Ancient Near Eastern Religion and the Old Testament
The discovery and publication of ancient Near Eastern literature has shed much light upon the religious beliefs and practices of earliest civilization. It has also generated much discussion about the relationship of Mesopotamian and Egyptian religion to that of the Old Testament. Indeed, many scholars view the similarities in cosmogonies, flood accounts, cultic ritual, legal texts, wisdom literature, and belief in the afterlife as proof that the Old Testament writers borrowed from or adapted the literary corpus of Israel’s Near Eastern neighbors. As a result, Old Testament religion is treated as essentially one more primitive religion among many, Read more 
Good But Not (Yet) Tame: A Theodicy for Animal Death Before the Fall
All Bible scholars agree that plant life was subject to “death” before the Fall since it was to serve as food for man and beast (Gen 1:29-30). Moreover, most conservative scholars trace the origin of human death to God’s judicial curse upon the human race as a result of the Fall (Gen 3:17-19). However, the Bible nowhere explicitly links the origin of all animal death to Adam’s sin. This leaves open the possibility that some of the creatures alluded to in Genesis 1 were carnivorous. If so, we should view the phenomenon of animal predation as creational rather than as curse. Yet, a challenge remains. How can we reconcile a world “red in tooth and claw” with a created world that God assessed as “very good” (Gen 1:31)? Read more
The Baptist Confession on Oaths and Vows
In the 17th century, certain sects of Christendom, such as the Quakers and Anabaptists, denied the legitimacy of taking oaths or making vows. The teaching of this chapter 23 of the 1689 Baptist Confession was designed to clarify the meaning and confirm the lawfulness of oaths and vows when properly used. The 1689 Baptist Confession retains the substance of the Westminster Confession, but it abbreviates the form. Below we’ll use the Confession as a guide to examine the Bible’s teaching on oaths and vows. Then we’ll draw some practical lessons. Read more
Contextualization & Church Ministry: No Compromise!
In our previous posts we highlighted the importance of contextualization for church ministry (Part 1) and offered a basic working definition of what it entails (Part 2). However, since some have used “contextualization” to justify unbiblical ministry philosophies and practices, we need to provide a fuller exposition of what it is and what it’s not. We’ll focus on the latter below, showing that true contextualization doesn’t equate “compromise.” Read more
Contextualization & Church Ministry: The Basic Idea
At its most basic level the verb “to contextualize” means to put into context, and it’s usually referring to some mode or form of communication, whether a speech or text. In theological discourse “contextualization” is defined as “the attempt to adapt the expression of theology [i.e., the message of the Bible] to a given time, place, culture or audience.”1 Read more
- Millard Erickson, Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology, 36. [↩]
Yes, We May Be Passionate: A Friendly Reply to James Renihan
Dr. James Renihan published on his blog an entry entitled, “Are You Passionate?” (June 3, 2008), which the reader may access here. The article was just republished (Jan 5, 3013) on the Reformed Baptist Fellowship blog here and today (Jan 8, 2013) on the Aquila Report here. Renihan begins the article with the remark, “Evangelical preachers and writers have become passionate about being passionate.” “We are urged,” he says, “to have a passion for God, to be passionate about winning souls, to be passionate in worship etc. ad nauseum.” Read more
The Baptist Confession on the Gospel
This chapter on “the gospel” is not found in the Westminster Confession. The Congregationalists added this chapter to the Savoy Declaration, and the Baptists incorporated it into their Confession. The Congregationalists call attention to this addition in their preface to the Savoy Declaration: 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
The Covenant Context of the Fall, Part 3: Echoes of a Creation Covenant
Did God make a primordial covenant with Adam? The special term for “covenant” (בְּרִית; ḇᵉrît) is not used in either the creation narratives (Gen 1-2) or the Fall narrative (Gen 3). For this reason a number of Bible scholars answer the question negatively. “Covenant,” in their mind, is a uniquely redemptive provision. However, a careful study of the explicit references to divine-human covenants in later Old Testament narratives reveals certain characteristic motifs that seem to echo a primordial covenantal arrangement.
The Covenant Context of the Fall, Part 2: The Essence of a “Covenant”
The standard Hebrew term for “covenant” is בְּרִית (ḇᵉrît). Its semantic range is multifaceted and somewhat flexible. Not surprisingly, it is challenging to find one definition that suits every context in which the term is found. Delbert Hillers alludes to the challenge of defining the term and the difference of opinion when he observes, “It is not the case of six blind men and the elephant, but of a group of learned paleontologists creating different monsters from the fossils of six separate species.”1 Read more
- Covenant: The History of a Biblical Idea (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1969), 7. [↩]
