Posts by Josh Hayes

Wall Street Journal features Moore February 4, 2011

Russell D. Moore has hit Wall Street. In his op-ed piece for The Wall Street Journal, the SBTS dean asks the question, "Where Have All the Presbyterians Gone?" In the article, Moore observes that recent trends show that fewer American Christians identify themselves with particular denominations (e.g., Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal). As a result, nondenominational churches are on the rise. He writes the following:

This trend is a natural extension of the American evangelical experiment. After all, evangelicalism is about the fundamental message of Christianity - the evangel, the gospel, literally the "good news" of God's kingdom arriving in Jesus Christ - not about denomination building.

Moore is dean of the School of Theology, senior vice president for academic administration, and professor of Christian theology and ethics.

More

Jan. 24 Towers: Payne goes urban; SBTS profs discuss Lord’s Supper; and Carson answers “Three Questions” January 31, 2011

The Jan. 24 "Towers" is now available. Carrying the theme "urbanamerica," the issue provides reflection, counsel and documention pertinent to conducting Gospel ministry in an increasingly urbanized world. With the majority of the global population now living in cities, those who are serious about taking the Gospel to all nations must seriously consider the implications of urbanization for missions.

The SBTS Resources page provides the PDF for the Jan. 24 "Towers." Pieces in this issue include:

  • J.D. Payne, associate professor of church planting and evangelism and director of the Center for North American Missions and Church Planting at Southern Seminary, addresses some of the components to urban missions and ministry in his article, "G.O.I.N.G. U.R.B.A.N." (pages 3 and 6);
  • Aaron interacts with the contributors of the new volume, The Lord's Supper: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ Until He Comes (B&H, 2010). Edited by Thomas R. Schreiner and Matthew Crawford, the book presents baptistic perspectives about the ordinance of Communion. In addition to Schreiner and others, the piece presents thoughts about the book's subject matter and relevance from SBTS professors Jonathan Pennington, Gregg Allison, Brian Vickers, Shawn Wright, Greg Wills, Jim Hamilton and Bruce Ware (pages 8 and 9). Aaron also offers a brief review of The Lord's Supper (page 10);
  • SBTS sponsors its first team of students to New York City for urban ministry and missions exposure throughout the city's neighborhoods and boroughs (page 4);
  • The Southern Story recounts the call to vocational ministry and the overseas evangelism of Ed Stucky, doctor of ministry student and admissions counselor at Southern Seminary. Stucky serves as senior pastor of New Salem Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. (page 13); and
  • The back page has "Three Questions" with D.A. Carson, research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (page 16).
More

Southern Seminary Magazine draws more attention January 28, 2011

The Winter 2011 Southern Seminary Magazine continues to receive attention. In recent days, Baptist Press has noted the ongoing dialogue between proponents of theistic evolution, such as The BioLogos Foundation, and R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. At Baptist Press, a Jan. 26 article, "Mohler at center of debate over evolution & the Bible," mentions that Mohler considers evolutionary theory "one of the greatest challenges to Christian faith and faithfulness in our times."

The article highlights one of Mohler's two feature articles in the Winter 2011 magazine, "The New Atheism and the Dogma of Darwinism." For those who are not familiar with the movement, the New Atheism includes such outspoken atheistic figures as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens.

In the article, Mohler seeks to demonstrate the necessity of Darwinian evolutionary theory for the atheist worldview to account for the origins of life and the existence of the cosmos. As the world-famous evolutionary scientist Richard Dawkins puts it, "Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist."

Concerning the essentiality of Darwinian evolution to the atheist worldview, Mohler writes the following in his Southern Seminary Magazine article:

The dogma of Darwinism is among the first principles of the worldview offered by the New Atheists. Darwin replaces the Bible as the great explainer of the existence of life in all of its forms. The New Atheists are not merely dependent upon science for their worldview; their worldview amounts to scientism - the belief that modern naturalistic science is the great unifying answer to the most basic questions of human life.

Readers can access both of Mohler's articles, "The New Atheism and the Dogma of Darwinism" as well as "The New Shape of the Debate," in the PDF for the latest magazine provided by the SBTS Resource page.

Baptist Press offers more coverage of the discussion about the disputed compatibility between Christianity and evolutionary theory with the article, "Theistic evolutionists, too, face 'suspicion, condescension,' Mohler observes."

More

Haykin speaks about Gospel friendship at SWBTS January 26, 2011

Michael A.G. Haykin, professor of church history and biblical spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently spoke at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, on Radical Reformation Day.

Radical Reformation Day is an annual event that remembers the baptism of George Blaurock and those whom he subsequently baptized on Jan. 21, 1525. In his address, Haykin drew attention to the friendship shared by 18th- and 19th-century English Baptists William Carey, Samuel Pearce, Andrew Fuller, John Sutcliff and John Ryland.

Southwestern's Media Resources page provides the video for the address.

More

Schreiner and Seifrid summarize the Bible January 13, 2011

What's the message of the Bible in one sentence? That's the question Dane Ortlund asks at his blog, Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology, to many of today's most respected pastors, biblical scholars and theologians in the evangelical world. Included are responses from Southern Seminary faculty members Thomas R. Schreiner and Mark A. Seifrid.

Schreiner, who serves as James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and associate dean of Scripture and interpretation, writes the following in response to the question:

God reigns over all things for his glory, but we will only enjoy his saving reign in the new heavens and the new earth if we repent and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the crucified and risen Lord and who gave himself on the cross for our salvation.

Seifrid, who serves as Mildred and Ernest Hogan Professor of New Testament Interpretation, gives his summary in Latin:

Verbum caro factum est. [translation: "The Word was made flesh."]

Ortlund includes other one-sentence summaries from notable evangelical figures such as Mark Dever, Andreas Kostenberger, John Frame, Greg Beale, David Helm and more.

More

Mohler takes on theistic evolution in latest Southern Seminary Magazine January 11, 2011

Near the close of the year, Gospel Coalition blogger Collin Hansen published his article, "My Top Ten Theology and Church Stories from 2010." At nine, he places the BioLogos controversy concerning the evangelical debate about evolutionary theory. Hansen notes that the controversy ensued last spring when a notable evangelical Old Testament scholar stated that Christianity bore the risk of "becoming a cult" if the church continued to reject the theory when faced with data significantly favoring evolution.

If nothing else, the debate has served the church by helping to highlight the theological implications for those wishing to embrace some form of theistic evolution. The Winter 2011 Southern Seminary Magazine seeks to help readers think through these implications in effort to assist believers in remaining faithful to Scripture.

In the issue, R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern, argues that those who wish to make some kind of an attempt at a mediating position between Christianity and evolution do so at the expense of relinquishing precious biblical truths, often denying historic Christian doctrines such as biblical inerrancy, an historic Adam, an historic Fall and a universal Flood. In the article, "The New Shape of the Debate," Mohler writes the following:

Given the stakes in this public controversy, the attractiveness of theistic evolution becomes clear. The creation of a middle ground between Christianity and evolution would resolve a great cultural and intellectual conflict. Yet, in the process of attempting to negotiate this new middle ground, it is the Bible and the entirety of Christian theology that gives way, not evolutionary theory. Theistic evolution is a biblical and theological disaster.

Later in the article, he observes some of the consequences of this "biblical and theological disaster":

If evolution is true, then the entire narrative of the Bible has to be revised and reinterpreted. The evolutionary account is not only incompatible with any historical affirmation of Genesis 1-2, but it is also incompatible with the claim that all humanity is descended from Adam and the claim that in Adam all humanity fell into sin and guilt. The Bible's account of the Fall, and its consequences, is utterly incompatible with evolutionary theory. The third chapter of Genesis is as problematic for evolutionary theory as the first two.

The Southern Resources page provides the PDF for the magazine. Mohler's "The New Shape of the Debate" begins on page 24. Readers can find subscription information about Southern Seminary Magazine on the contents page (page 3).

More

Southern Seminary releases Winter 2011 Magazine January 5, 2011

The Winter 2011 Southern Seminary Magazine is now available. With content taking on the doctrine of creation, the publication carries the theme of ex nihilo (Latin, "out of nothing") to draw attention to one of the most fundamental and distinctive tenets of the Christian worldview - that God the sovereign Creator brought the universe into existence out of nothing. The SBTS Resources page provides the PDF.

In addition to the latest about news, events, reviews and thoughts from Southern Seminary included in its In-Short section, the magazine features articles articulating and explaining the Christian doctrine of creation, its historical importance and contemporary relevance. Feature articles from Southern faculty members include:

  • R. Albert Mohler Jr., "The New Shape of the Debate" (page 24)
  • R. Albert Mohler Jr., "The New Atheism and the Dogma of Darwinism" (page 28)
  • Russell D. Moore, "All Things Dark and Terrible: Our Fearful Fascination With Wild Things and Other Monsters of God" (page 33)
  • Mark T. Coppenger, "Evolution and Creation in Higher Education" (page 36)
  • Greg A. Wills, "Creation and American Christianity" (page 40)

Readers can find subscription information on the magazine's contents page (page 3).

More

Jan. 3 Towers: John Frame talks about new book; York highlights common mistakes pastors make; and TPJ releases eschatology DVD series January 4, 2011

Why can't we all just get along? These words come to mind when considering the theme for the Jan. 3 "Towers." Titled "Divisive Doctrine," the issue provides readers with content concerning how to wisely navigate the potentially treacherous areas of Scripture's more controversial teachings. The SBTS Resources page provides the PDF.

Pieces in the latest "Towers" include:

  • My interview with author and professor John Frame in which he discusses his new book, The Doctrine of the Word of God (P&R, 2010), and other matters of the Bible, theology and apologetics (pages 8 and 9). In the issue, I also offer a brief review of Frame's book (page 10);
  • Aaron revisits SBTS President R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s theological triage (page 3);
  • Hershael W. York, Victor and Louise Lester Professor of Christian Preaching at SBTS, weighs in on mistakes pastors should avoid in communicating truth to their congregations (page 5);
  • Aaron looks at the DVD teaching series, "Four Views of the End Times," which features the lectures of Southern Seminary's Timothy Paul Jones, associate professor of leadership and church ministry and editor of The Journal of Family Ministry (page 4);
  • Russell D. Moore, professor of Christian theology and ethics at Southern, spoke to University of Louisville students about an evangelical Christian perspective on the environment, responding to the question, "Is God green?" (page 7) Moore also serves as the dean of the School of Theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern Seminary;
  • "Towers" contributor Courtney Reissig offers a "Southern Story" about Mary Kassian, distinguished professor of women's studies at SBTS (page 13); and
  • The back page has "Three Questions" with Mike Cosper, worship and arts pastor for Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Ky. (page 16)
More

Taylor blog mentions Whitney’s tips for Gospel conversation at Christmas December 16, 2010

In a Dec. 15, 2010, post at "Between Two Worlds," Gospel Coalition blogger Justin Taylor notes Southern Seminary's Donald S. Whitney. Taylor provides the link to Whitney's article that presents 10 questions to ask at Christmas gatherings in order to move toward deeper, Gospel-oriented conversation.

Whitney serves as associate professor of biblical spirituality at SBTS and as senior associate dean of the School of Theology. Whitney's Web site, The Center for Biblical Spirituality, provides the article.

More

Plummer comments on HCSB Study Bible’s free online availability December 2, 2010

Robert L. Plummer, associate professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Seminary, published some comments on his blog about the free online availability of the Holman Christian Study Bible. Plummer says this is a good idea for the following four reasons:

  • Christian ministry (including academic publishing) is about honoring Christ and serving the church, not about making money (1 Tim 6:5).
  • Christians in developing countries can benefit from this fine resource, which would otherwise be too expensive for them.
  • Even secular authors have found that giving away books online can result in more print copies being sold. If readers have extended time online to peruse a high-quality resource, they often want it in print format also.
  • John Piper gives away his books for free online. Must be a good idea.

Readers can access Plummer's blog at www.robplummer.com

More