These are helpful. We need more of these types of discussions.
Month: December 2014
“A Time To Speak” Live Stream Event (John Piper, Matt Chandler, Thabiti Anyabwile, Ed Steltzer, Bryan Lorrits, Etc.)
“In light of recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, Cleveland, and New York, 11 Christian pastors and leaders are gathering Dec. 16 at the historic Lorraine Motel and National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis for A Time to Speak, a live stream event focusing on race, the church and where to go from here.” [Source]
I highly suggest you “attend” this event.
Sign up and view the event from this link (<– this is the same link for the now archived video — updated Dec. 19, 2014).
I Am the Very Model of a Biblical Philologist
My classmate Josh Tyra just made this ridiculously funny and super Biblical-scholarship-nerdy video about Biblical philology. Check it out!
A Biblical Theology of Psychotropic Medication
The following outlines are portions from two presentations given for the course 6710 Counseling in Theological Perspective: Faith & Practice taught by Dr. Rev. Stephen Greggo at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois, October and November 2014.
The two presentations (part 1 and part 2) addressed a case study of a specific (fictional) individual. My group was selected to address matters related to the use of psychotropic medication and discipline.
The first presentation raised concerns. For example, some of the more theologically oriented concerns regarding the use of medication included the following:
- Not taking responsibility for one’s actions (sin).
- In the use of medication, have we mislabeled sin as illness? Are we treating sin as non-sin?
- By treating an issue as illness, do we eliminate the Christian claim of human responsibility?
- Sanctification – Does medication conflict with the Christian view of change?
- What is genuine, God-honoring change from a Christian perspective (sanctification)? And how is that sort of changed accomplished?
- Is change resulting from medication that form of change, an expression of sanctification? Or should we distinguish the two?
- And if distinguished, how should a Christian view change resulting from medication, since it is not necessarily the change of sanctification? Is to be avoided, seen as good but yet superficial, etc. What?
A Christian Interface Approach to Psychology and Clinical Counseling
The following is a paper submitted to Dr. Rev. Stephen Greggo in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course 6710 Counseling in Theological Perspective: Faith & Practice at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois, November 2014.
[You should note, we were required to select a doctrinal statement as a starting point in laying out our theological convictions.]
This paper seeks to present a distinctively Christian interface approach to counseling and psychology. It will (1) begin by presenting relevant theological convictions, (2) tease out interface implications, and (3) conclude with brief ministry applications.
Theological Convictions
I have selected the London Baptist Confession of 1644 as my doctrinal statement. As a Reformed Baptist, this confession faithfully represents my theological convictions. However, due to its brevity, this section elaborates upon certain theological topics that are central to my interface approach.
Revelation. Christian theology speaks of two modes of divine revelation. ‘General’ or ‘natural revelation’ refers to God’s revelation of truth “to all persons at all times and in all places” (‘general’) through ‘natural’ means such as “nature, history, and the constitution of human beings” (e.g., conscience).[1] ‘Special revelation’ is that which is communicated to particular persons (‘special’) through supernatural means such as divine speech, unique events of divine intervention, and the divine incarnation.[2] Due to man’s fallen condition, general revelation’s efficacy diminishes as man suppresses truth known through general revelation (the noetic effect of sin; see Rom 1:18-32), intensifying the need for special revelation. As God’s direct and explicit revelation, Christian scripture (special revelation) holds the place of highest authority (sola scriptura).[3]
Kirk E. Miller 