Theology
How Philip Rieff’s Three Worlds Help Us Understand Cultural Change
With the title of my book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, I tip my hat to the psychological sociologist, Philip Rieff, and his book, The Triumph of the Therapeutic. Rieff has been particularly influential on two points. First, he’s clear that the…
Read MoreHe Descended into Hell, or Did He? | Jesus’s Descent and Why It Matters for Christian Theology
The Apostles’ Creed is one of the church’s most ancient confessions. To this day, it is still used by many Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church. Yet it contains a particular phrase that has caused great debate throughout the ages. Here is the creed: I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven…
Read MoreWhy Preaching the Cross is Not Enough
We are in an era of wonderful gospel-centered seminaries, gospel-centered books, gospel-centered ministries, and gospel-centered preaching. But we have a problem. It’s great that people are preaching about Jesus and how salvation comes by grace through faith. Gospel-centered preaching helps people see how parenting, forgiveness, and serving are rooted in the gospel. We’ve learned to…
Read More3 Thinkers Who Can Help Us Understand Today’s Cultural Challenges
I’m really a Reformation scholar. I’m a 16th and 17th-century guy, but in my late forties, I’d pretty much said everything I wanted to say on those topics and was looking for another historical challenge. Around that same time, I was approached by Rod Dreher of The American Conservative and Justin Taylor of Crossway, and…
Read MoreA Conversation with Dr. J. Michael Thigpen about Human Flourishing and the Creation Mandate
How are we to flourish in the presence of sin? And what role, if any, does the creation mandate—the commands which flow from our creation in God’s image—play in our flourishing in the presence of sin? What does that mandate have to do with justice and the gospel? These are questions that Phoenix Seminary Provost…
Read MoreDiscipleship: A Local Church Responsibility
Just before Jesus ascended back into heaven, he gave his disciples one final command: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you…
Read MoreFitting the Bible Together with Covenants
For many people, opening up the Bible can feel like a daunting task. A person might open up God’s Word and begin to read through Genesis and this goes fine. But then when reading through Leviticus or the prophets, things begin to get more confusing. It’s important for us to have a frame of reference…
Read MoreWhat Is Theological Triage?
When I (Brian) worked as a paramedic, we did triage in the field. Here is what I mean. We used tags in four different colors to mark the severity of a person’s injuries. A black tag was used for someone who had already deceased. A red tag was given to someone who had experienced serious…
Read MoreHow Jesus was, is, and always will be the Light
Darkness is an apt metaphor for 2020. Yet in spite of how we might feel at the end of this long year, we are surrounded by lights on trees and houses, in windows and on lawns. Why are we drawn to light? Why do we long for the days to lengthen and for the gray…
Read MoreGod didn’t choose Mary for what she had; He chose her for what she lacked.
This holiday season retailers are hard at work getting our attention. And it’s no wonder. According to the National Retail Federation, a full one-fifth of all retail sales occur in just the last two months of the year. The increased spending explains the increased marketing. Companies are busy telling us why their product is better,…
Read More