Dennis McCallum

This paper is a study in the history of religion. "Objectification" is the religious tendency to reduce abstract principles to tangible, visceral objects and rituals. This tendency, found in all religious complexes, has also been prominent in Christianity, despite explicit prohibitions in the New Testament. The author believes objectification (also known as formalism) remains as one of the greatest stumbling blocks to people considering Christianity today.

Dennis McCallum

Pastor Dennis McCallum charts the postmodern critique of the scientific method.

Dennis McCallum

Pastor Dennis McCallum charts the different interpretive approaches of the postmodern and grammatical-historical views.

Gary DeLashmutt

Here is a very important question: “What is my predominant disposition about being a home church leader?” Is it “I get to” or “I’ve got to?” If you lead for any length of time, you will struggle at times with the “I’ve got to” perspective. But you must struggle against it, not accept it. And you must cultivate the “I get to” perspective so that it predominates.

Joe Botti, Tom Dixon, and Alex Steinman

A quick glance at a side-by-side ordering of the gospel accounts is enough to reveal how closely the Synoptics follow each other as they recount the life and teaching of Christ. The relationship between these accounts has been, on the one hand, an assurance to believers of the historical validity of the Gospels. On the other hand, such comparisons have given rise to a multitude of questions about which Gospel was written first, whether subsequent authors borrowed from each other, and why there are differences in wording, style and order as the authors report the same events. All these issues form the Synoptic problem.

Dennis McCallum

The presence of evil, pain and suffering in our world is the most persistent argument raised against theism. The following are several of the main responses to the presence of evil in the world and its impact on the existence of the God of the Bible.

Dennis McCallum

I had an unusual experience with Groothuis' book because I have been reconsidering my understanding of 1 Timothy 2, and a friend suggested Groothuis had some good points on that chapter. Therefore, I read the chapter on "I Do Not Permit a Woman" first, even though it is near the end of the book. I was very intrigued with Groothuis' work on this passage, mainly because she suggested an interpretation for the passage that I had never before considered. To people like me, who are sympathetic to evangelical feminism, but don't feel the freedom to dismiss or discount any passage of Scripture, 1 Timothy 2 stands as a key roadblock to women serving as elders. This stands in opposition to the position known as egalitarianism. According to egalitarians, women and men are the same with regard to their roles, not just equal before God. They believe women should be allowed to hold any position in the church, and even within marriage, should have a role no different than that of men.

Mary Beth Gladwell

The motif of the shepherd is found throughout the scripture. In the Old Testament God has words of strong rebuke and warning for bad shepherds, and prophecies of a good shepherd that is to come. In the New Testament, Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd and we find in the epistles the notion of good shepherding extended to those who would lead in the church. This paper will attempt to explore the shepherding motif in some detail. In specific it will answer the following three questions: Why might have God chosen to use this particular image? What are the characteristics of a good shepherd? Who is the Shepherd that is to come referred to in the Old Testament?

Dennis McCallum

What does Paul mean when he says we are "no more under law, but under grace?" (Romans 6:14). Our answer to this question must account for the fact that Paul sees something different now from before the time of Christ. Galatians 3:24ff teaches that Old Testament saints were kept by a "child conductor" (paidagogos) until the time of Christ. What is the difference Paul is referring to? Arguments have tended to fall into a "law is good for you" camp and a "law is bad for you" camp.