Pastoral Theology

It has been on my mind for quite a while to post an article on ‘sinner theologians’, but I hesitated because of its potential for being misconstrued. However, having just received the latest issue of the Westminster Theological Journal and having read a review article by Professor Donald Macleod, I...

This week the Theology on the Go podcast is going to be a little different. Today, our host Dr. Jonathan Master is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Stivason for a conversation on how the doctrines of grace influence the pastoral ministry. Dr. Master is dean of the school of divinity and professor of theology...

Our extraordinary God loves the ordinary. And it seems that in his extraordinary salvation of sinners he loves to use ordinary means. This is true even in the extraordinarily gracious preservation of his children; ordinary means mark the road all the way home to our final rest in Christ. Indeed,...

What matters most to us in life? There is a ‘right’ answer to that question, but then again there are many ‘real’ answers that lurk beneath the surface. No serious-minded Christian would argue with the truth of the Shorter Catechism’s assertion that ‘the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy...

This little trilogy of posts relates to godliness and the Christian ministry. It arises out of Paul’s counsel to his young ministerial protégé, Timothy, the then pastor of the church in Ephesus. As with many a young pastor, Timothy was discovering the downs as well as ups of the work of the...

This week on Theology on the Go, our host, Dr. Jonathan Master is joined by Dr. Thomas J. Nettles, retired Professor of Historical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Nettles is regarded by some as one of the foremost Baptist historians in America today...

During my years at seminary, in what now seems like a different lifetime, a little group of us first encountered Robert Murray McCheyne in the Banner of Truth reprint of his Memoir and Remains by Andrew Bonar. The story of his life immediately struck a chord with us. He was young and so were we. He...

When I was a child there were times when my mother, exasperated by my behavior, would ask: “Who do you think you are!?” My unruly and arrogant conduct revealed that I was not thinking rightly about myself. Understanding salvation from sin is like this. Rightly understanding salvation means rightly...

How do you know if you are doing theology as it should be done? In one sense it could be by asking the obvious question as to whether or not it is orthodox. Is it in step with the historic creeds and confessions of the faith? That indeed must be requisite to all attempts to faithfully articulate...

This week on Theology on the Go, our host, Dr. Jonathan Master is joined by Dr. Joel Beeke. Dr. Beeke is President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homi­letics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, a pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, editor of...