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From the Editor

Preaching and Popularity

Jonathan Master
Jul 2, 2014
From the beginning, Israel was faced with the prospect of false prophets trying to pass themselves off as prophets of God. Anyone coming in the name of another god was to be disregarded; those coming in the name of the LORD were to be tested. Prophets were only to be obeyed if they truly spoke with...

Greed and God's Irony

Jonathan Master
Jun 25, 2014
The Bible is full of irony. One of the most obvious examples is found in the book of Esther. In it, a man named Haman - close advisor to the king - plots against the Jews. More to the point, he specifically plans against Modecai, a particular Jew. So great is Haman's hate, that he builds a gallows...

False Worship in the World

Jonathan Master
Jun 9, 2014
If you look around the United States today (with apologies to our overseas readers), several things stand out. First, we are a military power. We face threats, but we have confidence in our military might.

God and Controversy

Jonathan Master
May 26, 2014
The Church seems to be full of controversy. Much of this is quite necessary, and not unexpected. After all, as the New Testament continually reminds us, false teachers will continually arise and false teaching always needs to be addressed. On the other hand, it must be admitted that some...

How to Contend for the Faith

Jonathan Master
May 1, 2014
Last week, I entitled my column, "How to Wreck a Church." In my mind, the false teachers in Jude had (and have) the potential to do just that. They come in secretly; they flatter; they are immoral and follow their own desires; ultimately, they will be destroyed by God. But when we step back and...

How to Wreck a Church

Jonathan Master
Apr 27, 2014
As I look back on my days at seminary, I can see some courses which were more helpful than others. This is probably due to a combination of factors: my own interests and aptitude; the strength of the teacher; the subject matter itself. Most classes were valuable, but a few classes were forgettable.

Is Biblical Faith Escapist?

Jonathan Master
Apr 6, 2014
Escapism seems to be everywhere. If you have internet access, try typing "escape" or "escapism" into a search engine. You might not want to visit all the sites that come up in such a search, but what you will see - if you need proof - is that many people seek to escape. Or think about the...

Within the World

Jonathan Master
Mar 30, 2014
Let me start with a personal testimony. David Wells' first book in what might roughly be called this series is entitled, No Place for Truth: Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology?. Say what you will about that volume (and it has its critics), but for me it was transformative. When I try to...

Not Many of You

Jonathan Master
Mar 3, 2014
Teaching has its own occupational hazards. Teachers complain about lack of respect and pay. They frequently gripe about the students under their care. Teachers grumble about other teachers. In fact, you can read complaints about any and all of these things from teachers in the ancient world, from...

Partnership with Paul

Jonathan Master
Feb 24, 2014
Paul's letter to the Philippians begins with an expression of confidence. Paul's confidence is ultimately in God. It was God who had begun a good work in the Philippians (Phil 1:6); and it was God's grace that they had been partakers of, along with Paul (Phil 1:7). But when Paul looked at the...