Parchment & Pen Blog

The problem with many Evangelicals is that we can come dangerously close to worshiping the Bible. As Evangelical theologian James Sawyer once said in jest, we worship the Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Bible. Now, by this I do not mean we actually set the Bible up in a shrine in our house, throw it away [...]

Please note, there is quite a bit of misunderstanding about what I am trying to say in this post. I have written a very illustrative post to help clarify some of this. It can be found here. So if you are thinking about coming to hang me, please read the follow-up first to make sure [...]

How can Protestants justify a belief in the doctrine of justification by faith alone, when it was “invented” in the sixteenth century? How can we believe in substitutionary atonement, when we know that Anselm first planted the seeds of this idea in the Middle Ages? The answer is the same with every tradition of Christianity. [...]

Here is a chart to help distinguish between those things that are essential (cardinal) and those things that are non-essential (non-cardinal). There is an explanation below. How to distinguish between essentials and non-essential is a very big question that is not covered here, but you can learn about that here.   click on chart to enlarge

Right now, in my home office, I have material about the Crusades all over the place. It is a paradise to me. I have notes and random thoughts scribbled on various pieces of paper, DVDs, self-made maps, and my precious notebooks which, in theory, contain the most articulate expression of my teachings – before it [...]

Theological opinions are hard to change. Once they have set in, they are usually there to stay. The theological glue that makes ideas stick early in your studies is, for better or worse, rock solid. It must be that same stuff they use on your teeth. I have one fake tooth glued to the root of [...]

Not long ago, I met with an old friend of mine who is a “swinger.” For those of you who don’t know, swinging is when both partners in a committed relationship agree to have a sexually open relationship. This guy was married and came in to talk to me about – you guessed it – marital problems. The [...]

I have a lot of fight stories from when I was a teenager. I went to rough schools that held scrapping as a prerequisite to coolness. Being thought of as tough was about the best compliment you could receive. I was thought of as tough. I coveted this title. I needed it for self-esteem. Fight stories [...]