Today is Thanksgiving Day. And what a wonderful day it is. The holiday stirs up wonderful thoughts of turkey, pumpkin pie, family gatherings, football, The Macy’s Day parade, pilgrims and — sometimes — even thankfulness. If we’re honest, we might consider that last item on the list less frequently than we want. Thanksgiving, like Christmas,…
It’s been interesting to think about our culture in terms of its celebration of holidays. Here in Louisville, Halloween has become a big deal. Several streets now feature weeks-long decoration parties, as families and residents try to outdo one another by putting up the most zombies, vampires, and cobwebs. My wife and I, working from…
Editors Note: This is the fourth post in a series on Expository Readiness. You can read the other parts of this series here: part 1, part 2, and part 3. Persist in This The third imperative in 1 Timothy 4:16 is “persist in this.” What is “this?” “This” is paying attention to your life and doctrine.…
Fifty years ago, Nov. 22, 1963, 20th century author and English scholar C.S. Lewis died. Five decades later, his influence continues to grow. Towers editor Aaron Cline Hanbury asks Alister McGrath, theologian, intellectual historian and apologist at King’s College London, about the legacy of Lewis and his new books, C.S. Lewis — A Life and…
C.S. Lewis is to evangelicalism what Elvis is to rock music. It is doubtful that you will find a multitude of Lewis impersonators if you visit Las Vegas; it would certainly be comical if you did, but in the same way that Elvis is an unavoidable figure in the history of American pop culture, you…
Editors Note: This is the third post in a series on Expository Readiness. You can read part one of this series here and part two here. And To Your Teaching Pay close attention not only to yourself but also to your teaching. This is the second imperative in 1 Timothy 4:16. My observation is that most ministers aren’t…
Can you briefly describe your sermon preparation? I take two days to prepare. The first day is exegesis. I need my sermon outline, both the exegetical outline first, and then homiletical outline by the first day. On the second day, I write the introduction and work on application with some friends. I’ll get a…
This year’s annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (Baltimore, MD) focuses on “Evangelicalism, Inerrancy, and the Evangelical Theological Society: Retrospect and Prospect.” You can download a PDF list of faculty and others from Southern Seminary who are presenting papers at ETS along with their paper titles, room locations and times here. Students can also attend…
Editors Note: This is the second post in a series on Expository Readiness. You can read part one of this series here. The Exhortations Pay Attention to Your Life The first imperative of 1 Timothy 4:16 is to “keep a close watch on yourself.” Why does Paul say this? Because the first priority of a man…
At the risk of stating the obvious, sex is a big deal. Not only is it a big deal, but it’s currently the source of much confusion for both Christians and non-Christians alike. One need only turn on the television to see the moral confusion regarding homosexuality, marriage and a host of other issues related to…
I have a confession to make: I never feel fully prepared to preach. In fact, I’m not sure I know what it would mean to be fully prepared to preach. I suppose it might mean coming to the pulpit with a complete manuscript thoroughly highlighted in several colors. It would mean I had the sermon…
*Editors Note: With this post, Southern Seminary is re-launching the Southern Blog. Through this channel, we hope to provide relevant, gospel-centered, scripturally grounded material that is useful for your ministry, whether you’re a pastor, layman or even a stay-at-home mom. The following is an excerpt from A Guide to Biblical Manhood, one of our most popular…
The danger is that we will become man-centered instead of Word-centered, so that we prize the preacher more than what is preached.
From no-fault divorce to gay marriage, our culture has undertaken an enormous social experiment on issues of gender and sexuality. All manner of sexual dysfunction has become quite mainstream. As resolute Christians, our response cannot simply be to curse the darkness and to stand aloof from the culture. God calls us to be in the…
The excitement of a new chapter in life was palpable as Mark crammed his backpack on the tile floor between his chair and the next. He sat spellbound among nearly 100 other eager freshmen philosophy students as the department chairman opened the semester. The bearded professor lowered his black-rimmed glasses and began the lecture with…
The church will not be judged by the Lord for the quality of her music but for the faithfulness of her preaching.
Since 1880, most United States presidents have sat behind a desk made from timbers of the HMS Resolute. That British naval vessel journeyed to locate the explorer Sir John Franklin, but became trapped in ice near the Arctic Circle in 1853. An American whaler found the ship adrift just two years later and returned it…
During the presidency of R. Albert Mohler Jr., seven men have worked for him as research assistants and directors of theological research. Not only did they help him organize material and prepare for writing projects, speaking and preaching engagements, debates and more, but they received a unique kind of education in return. Gregory…
