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June 2018

June 06, 2018

Polity and Patronage in Chinese Churches

How do Chinese house churches organize themselves? How does Chinese culture influence church structure? What...

May 2018

May 03, 2018

Clothing the Grand Biblical Story with Honor and Shame

A student working with Muslims wanted to develop a story that takes honor and shame...

April 2018

April 30, 2018

The subtle syncretism of Andy Stanley against “theological correctness”

It kills me when well-intended pastors like Andy Stanley unwittingly do damage to the church...

April 11, 2018

Honor and Shameful Retribution in Ancient and Biblical Laws

The principle of lex talionis [“eye for eye, tooth for tooth”] is deeply etched on...

March 2018

March 14, 2018

Is theological education “necessary” for missionaries?

An article recently came to my attention with a very simple claim. J. Brennan, who...

February 2018

February 14, 2018

Why Is God Justified in Romans?: Vindicating Paul’s Use of Psalm 51 in Romans 3:4

Most people understand God’s righteousness in Rom 3:4 and Ps 51:4 as punitive, referring to...

February 07, 2018

“Holiness, holiness is what I need.” Really?

If you ever sang “Take my Life” in church, you have probably been taught that...

January 2018

January 31, 2018

Did the Canaanites actually break God’s Law?

Section 3 of The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest is called “The Canaanites are...

January 24, 2018

What the Bible Does Not Say about the Canaanites

Why did Israel attempt to clear the Canaanites from the promised land?

January 18, 2018

Reviewing “The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest”

Although John Walton never shies from controversial topics, his recent book is bold, even by...

January 10, 2018

Seek Justice…Even When the Church Loses Face : Reflections on Christians’ Response to Andy Savage

Few things are as tragic and ironic as the church’s response to Andy Savage’s sexual...

November 2017

November 29, 2017

What Assumptions Marginalize Women in Ministry?

Women missionaries often feel marginalized. They are theologically equal but strategically separate in many circles.

September 2017

September 20, 2017

Identifying God’s Enemies and Ours

Why does the Bible say we are “God’s enemies”? The reason is less obvious as...

September 06, 2017

Assessing Theology from a Historical Perspective

Ask 3 theologians their opinion on a doctrine and you'll likely get 4 answers. Theology...

August 2017

August 30, 2017

How to Assess Theological Arguments

As my students and I debated during a Systematic Theology I course, it realized how...

July 2017

July 18, 2017

Does God Love Black People More Than the Church?

I understand the desire for purity and the stain of association. But the church is...

July 05, 2017

Saving Us from Me: Cultivating Honor and Shame in a Collectivist Church

Today, I'm releasing my recent conference talk "Saving Us from Me: Cultivating Honor and Shame...

June 2017

June 27, 2017

The Bible Tells a Dystopian Story

Dystopian stories contextualize the anxieties of Western culture. If so, how might the Bible address...

May 2017

May 24, 2017

How Metaphors Make Us Moral

“Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.” Arguably, John...

May 10, 2017

How do we “embody” theology?

John Sanders says all theology is embodied. On the surface, this doesn't seem noteworthy. People...

April 2017

April 13, 2017

Does the Easter story have authority?

This week, we'll read narratives about Christ's suffering and resurrection. But are we equipped to read...

April 12, 2017

Can Christians eat blood?

An oft debated question among Chinese Christians is this, “Can Christians eat blood?” For some, the...

March 2017

March 22, 2017

Redefining “the elements of the world”

In a significant book, Leithart suggests a novel interpretation of "the elements." It shifts how...

March 15, 2017

Word studies when you don’t know Hebrew or Greek

If you don't know Greek and Hebrew, how do you do a word study? How...

February 2017

February 01, 2017

Relating the Biblical Covenants (in 1 picture)

What is a simple way to explain the major biblical themes and covenants? If we...

January 2017

January 11, 2017

Are you wasting time church planting?

Even Paul knew his labor in planting churches could be a waste of time. If Paul...

January 04, 2017

Behave Badly Like Paul

Few books simultaneously entertain, provoke, challenge and instruct. A recent IVP book by just that....

November 2016

November 17, 2016

The Gospel of the Kingdom (video)

In light of the recent election, I can think of few videos more fitting to...

November 02, 2016

Must Chinese elders have believing children?

What qualifies a person to be a pastor? Are you aware of a controversial translation...

September 2016

September 21, 2016

Building the Biblical Story

In order to teach the Bible and share the gospel, we do best to understand...