Genesis 37-50 records the incredible account of Joseph, his dysfunctional family, and God’s faithfulness through it all. Joseph’s prophetic dreams during his youth sustained him in his making wise choices...
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One unique and interesting facet of biblical literature is the existence of predictive prophecy. I am always encouraged by the cohesiveness of God's word when I read in Scripture of...
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The hiker who ascends the lofty mountain and pauses to view the landscape below him can see in one panoramic view the entire forest and its relationship to the landscape...
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Isa 44:28: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation...
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The Synagogue and the Word
A former graduate professor of mine made a passing statement once that grabbed my attention. He referred to two types of worship: the temple model and the synagogue model. The temple emphasized ritual and the synagogue emphasized the Word. In this companion article I want to focus on three physical aspects of the synagogue that relate to the Word of God— the ark, the platform, and Moses’ Seat.
The pictures below help illustrate these three physical features. The picture on the left shows two arks, or special containers for the scrolls of Scripture, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem today.
Making Church History Relevant for Pastors and Students
What is the value of church history to us today? Does it have any bearing on how we live and minister? In this issue of the Faith Pulpit, Dr. Ken Rathbun, graduate of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary and visiting faculty member of FBTS, explores why church history is important for believers today, using a model he has developed. In his second article he applies that model to a contemporary area of church life.
Most of us took our church history classes1 in Bible college or seminary (or both) because we had to complete another requirement to graduate.
The Tour of a Lifetime
The heart of an Israel tour is to observe the topography, geography, and culture which provide unparalleled insight into the Bible. When we are there, we do not use PowerPoint slides; we simply point and say, “That is where it took place.” Such “hands- and eyes-on” experience takes your knowledge of the Bible to a whole new level in just a few days. Every day seems like a Sunday worship service as we go from site to site and learn new truths about the Bible.
The Christian and Church History
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
As I study church history, 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17 is a comforting passage. When one studies the discipline of church history, many unsettling episodes present themselves. We often wonder how people could make the decisions they did, and even more, how they justified those decisions with the authorities they used.
In Defense of the Adult Sunday School Class
Adult ministries are shifting in churches today. The emphasis seems to be moving away from adult Sunday School classes to small groups. In the first article Don Anderson, professor of Christian Education at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary and a veteran adult Sunday School teacher, calls churches back to the priority of adult Sunday School classes. He believes adult Sunday School classes can do everything small groups can do and more. In the second article he offers some suggestions for how to improve our adult classes so they reach their full potential.
When Is It Time to Quit?
Every once in a while I do something that feels akin to beating my head against a wall. This article feels like that because my intention is to discuss how long preachers should preach. I have discussed this topic with enough preachers to know that preachers will preach as long as they want to preach. Certainly every preacher needs to be “convinced in his own mind” of what length of sermon is appropriate. I acknowledge this is an area where good men can disagree.
Lessons from the Reformation for Biblical Fundamentalists
Fundamentalists today face the challenge of wanting to reach more people but still guard the purity of their churches. In this article Dr. Ken Rathbun, a graduate of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary and the academic dean of Fairview Baptist Bible College in Jamaica, gives us insights on this matter from the Reformation period. In his second article he applies the lessons from the Reformation to contemporary fundamentalism.
One of the ironies of the Reformation is that though the Reformers had separated from the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformers attacked other groups of the time for separating from them.
Unity Versus Purity
The same conflict we saw in the Reformation can be seen in contemporary Christianity in North America and the rest of the world. Pastors in Baptist circles today (or heads of institutions or agencies) have choices to make when trying to expand and extend the influence of their church in the community or the constituency of their organizations. Aiming for unity (lowest common denominator of beliefs and/or holy living) will most often result in larger numbers of people, but it does not produce the fruit one might desire.
Toward Expository Preaching
Preaching is at the heart of our fundamental Baptist churches. Our churches are blessed with many fine preachers, but there is always a need to issue the call again for excellence in expository preaching. In this issue of the Faith Pulpit, Dr. Daniel Brown, a veteran preacher and teacher of preachers at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa, reminds us of the nature of expository preaching and encourages us to hold to a high standard in preaching. In his second article he tackles the question of how long should a preacher preach.
Bonhoeffer and the Scriptures
Bible-believing evangelical Christians hold a high view of the Scriptures. Many evangelicals also see Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a Bible-believing Christian. Bonhoeffer, however, accepted the prevailing historical-critical views of the Bible in his day. Therefore, we should be wary of calling Bonhoeffer a “Bible-believer.” The following three examples from his writings support this position.
Creation and Fall
In Creation and Fall (1932), an exegesis of Genesis 1–3, we find clear examples of Bonhoeffer espousing the historical-critical view of the Bible. In this work he referred to the Biblical author as the “Yahwist.”1