Parchment & Pen Blog

I anticipate, of all the Top Ten Theologians, Karl Barth (pronounced Bart) will be the most debated theologian on the list.  I wrestled more with his inclusion and position on the list than I did with any of the other theologians.  It is with excitement and yes, some trepidation, that I offer to you the [...]

Irenaeus’s World In order to appreciate Irenaeus, we need to have a working knowledge of three major elements playing a crucial role in Irenaeus’s world. First:  Persecution In 177AD several old men were eaten by wild beasts while the crowd cheered their approval.  The crime committed by Alexander, Attalus, Espagathus, Maturus, Sactius and Pothinus?  They [...]

Aim of this Series This post kicks off a new series on the blog. The title is fairly self evident. My aim is to introduce people to the Top Ten Theologians of church history. Yes, I will rank them in order. I will start with #10 and work my way down to the #1 person [...]

Michael and Tim have given you their ultimate Top Ten list, so now it’s my turn. 1) Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (Multnomah Press), by John Piper. On a number of occasions I have commented on how powerfully this book has affected my life and thinking. The concept of Christian Hedonism can be [...]

Top Ten Reasons why the Evangelical did not cross the road 10. Because there was not a tea party on the other side of the road. 9. Because he was not sure WWJD in any given road crossing situation. 8. He wanted to avoid the man begging for money on the other side. He just [...]

I know. They don’t go by the name emerger anymore. But the attitude is still out there and they need representation on this issue. 10. Because he did not want to be labeled. 9. Because he was not absolutely certain that he could cross since in order to get to the other side, you would [...]

11. A woman already crossed. We don’t follow women. 10. We don’t believe the road is safe. It wasn’t built between 1500-1700 A.D. 9. We believe that “road crossing” ceased with the death of the last Apostle or the completion of the New Testament. 8. The crossing guard was only helping people cross from one side [...]

For those familiar with Christian apologetics you will know of the long standing arguments that are often employed to argue for the existence of God. The Kalaam Cosmological Argument impossibility of an infinite regress of physical causes and effects. The Teleological Argument The glaring evidence of design within the universe, the world, and the human [...]