Tag Archives: Hermeneutics

United Families Dividing Churches: An Assessment of the Family Integrated Church Movement

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The Family Integrated Church Movement (FICM) is having a growing impact within fundamental Baptist churches—and unfortunately it is not all good. Since the mid-1990s an increasing number of families within fundamental churches have gravitated toward the family-integrated approach. In addition, families entrenched in the movement have been drawn to fundamental churches because of their emphasis on Biblical preaching and conservatism. At first glance the influence of the FICM might seem innocent and even beneficial for traditional churches, but instead it is proving to be problematic for many pastors and churches.

Distinguishing Law, Gospel, and Grace

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Precise interpretation is essential to a proper understanding of God’s Word. An indispensable element in correctly interpreting God’s Word is identifying and distinguishing passages as law, gospel, or grace. In this article Dr. Myron Houghton, senior professor of theology at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary, carefully guides us through a proper understanding of law, gospel, and grace and gives us a framework for correctly interpreting the Scripture. You will find additional information and help in this important area by reading Dr. Houghton’s new book, Law & Grace, published by Regular Baptist Books.

What Is New Covenant Theology?

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Over the past few years, the Faith Pulpit has alerted its readers to some aberrant theological movements and positions, e.g., the Emerging Church, the New Perspective on Paul, and the Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic. These views may seem obscure at first, but they eventually make their way into the life and practice of a church. Several elements of the Emerging Church movement are already showing up in churches outside that movement. This issue of the Faith Pulpit examines another doctrinal issue that pastors and church leaders should be aware of.

Redemptive-Movement Hermeneutic

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Faith Baptist Theological Seminary adheres to a literal, grammatical, historical interpretation of Scripture. That approach to hermeneutics has guided the school since its inception. Over the years, however, some new approaches to hermeneutics have emerged. In this article, Dr. Douglas Brown, professor of New Testament at FBTS, evaluates the Redemptive-Movement model of interpretation, a recent aberration in Biblical hermeneutics. In the summer of 2007 I had the privilege of leading a group of teens from my church on a missions trip to France.

Mothers Saved in Childbearing?

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The topic of a woman’s role in the church has been one of the most heated debates in contemporary Christianity. Moreover, a woman’s role in the home, as a wife and mother, is under attack in our culture. In this article, Mrs. Martha Hartog, adjunct faculty member at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa, addresses this issue with a thoughtful examination of the phrase, “she will be save in childbearing” (1 Tim. 2:15). In 1 Timothy 2:8–15 Paul focused on a woman’s role in the church as well as her role as a mother.

The “New Perspective” and Justification, Part 2

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In the July/August edition of the Faith Pulpit, Dr. Paul Hartog of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary compared two facets of the “New Perspective” on justification with a Dispensational point of view. He focused on N. T. Wright’s treatment of the gospel and the righteousness of God. (You may access that issue at faith.edu/seminary.) In this issue he analyzes three additional facets of Wright’s “new perspective”-the final judgment according to works, the ordo salutis, and justification. The Final Judgment according to Works Wright maintains that “Paul, in company with mainstream Second Temple Judaism, affirms that God’s final judgment will be in accordance with the entirety of a life led—in accordance, in other words, with works” (253).1 Wright’s primary evidence for a general judgment based upon works is found in Romans 2:1-16, although he also argues from Romans 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 3, and 2 Corinthians 5:10 (253).

The “New Perspective” and Justification, Part 1

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In the past few years some men have begun rethinking major issues of the Christian faith. Their thoughts and conclusions on a variety of subjects have been commonly called the “New Perspective.” In Part 1 of his article, Dr. Paul Hartog of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary carefully compares two facets of the “New Perspective” on justification with a Dispensational point of view. He will complete his analysis in the September/October issue of Faith Pulpit. In his 1982 Manson Memorial Lecture at the University of Manchester, J.

The Emerging Church: The New Worldly Church

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What are we to think of the emerging church movement? Does it have any validity? What are its dangers? In this issue of the Faith Pulpit, Dr. Douglas Brown of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary combines careful analysis with Biblical understanding to show us the hazards of this movement and how to help people avoid being enticed by it. The emerging church (or emergent church) is an elusive movement.1 Attempting to understand and explain the emerging church is admittedly difficult. However, the movement is impacting the church today and needs our attention.

The Value of Bible Software for Ministry, Part 2

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Choosing the Right Bible Software: A Closer Look at BibleWorks and Accordance There are numerous Bible software programs available to students of God’s Word. We will raise three basic factors to consider in choosing the right program for your circumstances. First, consider the cost. For the most part, you get what you pay for, because most of the databases for biblical research (e.g., various Bible translations, lexicons, and dictionaries) are available to any software maker. While some of the databases are public domain and are therefore free, other databases cost money.

The Value of Bible Software for Ministry, Part 1

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Never before has there been a more exciting time to study the Word of God. Resources that at one time were available only to a few privileged people are now available to anyone with a computer. Over the last two decades, Bible software has made incredible leaps in providing students of the Word of God with powerful tools for exegesis. Both of us have used Bible software programs extensively in our education, teaching, and church ministries. Barely a day goes by when we are not using our respective research programs for classes, sermon and lesson preparation, scholarly research, or simply for devotions.