Thom Rainer gives a summary of his findings here. The gist of it is that the church in the USA is not reproducing itself, and, if things continue as they are, Christianity in America will go the way of Christianity in Europe, where it’s all but gone. Here’s a summary: 1. Churches are doctrinally ineffective. …
Author Archives: JMH
A Tribute to John Hannah, and where to find him on the web
There was a time in my life when I had doubts about whether orthodox Christianity was derived exegetically from the Bible or illegitimately forced on a Bible that meant to communicate no such system. I had spent too much time around some “exegetes” who claimed that they were “just interpreting the Bible.” As they went …
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The Future of Baptist Theology according to Timothy George
Timothy George ranks with Al Mohler as one of the SBC’s leading intellectuals. In a volume co-edited with David Dockery titled, Theologians of the Baptist Tradition, George writes the opening essay entitled “The Future of Baptist Theology.” The whole thing is worth reading, and I give you these snippets to whet your appetite: “What are …
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Timothy George and the SBC
Would that Timothy George’s voice would be heard loud and clear in these days. His recent piece in First Things titled “Evangelicals and Others” is a must read for any Southern Baptist in these troubled days. Can we hold tenaciously to our theological positions while maintaining a cooperative ecumenism? George suggests that we can learn …
The OT in Light of Progressive Revelation: The Epistle of Barnabas
The Epistle of Barnabas is not part of the New Testament canon, though it was included in Codex Sinaiticus and Origen referred to it as a catholic epistle! Eusebius and Jerome, however, categorized it as a disputed writing and it was classed with the apocrypha. Modern scholars label it “anonymous,” even though early church tradition …
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Spurgeon on Elders
I recently bought Spurgeon's Autobiography and hope to read it soon, and that prompted me to look up this Spurgeon quote from Mark Dever's Baptists and Elders: “To our minds, the Scripture seems very explicit as to how this Church should be ordered. We believe that every Church member should have equal rights and privileges; …
The Old Testament in the New
Justin Taylor recently posted on Greg Beale’s question, Did the Apostles Preach the Right Doctrine from the Wrong Text?, and that prompted me to ruminate on the progress of my thinking about the use of the OT in the NT. When I was introduced to the academic study of the Bible, the focus of those …
Thomas Cranmer and Blue Like a Passing Purple Fad
I recently finished reading Diarmaid MacCulloch's stellar biography of Thomas Cranmer. Anyone interested in the life of a great man who pushed forward the reformation in England should read this book. Cranmer is presented sympathetically in all the complexity of one who recanted under great distress only to heroically withdraw his recantations in the hour …
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Fundamentalists and Liberals: What Characterizes Each?
On his always stimulating blog Euangelion, Mike Bird has posted a nice summary of what characterizes both fundamentalists and liberals. These words get thrown around a lot, and Prof. Dr. Bird insightfully clarifies 12 major characteristics of each tendency. Check out Fundamentalist versus Liberal.
Southern Baptist Ghosts
Back in 1999 Timothy George wrote an insightful piece on three controversies among Southern Baptists: the Stone-Campbell movement, the Landmarkists, and the hyper-Calvinists. Dr. George gives a fascinating look into the historical development of these three problems that Southern Baptists faced. The issues provoked by these disputes are still with us, and George's essay, Southern …
Baptists and Elders
Someone recently asked me for evidence of a plurality of elders in SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCHES, and I did not have an answer for that person. I can’t remember who asked me, but the evidence is beautifully summarized in a piece by Mark Dever available at the 9 Marks site called Baptists and Elders. In view …
Counseling and the Authority of Christ
Praise God for Russell D. Moore. And praise God for the new direction in which he is pointing the Biblical Counseling program at Southern Seminary. Hallelujah! I am elated to see somebody stand up and call it like it is. Somebody with the guts to “sell the mills” (see Good to Great). I cannot commend …
Piper on Pain
I don’t know anybody in the world who thinks about life like John Piper. Right before he had prostate surgery he wrote Don’t Waste Your Cancer. Here’s a preview, which will hopefully prompt you to read the whole thing: 1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you …
Sick of the Smut on Billboards
I am sick of seeing billboards advertising strip clubs and adult smut shops, and so I wrote a letter that I have sent to a number of advertisers in the Houston area. What does it say about a company that they are willing to degrade women, invite men to become lascivious beasts, and pervert the …
Listen to the Greek NT for Free!
You can listen to the Westcott Hort Greek NT for free here. Or, part of the NT is up here: http://www.greeklatinaudio.com/, and note that this greeklatinaudio page also has part of the OT in Hebrew up as well as part of the Latin translation of the NT read aloud posted. Read, listen, and may God …
Listen to the Hebrew Bible for Free!
In response to my last post, someone pointed me to this site. There you can listen to the OT read in Hebrew for free! Enjoy, and may God bless the reading and the hearing of his word!
Reading and Hearing Biblical Hebrew
The Central Library for the Blind in Israel has a phenomenal tool for anyone trying to learn Biblical Hebrew. They are offering their recording of the Hebrew Bible, the whole thing, in Hebrew, for $50! Go here: http://www.clfb.org.il/index-e.htm and click on the link near the middle of the page on the right that says, “The …
Les Bollinger joins the blogroll!
While Jill and I were in Louisville studying at Southern, we worshiped at Clifton Baptist Church. It was a joy to be a part of that vibrant body, and it is a joy to see where the Lord has taken the members of that body. I recently heard from Les Bollinger, with whom we worshiped …
The Septuagint as Christian Scripture
As with most everything Martin Hengel writes, this volume contains a treasure-trove of information. He makes some startling proposals here, and his inclusion of an essay by Robert Hanhart makes this almost a “two views” book. If you’ve ever wondered how the church fathers viewed the LXX, how they regarded the apocrypha, or why most …
BibleWorks 6
From time to time I get asked what I think about the various Bible software programs. I use BibleWorks 6, and I my review of the software is here.