Parchment & Pen Blog

A friend and regular commentor here, Scott Lenke, posted this on Theologica.  I thought it raised some interesting questions. I would love to hear your thoughts

Not sure if you have had a chance to download it yet, but I have created a theological toolbar that acts as a portal to the web. It has, what I consider to be, the best Bible sites, blogs, podcasts, and resources that have great integrity. It is much better than a random Google search! [...]

I have four children. Katelynn is my oldest. She is eleven. Kylee is my second and she is nine. Will is my third and he is six. Zach is my youngest. He is about to turn three. I have a relationship with all four of my kids. But each relationship is very different. Katelynn and [...]

Speaking from a protestant perspective, the Holy Bible is the final authority for faith and practice.  Moreover, it is God’s ultimate communication to us.  However, there are a number of Christians who struggle with reading the Bible.  In fact, you might be one of them and find it difficult to engage with on an in-depth [...]

No, not a biblical one. No, not a theological one. This is a very practical question of application. I want to see how your belief plays out in real life. Here is my question(s): Is there any way for us to train boys to be “men”? Is there any way for us to train up [...]

The most common understanding of both Complementarianism and Egalitarianism goes something like this: Complementarians: Do not let women be pastors over men. Egalitarians: Do let women be pastors over men. or… Complementarians: The husband is the leader of the family. Egalitarians: The husband and wife co-lead the family, with no priority. or… Complementarians: Wives submit [...]

1. You shall not have any other God’s before me. 1. Reverse: You shall place ultimate trust in only me to provide you with all that you need. You shall look toward me as the source of all things. You shall understand that there are no other ultimate sources for life’s necessities. You shall recognize that [...]

I don’t know of many more controversial issues in the church than issues regarding women in ministry. It is not controversial whether or not women can do ministry or be effective in ministry, but whether or not they can teach and preside in positions of authority over men. The most controversial issue aspect of this [...]

In no certain order: My mother: Although she is much different today (due to her state of mind after the stroke), she stood as rock for the faith all my life, never losing her passion for the lost and showing me this by example everyday. Dan Wallace: Beyond the brilliance, Dan’s commitment to the truth [...]

Please note, I have added to the post to clarify. See the parenthetical addition in italics. So many times I want to throw in the ministry towel and be “normal”—to have a normal job with normal responsibilities.  Maybe some of you out there know what I mean. Love, joy, peace, patience…you know the rest. Sometimes [...]

There would certainly be little quibble from someone who suggested that doctrine develops. There would also be no problems when someone suggests that earlier writers of the Old Testament knew less than later writers. The idea here is doctrinal development within the canon, often referred to as the doctrine of progressive revelation. For example, we [...]

1. Preunderstanding fallacy: Believing you can interpret with complete objectivity, not recognizing that you have preunderstandings that influence your interpretation. There is no such thing as a “white-coat” interpreter. In other words, there is no one who comes to the text as a scientist who objectively interprets the data. We all are influenced by many things including [...]