The Prodigal Church: A Gentle Manifesto Against the Status Quo, Jared C. Wilson (Crossway 2015, $15.99) Review by Andrew J.W. Smith In The Prodigal Church, Jared C. Wilson pushes back against the prevalent attractional church model and argues for a simple ecclesiology fully molded by the gospel. Wilson, author of Your Jesus is Too Safe, has…
The well-known church historian, Jaroslav Pelikan, famously begins his book Jesus through the Centuries with the following observation: “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of western culture for almost twenty centuries.” ((Jaroslav Pelikan, Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place…
Introduction The church has historically believed that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man, possessing two natures—the one divine, the other human—united in one person. The church has also historically affirmed that these two natures remain distinct in the God-man: the divine nature, characterized by omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, eternality, and the like, remains…
Orientation The term “incomprehensible” has changed in emphasis over the years. It has strengthened in meaning and become rougher. It now means gibberish or nonsense, and usually refers to bits of verbal communication that are impossible for various reasons to make sense of. It’s a black or white term, a term of rebuke, a put…
Abstract Robert W. Jenson has recently written a short article clarifying his argument against the doctrine of the Logos asarkos (Word without flesh). In this article I offer a critique of his remarks, showing that his reasoning has two consequences that are problematic. First, it implies that the Second Person of the Trinity incarnate has…
Introduction Determinations about the constitution of human persons are notoriously difficult. Christian theologians and philosophers who investigate this issue are faced with a host of complicated biblical, theological, philosophical, historical, scientific, and practical questions. One of the most pressing of these questions concerns the precise relation between the body and the mind. Are human persons…
Introduction Among the many sticky questions about the Incarnation, the question of Jesus’ two wills can seem nitpicky and arcane to most Christians. The question seems to be one for the theologians, those who care to parse details that are practically irrelevant to daily life, much like debating how many angels can dance on the…
Introduction In recent years, a growing number of Christian theologians have devoted considerable attention to the person and work of the Holy Spirit in relation to the person and work of the Son. That is, various forms of Spirit Christology have become commonplace on the landscape of contemporary theology. The term Spirit Christology is used…
Introduction Expositions of Christ’s atoning work tend to emphasize the crucifixion and resurrection, and rightly so. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are of paramount importance in what Jesus accomplished, as the Nicene Creed puts it, “for us and for our salvation.” And yet there is more to the atonement than the cross and the empty…
The Second Letter to the Corinthians. By Mark A. Seifrid. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014. 569 pp., $50.00 hardback. Mark Seifrid is Mildred and Ernest Hogan Professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of Justification by Faith: The Origin and Development of a Central Pauline Theme and Christ,…
In my first year as a student at Southern Seminary, I took 48 credit hours in nine months: six classes in the fall semester, one class over J-term, six more classes in the spring semester, and three more in the month of June. (I would have taken even more if I could have, but that…
He doesn’t remember carrying the pizza into the emergency room. It was a miracle he was even walking. But Boyce College student Josh Lewis doesn’t desire his newfound celebrity because he delivered a pizza after he was stabbed. He wants the world to know he is not ashamed of the gospel and that he forgives…
Have you heard the story of Jericho Joe? Joseph N. Williamson, a graphic artist and M.Div. student at the time, created a weekly comic strip for The Towers that ran from 1979 – 1981. Williamson hailed from Macon, Georgia, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia a year before…
EDITOR’S NOTE: Below, John M. Klaassen, associate professor of global studies at Boyce College, discusses his new book, Engaging with Muslims, with Towers editor S. Craig Sanders. CS: You spent time on the mission field in North Africa with Muslims. Describe your experience with Muslims and what you learned in your time there. JK: We…
Engaging With Muslims (The Good Book Company 2015, $11.99), John Klaassen Review by S. Craig Sanders Now more than ever, understanding the basic beliefs of Islam is imperative for advancing the gospel around the world. But it is also essential if Christians are to engage Muslims living in the United States. In his new book, Engaging…
What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done, Matt Perman Review by Andrew J.W. Smith How many times have you heard this cliché, or some variation: “Nobody on their deathbed will wish to have spent more time at the office”? Often intended to discourage “workaholic” attitudes, the implicit lesson is that…
