Parchment & Pen Blog

The central motivating factor in my ministry over the last ten years has been the need for Christians to engage the intellectual side of the faith with more confidence, hope, and joy. I began The Theology Program in 2001 which now is in hundreds of churches and has effected tens of thousands of people. I [...]

Interesting observations Zach makes in light of some ways blogging can be counterproductive to the Christian community: 1. Practice writing. Writing is a skill just like anything else. The more you do the better you get. The ability to formulate ideas and thoughts in a concise and understandable way is a foundational facet of our [...]

I know that the title is provocative, but please understand that I am serious in this question. At this point, I believe that it is very difficult for Roman Catholics who hold to Transubstantiation (is there any other kind of Roman Catholic!) to find harmony with a basic principle in the Definition of Chalcedon. In [...]

In the beginning, God created man. When he was created, he was pure and holy. He was created for a purpose. God, the one true sovereign and benevolent being, created man in order to give of His loving nature. But man was deceived by evil and fell into sin. This sin affected man and all [...]

A guest post by Daniel Eaton at Theologica. Being from Dallas Seminary, we were breed to loath seeker churches. Yet I do have my thoughts as well that I will follow this up with. I look forward to your interaction. I think there is a growing schism in the American church. The schism isn’t over [...]

Fall 2008 Semester please note, this is online students only to find out more about the online program, go here Introduction to Theology Course Description Instructor: C. Michael Patton, ThM. Online meeting dates: Tuesday 7pm – 8pm EST, Aug. 26 -�Oct.28 Prerequisites: none Enroll now Bibliology and Hermeneutics Course Description Instructor: C. Michael Patton, ThM. [...]

If you are like me, you are concerned about the future of the church and its ability to define and distinguish itself (most particularly, the Evangelical church). While God is in control of all things, we have a responsibility as Christians to see to it that we are doing everything we can to discharge the [...]

How does one determine if someone is a heretic? Is this a word that should be used today when Christianity seems to be so pluralistic with regards to levels of commitment, beliefs, and practices? Today’s theological word of the day (which I write ) says this about heresy: “An opinion, belief, or doctrine that is [...]

Here is the Apologetics course that Rob Bowman taught last semester. Please feel free to listen or download. It is the entire course! (here is the syllabus if you want it) Enroll in the Methods of Apologetics online course taught by Rob Bowman that starts next week.

Introduction to Apologetics Session 1a [ 47:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Introduction to Apologetics Session 1b [ 38:31 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Introduction to Apologetics Session 2a [ 46:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Introduction to Apologetics Session 2b [ 45:13 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Introduction to Apologetics Session 3a [ 50:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

1. Strong teaching of Scripture: This is of first importance. If the seminary does not graduate students who know the Bible and know it well, then they don’t emphasis its importance or do not have a competent faculty to do so. This usually involves the combined effort of three departments: Biblical Studies, New Testament, and [...]

For those of you who want to take the Online Introduction to Theology course but don’t have the money to enroll ($100), we have scholarships that have been donated by some generous donors. These are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Tell your friends or anyone you know that might be interested. Classes start next week! [...]

Earlier this summer, Brian Burgess, our Minister of Outreach, taught a two-part series on “Things God Never Said About Evangelism.” He did an outstanding job and I encourage you to listen to his remarks from both messages. In last night’s Equipping University, we learned that one of the things God never said is “Since I [...]