Parchment & Pen Blog

I have come to have a love-hate relationship with theology. I love it because it can deepen one’s faith, helping people to rejoice more because they understand and know God better (Jer. 9:24). There is nothing more exciting than the look on peoples’ faces when they are being theologically transformed. It is the “wow, this is really [...]

Last week I met with an old friend of mine who I had heard was 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 – [...]

For my Introduction to Theology Students: Please read The other day I was listening to a radio program. The speaker is someone who is very popular in Evangelical apologetics. He is someone that I have learned a lot from and whom I respect a great deal. However, he propagated something that I think is, more [...]

1. Pray for an open mind and heart While people can intellectually understand truth without the Holy Spirit moving miraculously in their heart, no one can accept the truth without his influence (1Cor 2:14-15). The same goes for us as Christians. We may study and have all the information in the world—even the right information—but this [...]

When I first became committed to the things of the Lord, I was a sponge. I took whatever anyone was giving so long as they said they loved Jesus. I bought whatever was sold as long as it had a cross on it. I remember my bookshelf when I was just beginning. It consisted of [...]

PDF We Evangelicals talk a lot about essentials and non-essentials. Rightly so. We talk about distinguishing between those areas in our faith – those doctrines – which are central or “cardinal” doctrines, and those which are not so important. However, we often have trouble when someone asks us to define, distinguish, and defend this whole “essentials/non-essentials” distinction. [...]

Jeffrey Bingham, the chair of the theology department at Dallas Theological Seminary, has a phrase he uses when people advocate something that is not a part of the historic Christian faith: “It’s something, but it’s not Christian.” More and more lately I have been asking this question: When do we, in our zeal to remove [...]

One of the most difficult and rewarding experiences I have had in my journey with the Lord is having my beliefs challenged by my friends at undergraduate Bible School. Yes, I did go to the University of Oklahoma and the University of Central Oklahoma for most of my undergraduate. But when I decided that I [...]

While in the fitness industry for eight years before seminary, I came across all kinds of fads and silver bullets loaded in the guns of many well meaning people. How does one stay in shape? How does one rid excess fat from their body? What is the best workout plan? Everything from magic pills that [...]

As many of you know, I have been working on this concept for about a decade now. This is the first time that I have taken the opportunity to make a descriptive graphic. Please look it over here and let’s talk about it. PLEASE NOTE: this is in no way attempting to be prophetic. click [...]

Credo Clips: Theology in Three Minutes

Doubting our faith can facilitate one of the most emotionally traumatic events in our lives. Whether it is doubting your salvation, God’s love, the accuracy of Scripture, or the very existence of God, doubt can wreak havoc on your emotional well-being and stability. It can send you into a matrix of depression and, for even [...]