Parchment & Pen Blog

I received an email last night asking me a very good question. The sender is a Calvinist who is interested in a girl who is an Arminian. He asks, “Would it be wrong for me to date her and perhaps someday marry her, even though she is most likely an Arminian and I am a [...]

Many of you have heard of the “Evangelical Manifesto.” But a whole lot of you have not. The latter are the point of this blog post. I am writing this post to discuss why the Manifesto, in my opinion, did not “work.” I love the idea of the Manifesto. In fact, it represents so much [...]

One person has rightly said that all people are theologians, you just have to decide what type of theologian you are going to be. Are you going to be a good theologian or a sloppy theologian? The hardest thing about theology is not the big words, historical studies, philosophical arguments, or the exegetical rigor one [...]

The new Theology Unplugged is up. Here is a link to the Christians in Context trading cards I talked about. Take a look. As well, the book I mentioned: Did the Resurrection Happen? Visit your favorite podcatcher or iTunes or listen here: RSS iTunes Get TUP on the new theological toolbar (along with a lot [...]

Theology Unplugged - Medicating Pain [ 33:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Not too long ago, I was diagnosed with a certain type of depression. I will come back to that . . . Until two years ago, I felt as if I was a slight bit taller than others. I could not explain it, but sadness and depression were always those things that other people had. I [...]

Tonight I taught a class on the Definition of Chalcedon. This represents the Christian understanding that Christ is 100 percent God and 100 percent man (“very God of very God of very man of very man”). A discussion that arises every time I teach on this is how are we to explain Christ’ s apparent [...]

Anti-depressants are now the most commonly prescribed drug in America. They are prescribed more than drugs to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, or headaches. Between 1998 and 2002, the use of antidepressants had risen 48%, and this trend has continued at an astounding rate. And this does not even include other similar forms of medicine [...]

If you don’t know Greek, this blog post is not for you. Stop reading now. If you do know Greek and are studying the New Testament, then this may be a lifesaver. OK, not a lifesaver, but at least a great timesaver. In fact, that’s part of the name, so it must be true! TC [...]