Desiring God this week published a brief essay I wrote on the missionary zeal of the Reformers. This is a popular introduction to what I have written on more extensively elsewhere. The misconception that the Reformers had little interest in missions and evangelism lingers despite the evidence, so I hope this little article can be …
I am glad to see Sixteenth-Century Mission: Explorations in Protestant and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice, edited by Robert Gallagher and Ed Smither (Lexham Press, 2021) now available. My essay, “Correcting the Record: The Reformers on Evangelism and Missions,” is in this volume along with some significant missions essays. Malcolm Yarnell called it, “the most …
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The latest issue of the Southeastern Theological Review came out today, and it focuses on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. You can see the cover to the left, but it contains articles by Nathan Finn, Malcolm Yarnell, Stephen Eccher, and myself. Nathan’s essay and mine come from presentations given at the REF500 event at …
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In general, the church in America today is in great need of renewal. There is plenty to lament, and there is much work or reformation to be done. However, one major hindrance to such renewal work is well-meaning but hot-headed laborers who too easily think that offending church members is the primary mark of faithfulness. …
Those with whom I am connected on Facebook saw my photos and updates from my recent Luther and Bach Germany tour with the Union University Singers. It was great to visit these key places about which I have read and thought so much. I was surprised that so many places were not yet completely ready …
Some of the best summaries of Reformation teaching are Wesley hymns. My poem of the week this week is Charles Wesley’s “Arise, My Soul, Arise.” We sang this grand hymn this past Sunday in church and I was reminded of what a wonderful summary of gospel truth it is. Arise, My Soul, Arise Arise, my …
I recently had the opportunity to talk about the Reformation and our festival celebrating it’s 500th anniversary on a local television show. Steve Bowers kindly invited me on his show Dialogue which airs on JEA’s EPlus TV 6 here in Jackson. The 30 minute segment will be shown several times over the next month or …
We have just updated the video at our REF500 homepage. Scott Lancaster has worked his magic once again to produce this video detailing the various aspects of our festival coming up in March. I am excited about the breadth and depth of the various events associated with our festival. Come and participate in the Scripture …
The REF500 event, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, is now only about 2 months away! This new video gave me an opportunity to describe the wide array of events and activities that will take place as a part of this celebration at Union University. You can get all the details at our …
Last week Grant Taylor, Union University alum and Associate Dean of Beeson Divinity School, visited our campus and was kind enough to sit down with me to discuss how and why the Reformation is important and what we can look forward to with his boss, Timothy George, coming as one of our plenary speakers at …