Should we capitalize divine pronouns?
This is the kind of niche question that Christians sometimes get worked up about. I agree with Tim’s view on this.
How to Become the Mother of Jesus
‘What we need to realize here is that there is a massive, fundamental difference between the Roman Catholic Church and Protestantism when it comes to the authoritative foundation of church doctrine. For Protestants, that foundation is the Bible and the Bible alone, which is the only final authority for determining what should be taught as true. For the Roman church, it is the Bible plus the equally authoritative Roman Catholic magisterium — that is, the pope and bishops united with him. And they don’t just interpret the Bible; they add to the Bible. That difference is why, over the centuries, the Roman Catholic Church can add more and more teachings about Mary that are not in the Bible and that I believe cause a distorted view of what is in the Bible, especially the unique glory of Jesus Christ.’
Paul Went to the Third Heaven. What in the World Is He Talking About?
This is a particularly interesting one, whether you are convinced or not by the conclusions drawn.
A Sham Trial: Reviewing ‘The Sin of Empathy’
I am so grateful for this review by Danni Treweek.
When Did Jesus Preach to Spirits in Prison?
This one surveys the different options interpreters have taken and lands on Tom Schreiner’s preferred understanding. ‘Even Martin Luther, one of the boldest exegetes in church history, confessed confusion about this text. It’s a “hard nut to crack” and not something upon which dogmatic positions should be built. Given these challenges, [Tom] Schreiner encourages interpretive humility and theological charity when navigating the text.’
The Enormous Significance of Small Tasks
This one focuses on raising young children, but I think the point it makes is easily made universal: the small tasks really do matter.
From the archive: A culture war strategy I can’t co-sign
‘Kevin DeYoung has argued for a new strategy toward the culture wars; namely, have as many children as you can. Much as… I appreciate Kevin DeYoung and his writing, I couldn’t help but feel this article so badly missed the mark. Here, I want to explain why.’
On the subject of Jesus Proclaiming to the Spirits in Prison, the understanding preferred by Kirk E. Miller and Thomas Schreiner, namely “3. Christ proclaimed his victory over demonic powers” was previously proposed by R. T. (Dick) France and published in his ‘Exegesis in practice: two samples’, chapter 9 of ‘New Testament Interpretation : Essays on principles and methods’ ed. I Howard Marshall. (Paternoster, 1977). I always rated Dick France as top-rate at biblical exegesis (but I was shocked when he came down in favour of egalitarianism and the ordination of women).
I didn’t realise France took that view too. Like you, I rate him (his Tyndale Commentary on Matthew is excellent and his NICNT n thesame gospel similarly good).
FWIW, I’m not sure I agree with Schreiner on the question at hand in the post. I really like and rate Schreiner generaly, so weigh it highly. But I am not fully convinced.