obvious to many of you, our site is going through some troubles…growing pains. We are trying to switch to a dedicated server, but things are not going smoothly. We switched this week and lost some content, mainly comments on one of ...
Have Michael Patton Come Speak at Your Church or Event
Did you know that Michael Patton is available to come to your church and speak? Michael is a dynamic speaker and is a master at stimulating interest in theology, doctrine, and the need for Christians to engage their mind. He can speak in just about a...
Quick Question for You
If you were able to go back in a time machine and witness the tomb of Christ only to find that Christ did not raise from the grave, what would that do to your Christian faith? Fill out the poll on the right in addition to your answer here. ...
On What Date Was Christ Born?
“The traditional date for the birth of Christ from as early as Hippolytus (ca. A.D. 165-235) has been December 25th. In the Eastern Church January 6th was the date for not only Christ’s birth, but also the arrival of the Magi on Christ...
Inerrancy and the Problem of Matthew 4:8
“The devil took him [Jesus] up into an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.” - Matthew 4:8 What is being communicated here? It seems rather bizzare. How could Satan have shown Chr...
Orthodoxy, Theological Maturity, and the Development of Doctrine: From Theological DNA to Maturaty
For my Introduction to Theology students, both online and at the Credo House. I am thoroughly orthodox. No, not Eastern with a capital “O”, but orthodox meaning that I believe all the right things. Well . . . at least I think I am. But, really, i...
Four Types of Theologians
1. Theological Maximalist Most every doctrine is essential. One who seeks unity only with those with whom there is maximal agreement. There is quite a separationist mentality in this group. They are ready to fight for every crumb, believing it to be...
Christianity and World Religions by the Numbers
I had a chance to today to research and update my chartes. Enjoy… (Click on charts to enlarge). ...
“I am not Wimpy” or What is the Difference Between an Evangelical and A Fundamentalist
Defining terms. You know what they say: whenever you are losing an argument, just stop and require your opponent to define their terms ad infinitum. That way the argument gets lost in the hopeless idea that all you are doing is talking past each ot...
Manipulating the Evidence for the Greater Good?
I am going to post a video here. However, as interesting as the topic of the video may be, it is not the subject of this post. In fact, you really don’t have to watch the entire video to understand where I am going. This video is about how muc...
A Personal Message from Michael Patton
Friends of the Ministry, I have been teaching theology for over a decade now. I have been focused on The Theology Program and Reclaiming the Mind Ministries for the last eight years. My passion and excitement about making theology accessible has not ...
John MacArthur on the “Lie of Evolution”
John MacArthur on the “lie” of Evolution: “The evolutionary lie is so pointedly antithetical to Christian truth that it would seem unthinkable for evangelical Christians to compromise with evolutionary science in any degree. But during ...
The Theology Program PowerPoints 50% Off (2,708 Slides!!)
On sale for $300 All 6 PowerPoint presentations from The Theology Program. This gives the teacher everything they need to present the material including teachers notes and additional references. Included: -All six PowerPoint presentations for The ...
Theological Toolbar
Just updated the Theological Toolbar. Lots of new Christian blogs, websites, and news feeds represented. Download With all the stuff out there, I have tried to put together a really useful toolbar that directs people to the best of the Chri...
The Forgotten Gospel of the End Times
One theologian has said that there are two extremes when it comes to studying eschatology (the doctrine of the end times): Eschatomania and Eschatophobia. Eschatomaniacs talk about nothing else but the end times. With charts in hand they are ready t...
Needs of Reclaiming the Mind Update
UPDATE: Actually, this is due tomorrow. I was off one day. I want to thank all those who have been coming to our side at Reclaiming the Mind Ministries by responding to the blog post posted yesterday (copied below). Thus far, we have raised $3000 of ...
Serious Needs of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries
You know how much I hate to use the blog to ask for funding, but I must. . . I will keep it short and to the point. Reclaiming the Mind Ministries is in immediate need of $20,000. We got behind this summer and everything is due by tomorrow. This need...
Going for the Gold: Ecunemical Olympics and Historic Preservation
The other day I was joking around on Facebook, noting that the problem with hermeneutical gymnastics is the unstable landings. Jugulum, a frequent poster here, commented about judges holding up score cards during sermons. Very tongue-in-cheek! ...
The Other Best Bible Software
Being in the industry I am in, I get asked a lot of theological questions. Why does God allow bad things to happen? How do we know what books belong in the Bible? What is the difference between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism? What is the bes...
On Being Critical Theologians
One person has rightly said that all people are theologians, you just have to decide what type of theologian you are going to be. Are you going to be a good theologian or a sloppy theologian? The hardest thing about theology is not the big words, his...
People are the Problem
Let me just come right out and say it: People are the problem. If it were not for others, I would be completely sanctified. Well, I would be close. A lot closer than I am now. I blame you and you can blame me. It was not the day that we were introduc...
The “Idea” of Evangelicalism (2): Distinctives vs. Norms
Like the idea of “America,” I have argued thus far that Evangelicalism has a stable ethos (mindset) that goes beyond the name. I know that to be called Evangelical means many different things to many different people. But I am trying to ...
Another Illustration of the Trinity
Another step to bringing clarity to the issue of what the Trinity is not. This has to do with the essence of God. When we talk about God’s essence, we are speaking of the “stuff” that God is made up of (not made of!). It is often r...
“The Trinity is Like 3-in-1 Shampoo”. . . And Other Stupid Statements
Alternate title: “Trinitarian Heresy 101″ “The doctrine of the Trinity is like an egg: three parts, one thing.” Ever heard that? How about this, “The doctrine of the Trinity is like a three leaf clover: three leaves, on...
When You Go Right and God Goes Left – Reflections on “God Sightings”
There have been times too numerable to count where it seems that I have gone one way suspecting the Lord was heading in the same direction only to find out the often heart-breaking reality that God is going a different direction. As Christians, like ...
Faith and Emotions
I admit, I am not an overly emotional person. In fact, I find being around overly emotional people uncomfortable and there are at times instances when I wish certain experiences could evoke more emotion within me. However, as I also find that the...
Open Discussion: Clout with God?
Are there some people who have more clout with God than others? When joining people in a community of prayer, are there certain people who have more influence with God than others? Moses seemed to have more influence than others in his day when he pr...
Princeton and Propositions
By Jim Sawyer During my seminary career, although I majored in New Testament, I spent much time studying, particularly Historical Theology, and more particularly Reformed Theology in America. (In fact I went on to do my Ph.D. in Historical Theology.)...
