Baylor University Press has just released the Baylor Annotated Study Bible, edited by W. H. Bellinger, Jr., and Todd D. Still. From the back cover: The Baylor Annotated Study Bible represents a monumental collaborative effort, bringing together nearly seventy biblical scholars–Baylor faculty, graduates, affiliates, and friends–to refresh our view of the sacred texts. A reliable…
This post is a follow up-to Dr. Bellini’s earlier post on prayer during the pandemic crisis. It is reproduced here with his permission. 1. TRUE REPENTANCE: I feel strongly in my spirit that this is a time to repent from works of the flesh (sin), and to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. The world…
Dr. Joni Sancken is Associate Professor of Homiletics at United Theological Seminary. Her interests include theological approaches to preaching, women preachers, preaching about the cross and resurrection, and preaching in a context of trauma. She is a member of the Academy of Homiletics. Her most recent book is Words that Heal: Preaching Hope to Wounded…
It’s easy to appear righteous when things are going well. Difficult situations, however, have a way of revealing those parts of ourselves that we would prefer to keep hidden. These are stressful times, and stressful times are tempting times. How should Christians live in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic? I recently posted a prayer…
The following originally appeared on Facebook and is reproduced here in several different languages with the author’s permission. 1. PEACE- Pray against spirits of division, suspicion, anxiety, panic, and fear that grip our communities. 2. LEADERSHIP- Pray for wisdom, truth, direction, compassion, and strength for all leaders (political, medical, economic, ecclesial, etc) in authority. 3. PROTECTION-…
A friend recently sent me a link from the official website of The United Methodist Church. Specifically, he sent me a link to a page describing our church’s beliefs about Jesus. The content I found there prompted me to offer a few reflections on proper Christology and why it matters. For those who are concerned…
At Christmas, Christians celebrate something utterly preposterous, yet utterly true: The God of all creation, who brought forth all things from nothing, and by whom all things exist, was born as a human baby. He was born to a poor young woman who lived in a backwater province on the eastern frontier of the Roman…
It’s a time of great flux in the United Methodist world. Two, three, or possibly even more denominations may emerge from the UMC in the next few years. As this takes place, various groups will ask, “How can we represent our Wesleyan heritage most faithfully?” This is a complex question. In part, our answers will…
Christians are rightly concerned with the decline of the church in North America and Western Europe. Is this a permanent trend? Can we reverse it? Are we in the postmodern West inevitably headed down the path toward secularism? I don’t believe that secularization is inevitable. That said, the church must reclaim her evangelistic mantle. How…
This semester the Doctor of Ministry group that Dr. Justus Hunter and I lead is reading the Commonitorium, by Vincent of Lerins. Writing in the wake of a very contentious Council of Ephesus (431), Vincent famously insisted that “in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been…
Pursuing Jesus
These are the thoughts, prayers, stories, sermons, and devotions from a simple pastor. May you be blessed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as you read...
Equipping the Next Generation for Transformation
Musings and whatnot....
"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." John 18:37
Doctrine Matters
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Reflections from Jacob J. Prahlow
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work and prayer of a jesus follower
Who is my ideal reader? Well, ideal means non-existent. I have no notion of whom I’m writing for. Guy Davenport
'An arrow through the air' - Notes of a Methodist pastor
Holiness, Sustainability, and Tending Good Soil
A Biblioblog with Nijay K Gupta
two of us are tall and the other one of us is short and has Down syndrome
Comments on the New Testament and Early Christianity (and related matters)
David F. Watson 