In a Doxology expressed by Paul (Romans 11:33-36), he writes; "O, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and unfathomable are His ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?" "Or who has first given to Him, and it shall be repaid to him?" For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him [...]
I recently received an article sent to me by a colleague concerning the state of the Pentecostal Church in South Africa. The title seemed intriguing, and I thought I would give it a read. I have seen the name of the author, Elle Hardy, in numerous articles in the past and thought I would read what she wrote. It seems like Elle has built quite a career that thrives on the messiness of the [...]
1. The Qur'anic Doctrine of Abrogation. The Qur'an is unique among sacred scriptures in teaching a doctrine of abrogation according to which later pronouncements of the Prophet abrogate, i.e., declare null and void, his earlier pronouncements. The importance of knowing which verses abrogate others has given rise to the Qur'anic science known as Nasikh wa Mansukh Islam: Muhammad and his Religion, i.e., the "Abrogators and the Abrogated". (Jeffery, p. 66). There are a number of passages in [...]
Occasionally, I dream of vising old English Cathedrals in forested hills cloaked in cool mist or walking into warmly lit churches in urban spaces bursting with liturgical beauty; the colours, the smells, the vestments, the music. The magical sense of wonder quickly fades as I wake, and I am left with a deep sense of longing for authentic Christian beauty which lingers for several days. To be sure, these ecclesiastical traditions and Christian experiences do [...]
1. The Development of the Isma Doctrine. Throughout the Muslim world today it is generally believed that all of the prophets enjoyed an isma, a protection against sin, and that they were accordingly sinless. It is one of the anomalies of Islam that this Doctrine has been established and maintained against the plain teaching of the Qur'an and Hadith to the contrary. The orthodox belief is that the prophets do not commit sin, and are sinless (ma'sum), [...]
Is there a place for biblical discernment and calling out those in error? Yes! And I think my website and YouTube channel have quite a repertoire, proofing this to be so. Over the last few years, I have spent some time on three different platforms looking at some problematic doctrinal errors, studying the Bible, and interviewing theologians to ask specific questions. Recently I have been invited by someone I have been investigating to interact and [...]
In the last few years, there have been quite a few attempts made to answer this question. Broadly speaking, there are four views regarding this question. All Worship the same God (The Religious Pluralist View). All Worship the same God (The Same God View). Jews and Christians Worship the same God (The Shared revelation View). None Worship the same God (Different conceptions View). For the sake of time, let’s look at the second and fourth [...]
Alister McGrath explains the nature of heresy as follows: “One of the more persistent themes in early Christian accounts of heresy is that it smuggles rival accounts of reality into the household of faith. It is a Trojan horse, a means of establishing (whether by accident or design) an alternative belief system within its host. Heresy appears to be Christian, yet it is actually an enemy of faith that sows the seed of faith’s destruction.”[1] Heresies are [...]
In Matthew 16:13-18 Jesus asks His disciples an especially important question: “Who do you say that I am?” This question was obviously aimed towards the true identity of Jesus. Although the apostle Peter was there in that instance to answer the question correctly, during the time right after the lives of the apostles[1] many different answers to this very question Jesus posed, appeared on the scene of church history. However, any answer to Jesus’ question which [...]
(5-Minute Read) Our starting point is indeed a complex one when we reflect upon the unique Lord, Jesus Christ. All concepts are but hush assimilations of the wonderful Lord we contemplate, and, in the end, we are simply bound by the limits of human logic. That being said, what does it mean when we speak about Jesus as “person.” Brian E. Daley writes. “When Greek theologians in the early church speak of the ‘hypostasis’ of [...]
