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J. L. Dagg, Southern Baptist Theologian: An Interview

John Leadley Dagg was perhaps the leading theologian among Baptists in the south during the second half of the nineteenth century >>> And that so, even though he was far from the leading intellect among southern theologians. James Boyce, for example, could be considered, compared to Dagg, the brighter star among Baptists in the south. Boyce's Abstract of Systematic Theology, available in print and online, engaged both sophisticated theological questions as well as the theologians themselves. Dagg, by contrast, quoted few, if any, theologians of repute; he simply rehearsed Scripture... Read more →

Joe Donahue: Evangelist for Real

Alright. I now have to make it up to Joe since I not only posted his silly side at which the world may gawk, but I have to do it out of raw, unmitigated, selfish fear: he has threatened to contaminate my pristine java-bean stash for daily brew with a can of poisonous, Kroger coffee. I hope this suffices. Youth Specialties may be the premier resource for Youth Ministry today. It's focus is regularly cutting edge and some of the top experts in Teen culture are affiliated with them. You... Read more →

Apology to My Readers

Inevitably they come. Factual inaccuracies, mistakes in interpretation, confused dates, wrong names, etc. etc. ad infinitum. And, if it happens to the most seasoned, careful researchers, who am I to remotely hope I will be spared such fate? Nonetheless, no excuses. I offer my sincere thanks to a commenter named "Kyle," who corrected my confused assertion--not to mention, unhappily for me, embarrassing assertion--that Dr. John Feinberg had passed on to be with the Lord. In this post, I confused him with his brother and colleague, the late Professor Paul Feinberg,... Read more →

Does Being Sick Imply Moral Inability?

Luke Liechty writes an interesting piece on moral ability vs. moral inability on his blog, Search Me O God >>> The essay entitled, The Healing Miracles of Jesus, combs out the implications Jesus' miracles--particularly, the miraculous healing of the man born blind as recorded in John 9.1ff--toward the way we understand coming to Christ. It's definitively worth a close reading. Thanks Luke, for your insight. With that, I am... Peter Read more →

Free Will's Reality; Free Will's Illusion: Coffee Anyone?

I took a class in ethical theory some years back taught by the late, Professor John Feinberg* >>> Dr. Feinberg was a brilliant theologian in the Calvinist tradition and an accomplished Christian philosopher. His works on both ethics and systematic theology are still widely read and used by seminaries across the world. As a side note, Professor Feinberg was, in stature, a dainty little man who came to class wearing a ball cap, plaid shirt and suspenders. Seeing him outside the academic setting, no one could possibly guess this man's... Read more →

Sovereignty and Free Will: Do the Twain Agree?

In my last post, I simply raised the question whether both Calvinism and NonCalvinism embraced God's sovereignty. And, while I affirmed the proposition, nevertheless we experienced some healthy discussion about it >>> Today, I'd like to spread a little more butter on the bread if I may. Let's consider this: assuming it's true that God is sovereign and human freedom exists, what does human freedom look like in everyday decision-making? Here Calvinists and NonCalvinists typically offer different answers to precisely how God can be sovereign and human beings can be... Read more →

Calvinism vs. non-Calvinism: Who Really Believes God is Sovereign?

Presbyterian Christian and best selling author, R. C. Sproul, writes in perhaps the best popular work on Election from a decidedly Calvinist perspective available today, these words: "without Sovereignty, God cannot be God. If we reject Sovereignty, then we must embrace atheism. This is the problem we all face. We must hold tightly to God's Sovereignty" (p. 27) >>> Speaking from a non-Calvinist perspective, I do not know how a more agreeable statement could be made. I, too, believe it non-negotiable to fully embrace God's Sovereignty. Even more, classic Arminianism... Read more →

The Danger of Religions

Yesterday's inside story in Living section of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution posed the question "What's the most dangerous idea in religion?" Offering responses to the question, the AJC posted a broad mix of answers. Self-help idol and pop-psychologist, Dr. Wayne Dyer, threw his ingredient in the pot: "Follow our rules or else." By that Dr. Dyer means not a personal moral compass by which to ethically act. Rather, he means that the way to connect to God is by following your own light and not that of another person and especially... Read more →