The Great Debate: Does God Exist? Bahnsen vs. Stein
In 1985 at the University of California in Irvine, Dr. Greg Bahnsen, a Christian theist, debated Dr Gordon Stein, an atheist, on the question of whether God exists. “The Great Debate,” as it was titled, provides a good example of presuppositional apologetics and the use of the transcendental argument for the existence of God or “the impossibility of the contrary.” Namely, one must assume the existence of the God of Scripture in order to make sense of reality (metaphysics), to justify truth claims (epistemology), or to have any cogent basis for morality (ethics). The YouTube video below provides the audio and text of the debate which lasts just under two hours. Enjoy! Read more
Communication That Connects: God Accommodates and So Must We
Why should we endeavor to communicate gospel truth in a way that’s clear and intelligible to our target audience? Below I’d like to provide two biblical arguments to support the idea of contextualized communication. The first highlights God’s own manner of communicating to humans. The second underscores the biblical mandate that obligates us to follow our heavenly Father’s example.1 Read more 
- Further support is offered in my series “Contextualization & Church Ministry.” [↩]
Communication That Connects: Making the Gospel Intelligible
A few years ago I had the opportunity to present the ministry of Reformed Baptist Seminary to a local church. I opened up for questions at the end of the presentation, and one brother asked how the seminary assesses a man’s preaching and teaching ability. I told him that we require our divinity students to preach and/or teach at least four times in the presence of one or more of their pastors, and we ask their pastor(s) to give them constructive feedback on the content, structure, and presentation of the message. Read more
The Covenant Context of the Fall, Part 4: Elements of a Creation Covenant
Critical scholars posit at least two distinct sources behind the creation narratives of Genesis 1 and 2 because certain events are repeated and the two accounts employ a variation of the divine name. However, ancient Hebrew literature frequently employs repetition in which the second narrative further elaborates upon a theme(s) or event(s) revealed in the first narrative. The “two accounts,” therefore, are complementary. The first narrative (1:1-2:3) describes God’s creation with panoramic sweep; the second (2:4-25) with a selective focus upon man and woman in the Garden of Eden. The question is whether these accounts contain elements of a “covenant.” Read more
Justification by Faith Alone: Luther’s Quest and the Ultimate Question
What makes October 31st important to the Christian isn’t Halloween. Rather, this day commemorates the birthday of the Protestant Reformation. In light of this occasion, I’d like to initiate a series of posts on the great doctrine of justification. As we come to consider this doctrine, I’d commend to us the words of the Scottish theologian, James Buchanan: Read more
The Baptist Confession on Christian Liberty and the Conscience
Modern Christians seem to marginalize the doctrine of Christian liberty. The subject is rarely discussed in any systematic theologies. Even practical books on Christian living often gloss over the topic. For some, the doctrine of Christian liberty is just not that important in relationship to other doctrines of the faith. For others, the doctrine of Christian liberty is too controversial. Consequently, many modern Christians fail to give this doctrine the attention it deserves. Read more
Don’t Be Hasty: Dealing with Apparent Discrepancies in the Old Testament
Certain accounts in the Old Testament provide data that seem to contradict data found in other parts of the Scriptures. Bible critics frequently cite these apparent discrepancies in their argument against viewing the Old Testament as God’s inspired and inerrant word. Some evangelical Bible scholars affirm that discrepancies really exist but argue that their presence need not undermine our faith in the Bible as God’s word. Others, however, insist that such discrepancies are not real but only apparent. Read more
A Defense of the Well-Meant Offer: Will the Real “Will of God” Please Stand Up!
We’ve noted that the doctrine of the well-meant offer of the gospel is predicated on the belief that God may desire what he doesn’t decree (Part 1). Some within the Reformed community reject such an idea as biblically unwarranted, theologically unsound, and logically inconsistent (Part 2). In our first rejoinder to those who deny the well-meant offer, we pointed out that desiring and not desiring an objective is logically consistent when that objective is viewed intrinsically, on the one hand, and teleologically, on the other (Part 3). In this post, we’ll argue for the theological propriety of the well-meant offer. Read more
Molehills, Not Mountains: Resolving Some Tensions in the Old Testament
Certain statements, principles, and teachings in the Old Testament seem, at first glance, to contradict other data within the same Scriptures. How should we view such “tensions”? Peter Enns, a contemporary Bible scholar, believes these tensions are real and irreconcilable. They serve as evidence, argues Enns, of the human side or “messiness” of the Old Testament. But, as Gregory Beale notes, Enns’ approach makes “diverse molehills into irreconcilable hermeneutical mountains.” Read more
The “Fall” Outside the Garden: the Tragedy of Cain and Abel
The record of life outside the Garden begins with a birth-notice of Adam and Eve’s firstborn son, Cain, and Eve’s maternal response (4:1). The birth of a second son, Abel, is also recorded but without any accompanying maternal response (4:2a). The asymmetry may suggest that the firstborn child occupied Eve’s special attention. More likely, though, it is the narrator (Moses) who is especially interested in Cain, evidenced by the fact that he refers to Abel not as Eve’s “son” but as Cain’s “brother.” The following verses confirm that Cain is the main actor in the plot. Read more
