What a sad thought, that theology is only for the professional theologians. May we who prize theology stress its place in the church and show how practical it is, for in so doing we will save both ourselves and those around us.
If you cannot laugh at yourself, and laugh at yourself with others, you have a theological problem—you do not take God seriously enough. There is a reciprocal relationship between taking God seriously, and taking yourself less seriously. When people take themselves too seriously, they naturally become self-referential and touchy. They tend to be on the…
Editors’ note: This article begins an occasional series called “Ask a Professor” in which a member of the SBTS faculty will answer practical or theological questions related to preparing for ministry in the local church. If you have a question you’d like to see answered in this series, e-mail our blog editor at jrobinson@sbts.edu. ___________________________…
His words rang in my ears for days and triggered a few nights of nocturnal unrest. “What were you expecting in the pastorate? You’re not in seminary any more and this church isn’t filled with your seminary buddies. You’re in the real world now, son.”
I wish I could say that most of my time caring for pastors is spent teaching them what to do and where to take a church over time, but it’s not. Sadly, my time is mostly spent trying to get pastors to stay longer than a couple of years; trying to help pastors weather the…
Editor’s Note: This blog post by Courtney Reissig is sponsored by the Driven by Truth Worldview Conference, coming to Southern Seminary on March 18 – 19, where Courtney will be leading a breakout session, “Feminist Myths and a God Who is True.” Register today at sbts.edu/events. I don’t remember when I first heard the word complementarian, but I’m…
At one time or another, a pastor will likely be confronted by a church member curious about becoming a missionary. Some may be uncertain but still trying to discern their calling. Others may be more assured but want direction on a field of ministry. In these situations, it is the business of the church’s leadership…
I first encountered J. C. Ryle’s Holiness during my M.Div. studies. I was taking a class on sanctification and students were offered extra credit for reading and reviewing that book, which was written by some Anglican bishop I had never heard of. One afternoon, I picked the book up on the way to the gym…
Not only must Planned Parenthood be stopped, but all the murder of unborn human persons must also be stopped.
Praying the Bible means talking to God about what comes to mind as you read the Bible.
How long should a sermon be? As a preaching professor and a pastor, I’ve asked and been asked that question a hundred times. You can preach as long as you hold their attention.
I have seen the story unfold so many times I could tell it in my sleep. A young pastor walks into established church and tries to change the church’s structure and culture on the first day. Instead of getting to know the people, the culture, and his neighbors, he goes full bore after a checklist…
Today — January 11, 2016 — John Piper turns 70. I ‘met’ John Piper in 2000 when I was 19 years old and my summer mission trip leader had us read The Pleasures of God together. I was transfixed, and transformed. Never had I encountered such an explicitly God-centered worldview or such compellingly clear theological…
The best approach for a pastor when entering a dysfunctional, dying congregation is to simply be a pastor to those people.
Editor’s note: This article is excerpted from “The Five Pillars of the Insiders: A Collective Response to Understanding Insider Movements.” The entire response is available at the blog of the Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam. The long-awaited volume Understanding Insider Movements has finally been released. It defines an “insider” as “a person…
It was the first of March, 1985. I remember where I was sitting when it happened. I was pastor of a church in the western suburbs of Chicago. A guest preacher was speaking at a series of meetings at our church. He was teaching on the prayers of the apostle Paul found in his New…
One of the great privileges we have at Southern Seminary is the opportunity to hear God’s word proclaimed from some of the top evangelical scholars, pastors, and leaders in our bi-weekly chapel service. Thankfully, you don’t have to be on campus to be a beneficiary of this blessing. Every week during the semester, our chapel services…
The birth of Christ was the decisive turning point in the salvation history, ushering in the multi-ethnic gospel community called the church.
