I was reading recently some of Ludwig Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, because I seek to understand other theological traditions (in this case, Roman Catholic) from their own primary sources and best teachers. In the section on the nature of the authority of the Pope, he states that the pope has immediate authority. “[The authority of the pope is] […]
The Truthfulness of Scripture
A great article by Michael Horton on inerrancy. Here’s the first paragraph: Against the repeated claim that the doctrine of inerrancy, unknown to the church, arose first with Protestant orthodoxy, we could cite numerous examples from the ancient and medieval church. It was Augustine who first coined the term “inerrant,” and Luther and Calvin can speak […]
A Summary of Vern Poythress' Article "Modern Spiritual Gifts as Analogous to Apostolic: Affirming Extraordinary Works of the Spirit Within Cessationist Theology"
Vern Poythress’ article “Modern Spiritual Gifts as Analogous to Apostolic: Affirming Extraordinary Works of the Spirit Within Cessationist Theology” is by far the most helpful, enlightening thing I have read on how to understand things like impressions, seeming modern-day prophecy, a sense that something is going to happen (and then it does), and other such […]
The Opposable Mind and Alleged Contradictions in the Bible
A few years ago I read an excellent book called Opposable Mind. The book asks “What distinguishes a brilliant leader from a conventional one?” And the answer of the book is: “Brilliant leaders are skilled at integrative thinking — the ability to hold two opposing ideas in their minds at once, and then reach a […]
The Book of Acts and Christian Decision Making
A common question of modern Christians concerns how we should seek God’s guidance in our decisions. A popular view holds that God has an “individual will” for all or most of our decisions that we must discover lest we “miss God’s best” for us. This individual will is thought to be discerned through circumstances, advice, […]
Understanding the Inspiration of the Bible
“Everyone has a basis of authority on which he thinks and acts. For the Christian this is the Bible, claimed to be a book that is different from all others,” says Charles Ryrie. [1] The Bible is indeed different from all other books–it claims to be the inspired word of God. But this raises many […]