A New Book by Matthew Bates Matthew Bates received his Ph.D. from a Catholic school (Notre Dame) and he teaches at a Catholic school (Quincy University). He indicates in the introduction that he hopes “this book will ultimately contribute to the healing of that long-festering wound between Catholics and Protestants” (p. 6). Bates’s theology is,

Many people believe that Acts 6 is the account of the first deacons of the church. They may be right. However, the word deacon does not exist in the chapter, although the similar word for “service” does. (For example, in verse two it makes a reference to “serving” tables.) I am told that what the

I was recently sent this article, “Easy Like Friday Afternoon: A Manifesto on Hard-Believism” by Jared C. Wilson. He rejects “easy believism” for “hard believism.” What self-professing “easy-believists” think is that they are upholding the free gift of grace by insisting one can believe without actually changing, that one can have the benefits of Christ’s

My thanks to all who prayed for our conference on eschatology last week. It was such an encouraging time. Here are some of the comments that the conferees put on their evaluation forms: “Spot on!” “Full of hope + GRACE!” “Wonderful!” “Great.” “Thoroughly enjoyed it.” “Excellent.” “Great topic.” “Best ever!” “Outstanding!!!” “AWESOME!” “Wonderful!” “Timely, pertinent,

I have a confession to make. Many times when I read the Psalms I get frustrated because I don’t know the background of a particular Psalm. Many times, I am not even sure who wrote it. So, I love it when I read a Psalm and see that the New Testament quotes it. Whatever the

Recently a reader sent me a link to a video in which Dr. Schreiner, a leading New Testament scholar, defends the doctrine that everlasting life cannot be lost. When I watched the video, I was struck by incongruities which are also evident in his writings (click here to see my review of The Race Set

We have had an annual conference somewhere in the DFW area for 21 years in a row. Today (Monday April 21) our 22nd annual conference begins. This time is always exciting and stressful for me and for the rest of the staff. There is so much to do to get ready: finalize and print the

Our friend, Paul Miles, offered this simple introduction to Systematic Theology. It can be a helpful reference for the next time you hear someone throw out an …ology. What is Systematic Theology

It would be humorous except that this happens all the time and it is intentional. A preacher says, “Justification if by faith alone, apart from works. All you need to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and He instantly justifies you. So if you repent and believe and then persevere in good works