Bible, Theology & Philosophy

Through nearly 40 years in the conservative evangelical world, I’ve heard many sermons about America. Often the point is to compare America with ancient Israel.

The problem is the Bible explicitly tells us that there is no other nation that is comparable to God’s chosen people and nation of Israel (see 2 Sam. 7:23; Ps. 147:19-20; Amos 3:2). In that regard, she is entirely unique—a direct creation of God, fashioned through Abraham out of the chaos and godlessness at Babel (see Isa. 43:1-15).

There was nothing remarkable about that day in October, 1517, when a Roman Catholic priest by the name of Martin Luther fastened his now famous ninety-five theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenburg, Germany. He certainly did not expect to ignite a religious revolution. As a loyal son of the established church, Luther merely wished to engage his university town in theological discussion about certain church doctrines that troubled him. His goal was to try to rein in some of the most grievous abuses of the Church by discussing them openly.

Little did he know that his theses would be copied, printed, and distributed across Europe within days. In the providence of God, Luther’s modest debate propositions ignited a fire that is still burning today. On this five-hundredth anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, it is fitting to remember how it all began, and more importantly, why.

There are some today who question the validity of this great schism with Rome. They believe that the Reformation, though probably warranted in its day, is no longer necessary. They assure us that the abuses of Luther’s day have been addressed, and it’s time to acknowledge the mistakes of the past and join hands as fellow members of Christ’s body.

Read the series.

For the sixth year in a row, I had the privilege of attending and exhibiting at the Shepherds 360 Church Leaders Conference, held at Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary, N.C., on Monday through Wednesday of this week.

The theme of this year’s conference, which focused on dispensationalism, was “City of God—City of Man,” with the tagline: “Already? Not Yet? Let’s Get It Right!”