In the New Testament, Israel was controlled by the Romans. Only Roman citizens had political standing (Acts 16:37; 22:25– 29; 25:9–12). Jesus had a political trial because the Jews did not have the authority to put Him to death (John 18:30–31). His accusers brought false civil charges against Him (Luke 23:1–2) to force Pilate’s hand (John 19:12). We’re not subjects of Rome. “Render to Caesar the t [...]

This is Part Two of a book review written in 2009 of the book, Dual Citizens: Worship and Life Between the Already and Not Yet. Part One can be found here. In the “Preface” to Dual Citizens, Jason Stellman approvingly quotes Dutch theologian Geerhardus Vos, who “famously said that ’eschatology precedes soteriology.” “But,” Stellman continues, “I woul [...]

Every Sunday, millions of people attend church services in this country. They usually hear a nice message about Jesus and what He did during his three-year earthly ministry. What is mostly missing is the “go and do likewise” application for each listener of these weekly sermons. What actual difference does what Jesus said and did make to 21st century Christians? A constant need is cris [...]

John Piper writes that Christians “exert influence as happy, brokenhearted outsiders” who should only count on having limited and temporal success this side of heaven. “American culture does not belong to Christians,” he continues, “neither in reality nor in biblical theology. It never has. The present tailspin toward Sodom is not a fall from Christian ownership, &rsq [...]

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg and pro-abortion Baptist “minister” Katey Zeh argue that opposition to abortion is based on “a single word being mistranslated more than 2,000 years ago.” The Christian responses to the claim made by these two pro-abortion women are OK, but they do not go far enough in pointing out their very bad exegetical work. I’ve run across additional twisted exegesis and history simila [...]

Christianity’s failure to be a practical religion in the past 150 years or more has meant the success of a perverted and twisted secularism and an advancing militant Islam that are doing incalculable harm at home and abroad. Humanism and Islam have gained the upper hand by default. The rejection of any type of this-worldly application of the Bible has resulted in the proliferation of a man-centere [...]

In my 2020 debate with Kent Hovind, the topic of Daniel’s 70-weeks-of-years prophecy in Daniel 9:24–27 came up. Like all futurists like Hovind who hold to a rapture during a seven-year interval in which supposedly the antichrist shows up and makes and breaks a covenant with Israel, the temple is rebuilt, and the Great Tribulation takes place, includes a parenthesis after the 69th week (483 years). [...]

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Corinthians 12:4–6) In His providence, God supplies individuals and churches with the talents they need to perform the work for which He has called them. Personal di [...]

The Gospel is not just “getting people saved.” Salvation is the start of a lifetime-long journey of sanctification and growth. For too long, the Church has been abandoning its role as the “change agent” within culture and society. Cursing the darkness is much easier, because shining a light requires more effort and more time. But the fact that it’s difficult doesn&rsq [...]

“A student is not above the teacher; but everyone, when he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). God’s plan for His people is growth. The entire experience of life is characterized (or should be) by continued maturity—from infancy to adulthood. Parents teach their children “the way they should go” (Proverbs 22:6), while also gaining a deeper u [...]

Movements for change require leaders, but they also require those willing to do the everyday work. While most people have their eyes trained on the captivating individual at the forefront, the real change is coming from deeper inside. Somewhere in the “middle management” of the change movement is where the real work gets done. History 101: Lessons from the Past History 101 is an overvi [...]

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12) “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. [...]

As a Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Dr. Bart Ehrman is well-regarded in the area of New Testament textual criticism. He has written many books and given many lectures on the topic. He even participated in a debate in early 2009 with Dr. James White on the topic of the reliability of the NT manuscripts. Dr. Ehrman’s recent fascination is with [...]

Many Christians have trouble wrapping their heads around several difficult questions regarding how they should respond to what’s taking place in the world. It’s not because of a lack of intelligence; it’s a lack of teaching and a narrow focus of what it means to be a Christian in the world. The world has gotten more complicated. In one sense, it has passed us by. We have not kept up with what’s be [...]

How should the Bible be interpreted? Most conservative Christians will immediately respond with the answer “literally.” But what does it mean to interpret literally? How should a book written thousands of years ago by multiple authors in different settings and cultures be understood by modern readers? Paul Lee Tan is helpful when he writes: “Literal interpretation of the Bible si [...]

There’s great interest in the subject of Christian resistance against tyrants. It’s not a new consideration. The Reformers had a lot to say about the topic as well as their immediate heirs. John Calvin addressed the topic in his Institutes of the Christian Religion as did Theodore Beza in his The Rights of Magistrates (1574) where he contended that resistance to an established civil government fun [...]

My wife and I watched a video of a white police officer who stopped a black man for driving “under the speed limit” that took place in February 2020. Ace Perry had the good sense to turn on his camera phone to record the injustice. You must watch this: The officer is an idiot and should be fired. Driving five miles per hour under the speed limit? There is no such traffic violation. [...]

For years, prominent Christians have been critical of applying Old Testament law to the New Testament era even though Jesus (Mark 7:1–9) and the Apostle did (Rom. 13:8–10; 1 Cor 5:1–2; 9:9; 1 Tim. 1:6–10; 5:18). It’s not always clear how the OT law might apply in the New Testament, but there is no justification to say that NT writers don’t often apply it (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Charles Colson, who serve [...]

I’ve been working on the topic of Civil Disobedience for a talk I’m giving at a conference in LaGrange, Georgia, on October 1. There are too many Christians who believe they can win a shooting war with the United States government. Pres. Biden was right. To take on our government, we would need “F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons.” This was a terrible thing to say. It gives the impression that P [...]

In my previous article (“A Seismic Shift in Eschatology Has Begun”), the letter writer begs the question by assuming dispensationalism is true, biblically foundational, and has a long and respected historical pedigree. He doesn’t argue for these positions; he simply states them as fundamental, self-evident truths. His arguments, such as they are, are similar to those used by evolutionists, global [...]