Author Archives: MikeB

Top Posts of 2012

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Thanks to all everyone who has stopped by to read and explore theology with me this year. As 2012 draws to a close, here are the top 10 viewed posts on the blog.

Rank Post
1 The Five Act Hermenuetic (Scripture and the Authority of God by N.T. Wright) a look at NT Wright’s 5 act hermeneutic (a fancy word for framework) that focuses on the story line that runs through the pages of scripture from Genesis to Revelation and finds its climax in the hero of the story Jesus.
2 Enns on Experts, Evolution, and Evangelicals (Part 2) is Peter Enns correct, are scientists the only people qualified to evaluate claims made by evolutionary theory?
3 Is the NT Canon a Fallible Collection? the NT is a collection of 27 separate books. Do we have absolute certainty that this is the correct list of documents?  Can we accept the Table of Contents (ToC) in the front of our Bible as infallible?
4 Blogging through Scripture and the Authority of God by N.T. Wright the start of a series of posts examining NT Wright’s book – Scripture and the Authority of God. In this series we unpack the suitcase and examine what “authority of scripture” means.
5 Some thoughts on Chick-fil-A day one of the big news stories of 2012 was the call to boycott Chick-fil-A restaurants by several politicians after comments made by Chick-fil-A President and COO Dan Cathy regarding the traditional family. This in turn resulted in a national Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day started by Mike Huckabee to affirm 1st Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religious views.
6 How Paul defended his Gospel in Galatians the churches of Galatia were being offered “another gospel” that seemed better than the one Paul proclaimed. The letter to the Galatians is Paul’s defense of the one true gospel.
7 How did Jesus show love? Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day caused a stir in many Christian circles about how Jesus would handle the issue of homosexuality. This post explores the difference between loving a person and hating a sinful behavior.
8 Some thoughts on Theological Debate from Galatians differences in opinion over theological matters is common. Here are 4 observations on theological debate that we can learn from Paul from the letter to the Galatians.
9 Signs you may be a Zombie in Zombie Land there are rules to survive a zombie attack. This is a playful look at how to identify zombies – those who have a reputation of being alive, but are dead or basically undead.
10 The Antioch Incident (Two Views) what would it look like if Jerome and Augustine had access to blogging technology and debated what happened during the Antioch Incident (from the letter to the Galatians) in comments to each other?
15 Twas the dawn of Reformation (a poem/parody) reformed and reforming – a look at the Reformation, Martin Luther, and the gospel of Christ based on the poem – Twas the Night Before Christmas. One of my favorites of the year.
37 The Gospel according to Love Wins in 2011 the book Love Wins by Rob Bell was the major topic of debate. What is the fate of all those who ever lived? This post (#1 in 2011 and still the most viewed of all time on this blog) explores what the gospel message is according to the book Love Wins and whether it has the power to save anyone.

Unto us a Child is Born

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Irenaeus

Irenaeus

Irenaeus was a theologian and apologist during the 2nd century. He lived in Asia Minor (Turkey) before becoming Bishop of Lyons (in France). While in Asia Minor, Irenaeus was was taught by Polycarp who was the Bishop of Smyrna and who was himself trained by the Apostle John. He even made Parchment and Pen’s Top Ten Theologian list.

Around 180 AD Irenaues wrote a treatise – Against Heresies – which defended the Christian faith handed down by the apostles against various heretical teachings at the time. As he writes about Christ’s coming into this world one can see the influences of the Gospel of John. Keep in mind as well that this was written nearly 150 years before the Council of Nicea. Continue reading →

A Patristic Christmas

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Modified from original which was published on December 23, 2010. 

The letter to Diognetus, generally dated between 130 and 200, is by an unknown author to a recipient named Diognetus. Diogentus, who may or may not be a real person, has questions about Christianity that the author tackles in the letter. The questions are found in chapter 1 and can be summarized as:

  1. what God do Christians place their trust in?
  2. what practices do they observe?
  3. why do they reject worldly customs, Greek gods, and Jewish practices?
  4. why do Christians show such love/affection to others?
  5. why has the new religion Christianity entered the world now and not earlier?

In chapter 7 of the letter the author talks about the God we trust sending His Son:

For, as I said, this was no mere earthly invention which was delivered to them, nor is it a mere human system of opinion, which they judge it right to preserve so carefully, nor has a dispensation of mere human mysteries been committed to them, but truly God Himself, who is almighty, the Creator of all things, and invisible, has sent from heaven, and placed among men, [Him who is] the truth, and the holy and incomprehensible Word, and has firmly established Him in their hearts. He did not, as one might have imagined, send to men any servant, or angel, or ruler, or any one of those who bear sway over earthly things, or one of those to whom the government of things in the heavens has been entrusted, but the very Creator and Fashioner of all things—by whom He made the heavens … This [messenger] He sent to them. Was it then, as one might conceive, for the purpose of exercising tyranny, or of inspiring fear and terror? By no means, but under the influence of clemency and meekness.

At Christmas time we celebrate the birth of our Savior. That special time in history when God chose to send His Son (the Word) from heaven to become flesh and dwell among us (John 1:1-2,14). That baby that we see lying in the manager of our nativity is ‘the very Creator and Fashioner of all things’ who commands the sun, moon, and stars.The Word through whom all things are made (John 1:3; Heb 1:2) and who embodies grace and truth and holiness.

Continue reading →