Matt Capps Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Is Your Church Missional?

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you”…As you go, “make disciples of all nations, baptize them and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is what Jesus expects of his church – in every context of life. The command is simple, but how to do what Jesus has commanded can be a little more complicated depending on your context. For example:

Try and imagine what it would be like to enter into a foreign culture and attempt to communicate the gospel…

I think we can learn much from a missionary named Lesslie Newbigin here. He spent much his life ministering in the pagan society of India. When he returned home to Brittan after 30 years of service he realized that the culture of his own country had changed drastically since he left – it was now primarily a non-Christian society. But he realized that the church in Brittan had not adapted to its new situation. This caused Newbigin to essentially ask himself, how would a missionary approach ministry in this cultural climate?…Good question right?

What about your church? What does it’s posture, it’s behavior, it’s practices, and activities communicate to the community it’s in? I think all of us want to understand the culture and community we are ministering in so that we can communicate the gospel with absolute clarity. To do this we need to ask ourselves the hard but needed questions. Who are we reaching? Are we primarily reaching people who are like us?

  • Are we primarily reaching people who have a church background?
  • Are we primarily reaching people who are already believers?
  • Are we primarily reaching people who understand Christian subculture and taboos?

Sure we need to reach these people. But, what about the many people who live and work around you who are not like you.

  • What about the people who don’t have a church background?
  • What about the people who are unfamiliar with Christian beliefs?
  • What about the people who don’t understand church subculture and behavioral taboos?

Don’t we believe that the gospel is a message for all people? See, in the recent past there was little difference between the language and morality inside and outside of the Church, because our culture was largely Christianized. So it was easy for someone to enter into, understand, and adjust to the church culture.

But this is no longer the case. Our world, our culture, our communities have changed in the past 10-20-30 years, and will continue to change. This calls us to consider how we seek to proclaim and reflect the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ to a culture that increasingly non-Christian. We may need to ask questions such as:

  • Where am I going to live to reach people?
  • How are we attempting to be a faithful presence where God has placed us?
  • What types of ministry should we be investing our time and energy in?
  • If our church family disappeared from our community, would they miss us?
  • What long term relationships should we focus on and cultivate?
  • What do we need to do to understand our culture, the dominant religions, and popular worldview?
  • How can we think in a Christian way about the things people are facing in our culture and communities?
  • How does God’s Word affirm some of the things we see in secular cultural?
  • How does the Gospel transform some of the things we see in secular culture?

See, being a missional church means that we must think strategically while taking the message into our communities, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Consider the ministry patterns of the New Testament. It seems that these Christians taught primarily through dialogue, sayings, and stories. Sure, they taught in the synagogues, but they more often taught in homes, along the road, and while in fellowship with neighbors. Much of their evangelism and discipleing was informal, but intentional. This kind of ministry requires committed relationships, quality time, and gospel intentionality. Think about it.

What if the primary way people came to faith in Jesus Christ was through the day to day activities of the church scattered? What if we frequently heard of people who came to faith in Jesus while they encountered our church as a network of relationships rather than a building one enters? This would require a missional mindset. It would mean that we need to think as missionaries in order to intelligently and respectfully engage others for the sake of the gospel.

Many of our churches have always been committed to missions – globally and locally. Our challenge to be missional takes those strategies and places them in the hands of every church member and asks them to be a missionary where they are day to day. See, being missional is primarily a way of thinking about the church and how it relates to the world.

A missional church understands that the church does not just go on mission, or just send people out to do missions. Rather, the church is the mission of God into the world, to proclaim and reflect the gospel of Christ.

A missional church seeks to appropriately engage culture with understanding – by permeating it with equipped worshipers who’s lives are defined by the mission in all that they do. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you”…Church…As you go, make disciples, baptize, teach them to observe what Jesus has commanded.” Have a missional mentality.

Matt Capps Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

C.S. Lewis on “Making a Decision for Salvation”

On May 7th of 1963 C.S. Lewis was interviewed by Sherwood E. Wirt of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I found this particular part of the interview interesting.

Wirt: In your book Surprised by Joy you remark that you were brought into the Faith kicking and struggling and resentful, with eyes darting in every direction looking for an escape. You suggest that you were compelled, as it were, to become a Christian. Do you feel that you made a decision at the time of your conversion?

Lewis: I would not put it that way. What I wrote in Surprised by Joy was that ‘before God closed in on me, I was in fact offered what now appears a moment of wholly free choice.’ But I feel my decision was not so important. I was the object rather than the subject in this affair. I was decided upon. I was glad afterwards at the way it came out, but at the moment what I heard was God saying, ‘Put down your gun and we’ll talk’.

Wirt: That sounds to me as if you came to a very definite point of decision.

Lewis: Well, I would say that the most deeply compelled action is also the freest action. By that I mean, no part of you is outside the action. It is a paradox. I expressed it in Surprised by Joy by saying that I chose, yet it really did not seem possible to do the opposite.

You can read the whole interview here.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

“The Glory of God in Jesus” a Book Study in The Epistle to the Hebrews

Starting next week I will begin teaching a book study through the book of Hebrews at Calvary West on Wednesday Nights from 6:30-8:00. We will not only move through the text of Hebrews, but we will also look at principles for reading, understanding, and applying God’s word (hermeneutics).

I have often been moved to worship as I have studied this wonderful letter. This written sermon is one of the most elegant literary works in the New Testament. The author brilliantly weaves a tapestry of “texts and themes” from the Old Testament to show how Christ is the definitive revelation of God. Again and again he shows us how all things point to the supremacy of Jesus!

Here is the schedule for the course:

January 19th: Introduction: God’s Final Word Spoken in Jesus (1:1-4)
January 26th: The Position of Jesus in Relation to Angels (1:5-2:18)
February 2nd: Focus on Jesus, Warning against Unbelief and Promise of Rest (3:1-4:13)
February 9th: Since We Have Jesus, Let Us Hold Fast (4:14-16)
February 16th: Jesus the Great High Priest, Part 1 (5:1-6:20)
February 23rd: Jesus the Great High Priest, Part 2 (7:1-28)
March 2nd: The Superior Offering of Jesus, Part 1 (8:1-13)
March 9th: The Superior Offering of Jesus, Part 2 (9:1-28)
March 16th: The Superior Offering of Jesus, Part 3 (10:1-18)
March 23rd: Since We Have Jesus, Let Us Draw Near (10:19-25)
March 30th: A Call to Preference and Faith, Part 1 (10:26-39)
April 6th: A Call to Preference and Faith, Part 2 (11:1-40)
April 13th: Conclusion: A Call to Preference and Faith, Part 3 (12:1-13:25)

If you plan on coming I encourage you to begin reading through Hebrews. Also, take some time to read through this Introduction to Hebrews that I have provided below:

An Introduction to Hebrews by Matt Capps

If you would like extra material to help with further study I would encourage you to consider purchasing the following Bible Study helps:

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Philosophy, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Dr. David Alan Black and Dr. Heath Thomas at Calvary Baptist Church

Sign Up Here

If you are a Bible Fellowship teacher, part of a Bible Fellowship teaching team, or even thinking about teaching, you will not want to miss this training opportunity to learn from two world class seminary professors! I am looking forward to having these two professors come and open God’s word with us.

Dr. David Black is Professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He holds the D.Theol. in New Testament from the University of Basel (Switzerland) and has done additional studies in Germany and Israel. Dr. Black is considered a leading authority on linguistics and New Testament Interpretation. He has written over 100 articles and authored or edited over 20 books. Dr. Black is well known for his passion in teaching (watch here).

Dr. Heath Thomas is Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He earned a Ph.D. in Old Testament from the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham (United Kingdom) and has also done studies at Oxford University. Dr. Heath Thomas has recently published a commentary on The Message and Meaning of the Book of Lamentations.

Coming soon will be an online registration form…


I found this post by Dr. Black on his blog:

I’ve been asked to do a 3-hour teachers’ workshop on Saturday, February 26, at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC. What fun that will be! My assignment is to walk the teachers through the book of Philippians, which they will be teaching in their classes beginning in March. Exegeting a New Testament epistle is like working on a giant jigsaw puzzle of an ancient walled city in Europe. Just when you think you’ve figured out how to put together the walls, the ramparts, the towers, and the homes you encounter a blue, cloudless sky. The cry, “I got it”, is the final act of triumph. I’ll never forget the day I completed my essay on the discourse structure of Philippians (later published in Novum Testamentum). It was one of those “ah-ha!” moments the likes of which I shall never forget. I suspect that those who believe that “joy” is the theme of this New Testament book will be sorely disappointed with my essay. But as I read the epistle, I was forced to conclude that joy is at best the byproduct of something much more important.

I have said that this invitation is from a local church that is preparing its teachers to teach well and accurately. I cannot think of a better way to integrate seminary and church. Nor can I think of a single faculty member at SEBTS who would not be willing to place his or her expertise in the service of the church in such fashion.

We look forward to having both of you here! You can read an interview that Dr. Black did with Dr. Thomas here.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Philosophy, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology, Thoughts

D. Martyn Lloyd Jones on “Seeking Happiness”

This past Sunday Will Toburen read this wonderful quote from D. Martyn Lloyd Jones in his sermon while commenting on Matthew 5:6. I wanted to share it here:

“There are large numbers of people in the Christian Church who seem to spend the whole of their life seeking something which they can never find, seeking for some kind of happiness and blessedness.  They go around from meeting to meeting, and convention to convention, always hoping they are going to get this wonderful thing, this experience that is going to fill them with joy, and flood them with some ecstasy.  They see that other people have had it, but they themselves do not seem to get it…Now that is not surprising.  We are not meant to hunger and thirst after experiences; we are not meant to hunger and thirst after blessedness.  If we want to be truly happy and blessed we must hunger and thirst after righteousness.  We must not put blessedness or happiness or experience in the first place.”

From Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, page 64.

As believers in Christ let us be thankful that He is our righteousness, and we are credited His perfect righteousness when we repent of our sinfulness and trust in Him as our only hope. With His righteousness comes the blessedness and happiness that humanity longs for.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Personal, Philosophy, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology, Thoughts

A Christmas Devotional from Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2:1-20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

In those days it would appear that Augustus was the sovereign ruler of the entire known inhabited world. Imagine the power that one like that had – we are told that many under his rule would have viewed him as a divine king. Understandable, He established a Roman Empire that reigned throughout the world.

But here, for Joseph, Mary, and Israel as a whole, the alien intrusion and decree of a census was a reminder that they were a conquered people. Since Augustus had pronounced a census, all people travelled from here and there to fulfill his burdensome desire.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of [King] David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem before the delivery of Mary’s baby. While in Bethlehem they had trouble, in fact, they could not find lodging. Perhaps the village was over crowded with travelers for the census. But when the time finally came for Mary to give birth they had to find shelter. So they were directed to an animal stall where they could use a feeding trough to place their child in. Odd, unlikely – Never before has a King had such a lowly beginning, born in a animal stable, placed in a feeding trough, in an obscure village.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

In the narrative we move from an event, to a response. The narrative begins with the world ruler announcing a degree from his high and lofty throne. It is interesting how God works – on one level it was a man’s schemes (Augustus) who brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem – but it was God working though Augustus, Joseph, and Mary who orchestrated the whole event of Christ’s birth in order to fulfill what had been spoken of in the Prophets.

As we reach the point in the story where we see people responding to the event of Christ’s birth, who does God choose to reveal this great news to? God announces this glorious message to poor shepherds – to peasants, the outcasts of society. Reflecting on the narrative of the Shepherds provides a good opportunity for us to stop and consider what God has done in Christ.

1. In Christ we have been moved from ‘darkness’ into ‘light.’

Just as the Shepherds had moved from the dark coldness of night into the brilliant light of God’s glory (2:8-9), so to do we get to experience the warm and loving presence of God’s Spirit in our hearts by the grace of Jesus Christ our King when we repent of our sin and place our faith in Him.

Think about it, God’s glory was manifest around them. An angel spoke directly to them. They were surrounded by thousands of angels proclaiming that “peace on earth has come to those in whom God is pleased.” This is the meeting place of heaven with earth, of divine with man, here with the outcasts of society.

See, the good news comes to peasants, to outsiders, to the lowly. These are to ones who are lifted up to see the glory of God in his Son Jesus – our Savior, Messiah, and Lord. The wealth of this angelic pronouncement stands in stark contrast to the poverty of the shepherds.

2. In Christ we can move from ‘great fear’ to ‘great joy.’

In the narrative, the Shepherds trade their “great fear” in for “great joy” (2:9-10). The great joy is a response the good news that another ruler has been born, one who is loving and just, one whose dominion and power will be everlasting. And this Kingdom did not come in power through military force, through fearful conquering. Christ’s Kingdom came in power through loving sacrifice.

According to the angelic messengers, this is good news “for all the people”, peace has come on earth in Jesus the Messiah (2:10, 14). Yet, we all understand that this world is broken and confused; we understand that all of us are wrecked sinners. We are all spiritual peasants with nothing worthy to offer a Holy God. So how can this be good news for all people?

As we continue to read the Scriptures we find this King who was born in a stable growing up and offering His own life as a ransom for peasants like you and I. When we repent of our sin and trust in Jesus the King we will be saved. When this happens we have no reason to fear any longer, there is no more condemnation! See, He is a good King who gives us what we do not deserve out of His own good pleasure. His salvation moves us from the darkness of sin into the glorious light of his righteousness! His salvation moves us from being outcast peasants in fear to experiencing the riches of joy in fellowship with God!

This season is not only a reminder of Christ’s birth, but a call to look forward when He will come again. One day our King will return and all things will be made new. We will experience His glory and presence free from the poverty of our sinful natures, free from the brokenness of this world. I don’t know about you but I long for that day. And Christ’s birth announcement is a proclamation that our God reins, that His kingdom has been established. Those of us who have placed our trust in this King can proclaim with the Shepherds, with the Angels, that there is a rich wholeness in His salvation:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Merry Christmas!

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Resources for Reading the Bible

Last week a friend of mine gave me an advanced copy of “Read the Bible for Life” by George H. Guthrie. This book looks like an excellent resource for teaching people how to read, understand, and apply the Bible. It is written in a very conversational way for broad readability. Here is a video introducing the project:

I would also recommend a book titled “40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible” by Robert L. Plummer. I agree with Justin Taylor‘s assessment.

Dr. Plummer has managed to produce something pretty unique here. I’d recommend it for virtually all Christians: laypeople, parents, pastors, and professors. If I were teaching a Sunday School, college, or even seminary class, I’d make this required reading (though obviously the higher the level of class the more supplemental reading would be required).

I can see a lot of folks using this as a one-stop introductory resource on questions of text, canon, translation, inerrancy, Christ-centered interpretation, application, genre, etc. Pastors in particular: this is a very good resource for producing concise, excellent answers for most of the questions people ask about matters of the Bible.

Quite simply, this is the best introductory book on biblical interpretation I’ve yet seen. I highly recommend it.

Take up and read!

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Understanding 1st and 2nd Kings

They “have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” – 2 Kings 19:18-19

The Purpose of Kings

“The books of Kings focus on the reliability of God’s word, showing that those who reject that word are judged, while those who rely on it are saved…God shows astonishing mercy by forgiving those who repent and delivering those who call on him, [nevertheless] his judgment falls.”[1] So Kings also serves as a defense of God’s justice to exile Israel and Judah after the covenant breaking.[2]

The Historical Background of Kings

“The books of Kings represent a selective history of Israel from the closing days of King David’s reign until the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.”[3]

Why use the word ‘selective history’? Well, a “coherent scheme for the chronology of the books of King’s has remained elusive”[4] for bible scholars, namely because Ancient history was written with a different purpose and structure. (see the section below titled How to Read Kings)

By way of chronology we can at least determine that the books of Kings follow the history of Israel for about 370 years, beginning with the transition of power from King David to his son King Solomon in the united kingdom, the exile of Northern Israel to the Assyria, the exile of the Southern Judah to Babylon, and ending with the release of Jehoiachin from prison during the Babylonian captivity. Simply put, “the Kings history surveys the Israelite ‘golden age’ of the united empire under King Solomon, the split of the monarchy during the reign of Rehoboam, and the ebb and flow of the political and religious fortunes of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah until their collapse.”[5]

How To Read Kings

We must see the books of Kings as Israel’s history in theologically driven narrative.

“The books of 1 and 2 Kings provide a theologically laden interpretation of the history of the Israelite monarchy from the death of King David until the end of the monarchy itself.”[6]

In the modern Western world we often think of ‘history’ as a linear progression of natural occurrences following a man oriented timeline. But for the people of the Ancient Near East, history was understood and organized in patterns of supernatural activity. Hill and Walton argue that “Israel’s historical narratives are motivated by theological concerns.[7] The purpose of the historical literature of the Bible is to show the ways in which the Lord has acted in history to fulfill his covenant promises and carry out his agenda.”[8] These narratives reveal that Israel’s God as the one true God who has a plan for history and who intervenes to ensure that the plan is executed. With this in mind, here are some tips for interpreting these books:

  1. Think of the books as theological teaching using history rather than merely linear historical records.
  2. Remember that the main focus of the literature is God and his covenants, not people or events.
  3. The historical ‘cause and effect’ is seen largely in terms of God’s actions rather than the actions of people.
  4. Rather than extracting character studies (“lessons from the life of…”) it would be wiser to look for patterns, themes, and motifs that reoccur throughout these books by way of compare and contrast as the primary point of the text.
  5. Think on how each story recorded in Kings direct us to the greater story of God’s redemptive history ultimately fulfilled in Christ first, thus allowing us to make proper application through Christ as a response to grace.

Central Theological Themes in Kings

Here are some of the major theological themes found throughout the books of Kings:

1. The One True God[9]

Provan argues that the “primary theological theme in Kings is Israel’s God as the true and only God.”[10] The Lord God of Israel is distinct and cannot be confused with the false gods worshiped inside and outside of Israel. False gods are futile and powerless, they are simply human creations. This is demonstrated clearly in God’s victory over false gods and their priests.[11]

2. Worship of God Alone[12]

Since there is only one true God, the God of Israel, he deserves exclusive worship. There are many examples of illegitimate worship throughout the books of Kings. Worship must not confuse God with other gods by way of over idolatry, worshiping images, or reflect any aspect of the cultic and foreign religions. There are implications of false worship that effect every aspect of life, in other words “worship and ethics are two sides of the same coin.”[13]

3. God’s Relation to His Covenant People

God’s covenant promises are at the heart of God’s grace towards his people. “God has entered into covenant with them, and their responsibility is to remain faithful to him and refuse the worship of foreign deities. Thus, God promises retribution- punishment for those who turn away from him and blessing to those who follow him. The two covenants most clearly discernable are those to the Patriarchs[14] and the covenant to David[15], which God upholds despite the disobedience of the people.[16] This is significant for understanding why Jehoiachin lives; God is still at work even though he has severely punished Israel and Judah.

4. Judgment and Grace[17]

God has brought his people into a covenant relationship and revealed to them how to live in relationship to him with the law. “As giver of the law which defines true worship and right thinking and behavior, the Lord also executes judgment upon”[18] the rebellious and destructive. This extends to all of God’s people – kings, prophets, Israelites, and Judeans. Now, there is no ‘neat’ formulaic correlation between sin and judgment, ultimately God is compassionate and extends grace and mercy where he is pleased to do so, withholding final judgment upon his people. God’s grace is found all over the books of Kings.

Jesus Christ – The True and Greater King

“God’s purpose in establishing Israel had been to bring blessing to the world through the people’s covenant faithfulness. [God] instituted the Davidic dynasty to lead the people in their faithfulness. [Yet] the history of Israel is full of tragedies.”[19]

The books of Kings relate to the history of the united and divided history of God’s people in their covenant failure. The narrative primarily focuses on the figures primarily responsible for covenant keeping in Israel – the kings and prophets.[20] See, “the history of the Hebrew nation is told through the lives of the Israelite and Judean Kings as representatives of the nation, because their fortunes as king and the plight of the people are entwined.”[21] In other words, the rebellion of the king brings divine retribution upon the people, while obedience of the king brings about God’s favor. Throughout the Kings to line of David, from which the messiah would come, is threatened. Yet, all is not lost; God will not fail in his purpose.

The closing verses of 2nd Kings seem to leave things hanging in difficult circumstances. The book concludes with Jehoiachin alive and well in exile in Babylon. Thus, both hope and God’s anointed remain and can be found…the promise of the Messiah is not lost.”[22] God’s people are left waiting, looking forward to the ideal King who will rule justly over God’s people. That one true King is Jesus Christ, “who is himself the righteous Son of David (Messiah) for whom Israel has been looking, and the one in whom all God’s promises are focused.”[23] What does this mean for the ‘main themes’ I listed above?

  1. Jesus is the one true God revealing His glory and purposes most fully.
  2. Jesus alone worshipped the Father perfectly and leads his people in true worship.
  3. Jesus lived in perfect harmony with God, in perfect covenant relationship, something we cannot do.
  4. Jesus consumed the just wrath of God against sin on the cross. He rose from the grave defeating sin and death, and graciously offers salvation to all who repent and turn to him.

Continue reading “Understanding 1st and 2nd Kings” →

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Personal, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

David Alan Black’s “Why Four Gospels?”

When people ask me what professors I enjoyed most at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, David Black is always on the list. I had Dr. Black for Greek while working on my M.Div. Anyone who sits in his class quickly learns that he loves God’s word and loves to teach. (Which is evident in this video.)

Recently, Dr. Black has revised “Why Four Gospels?” , and it is being re-published by Energion. Dr. David Black earned his D.Theol. from the University of Basel, Switzerland. He serves as professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He is the author or editor of 16 books, including Learn to Read New Testament Greek, Interpreting the New Testament, and Rethinking the Synoptic Problem.

In Why Four Gospels? noted Greek and New Testament scholar David Alan Black, concisely and clearly presents the case for the early development of the gospels, beginning with Matthew, rather than Mark. But this is much more than a discussion of the order in which the gospels were written. Using both internal data from the gospels themselves and an exhaustive and careful examination of the statements of the early church fathers, Dr. Black places each gospel in the context of the early development of Christianity.

I look forward to reading this book. Dr. Black blogs here. One last thing…Dr. Black is a very eccentric person (in a good way). I personally think his beard is Beard Team USA worthy.

Matt Capps Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Life, Media and Technology, Philosophy, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

The Hypersocialized Generation

This is a fascinating talk by Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Seminary, on “The Hypersocialized Generation.” This issue calls for reflective thought about the patterns of our lives.

You can also stream the video here directly from Dr. Mohler’s web-site.