In this month’s blog, Dr. Schrock explains that it is through his fulfillment of the Old Testament that, “We come to know Jesus. Or to say better, this is the way that God makes himself know to us. Those who have been made alive by the Spirit not only come to understand how Jesus fulfills all Scripture, but they also delight to know more of God’s Word, so that they can have a truer picture of their Savior and King.” Read why we have such a great reason to be thankful for our perfect, promise-fulfilling Savior.
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This month's blog highlights Dr. Bill Fullilove, the upcoming professor of Poets at ITS this J-Term. In his essay, Dr. Fullilove discusses how to helpfully dive into the Psalms. He shows us the power of the poetry for our hearts along with our minds, and he helps protect our reading of the Psalms from expecting what they never intended to communicate.
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Every Christian loves the Psalms. Even those who do not particularly like poetry, or have the patience to grapple with it, still find moments in the Psalms that resonate within their soul. Our love and enjoyment of the psalms, in turn, lead to prayers seasoned with the words of the psalmist. Yet the Psalms are not merely a collection of pithy one-liners for the spiritually desperate. In this recent essay, Dr. Nicholas Piotrowski shows readers how the psalter is more than a collection of isolated poems, but one epic poem of New Creation.
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Christ Community Church recently invited Dr. Nicholas Piotrowski to preach in their sermon series "Questioning Christianity."
Watch his sermon as he shows how the Bible is good, true, and beautiful.
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I wrote this essay for the Washington Institute at the end of October. Its primary focus is on the nature of apocalyptic literature, but its foil is the sensationalizing of news events in 2020. So while my first aim was to commend a responsible way to read apocalyptic literature (Revelation in particular), my hope was also that the relevance of apocalyptic literature would shine through in shadow of current events and the palpable anxiety leading up to the November election. Well, in the wake of continuing unrest and uncertainty — covid spreading more than ever, controversy with the vaccine, riotous mobs inside the Capitol, the eve of a new presidential administration — I believe these words are still germane. …
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“Unenforceable obligations are beyond the reach of the laws of society. They concern inner attitudes, genuine person-to-person relations, and expressions of compassion which law books cannot regulate and jails cannot rectify. Such obligations are met by one’s commitment to an inner law, written on the heart. Man-made laws assure justice, but a higher law produces love.”…
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Every year Greg Enas, co-founder and leader of Citizen 7 right here in Indianapolis, circulates an end-of-year summary of the best books he’s read in the last twelve months. These works are diverse in their focus and perspectives. Here is a snippet that focuses on Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun’ s For the Life of the World: Theology That Makes a Difference.
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The meaning of “justification” has recently become a debated topic in Pauline studies. The central thrust of Romans has always been a debated topic. Our Pauline Theology professor for this fall is Dr. Bill Barcley. At a recent gathering of the Evangelical Theological Society, Dr. Barcley read his paper titled “Romans, Missions and Justification” that brings these two concerns together. He avers, “Everything in the letter must be read in light of Paul’s missionary agenda,” and then puts forward “a reading of Romans that recognizes the centrality of Paul’s missionary goals, makes sense of the Jew/Gentile dimension in Romans, recognizes Paul’s wrestling with God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel, and upholds the traditional evangelical—and in my view biblical—understanding of justification” (1). …
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I think the word “scholar” is commonly used to mean something like “erudite know-it-all.” And since they know it all, they teach others who are willing (or forced!) to listen. But in its most basic sense the word simply means someone with an aptitude to study. Therefore, a scholar is someone who learns first and foremost. Far from “knowing it all” true scholars are always seeking out what we do not know, and setting about the joyous task of discovery. And when they do, the rest of us are blessed by their hard work. Such is the case with Dr. Nicholas Perrin, who recently taught a course here at ITS, and on the first night gave a stimulating lecture on The Kingdom of God in Mark’s Gospel. I am thrilled to share that opening night’s lecture with you here. …
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