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No Trinity, No Love?

A common argument heard among evangelicals today is, “If God isn’t Triune, then he can’t be loving.” That is, since love requires someone else to love, there must logically be a plurality of persons within God. This argument is central to the popular book Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves (IVP, 2012). And it’s […]

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The Invention of the Inspired Text: A Response from John C. Poirier

Note: This is a guest post by John C. Poirier, written in response to my review of his book The Invention of the Inspired Text (T&T Clark, 2021). I wish to thank Kyle Dillon for allowing me to answer his review and response. Among my book’s detractors, Dillon sticks out for the honesty of his […]

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Review: The Invention of the Inspired Text by John C. Poirier

Recently I taught a church Sunday school class on the doctrine of Scripture, defending the Protestant view of inspiration. During the class, I referenced a debate that had taken place earlier between Trent Horn (a Roman Catholic) and Gavin Ortlund (a Protestant). Horn, in arguing for the necessity of the papal magisterium to affirm biblical […]

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Review of What Is Race? Four Philosophical Views

I just finished reading the book What Is Race? Four Philosophical Views (Oxford University Press, 2019). It’s an excellent treatment of a surprisingly difficult topic. When people ordinarily speak of race, what exactly are they referring to? Is it something real, or not? Is it determined by biology, or power dynamics, or culture, or something […]

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Temporary and Contingent: Affinity Groups in the Already-Not Yet Church

(Author’s note: This article is a response to Teaching Elder Kyle Dillon’s recent post “Equality over Affinity: The Case against Ethnic Affinity Groups.” I’m grateful for Kyle’s friendship and for his invitation to compose this response.) How can churches live faithfully in Christian unity, while also respecting the providential contingencies of history and culture? This […]

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God’s Good Gift of Singleness

Note: the following post was first delivered as a sermon at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church in January 2024. First Corinthians 7 is one of the key passages of the New Testament that deals with the topic of singleness and marriage. I’ve been intending to preach on this chapter for quite a while, for a couple […]

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The Deliverer Will Come from Zion: the Land and People of Israel in Pauline Theology

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, […]

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Woke Inferno

Note: this is a parody piece that explores the question, what if Dante were woke? Introduction Midway upon the journey of our life,I found myself in a system of oppressionreinforced through hegemonic discourse.  My eyes were just beginning to opento the deep-rooted structural inequitiesagainst women, BIPOCs, and LGBT. But there came upon me a great […]

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Defending Perspicuity: A Response to The Obscurity of Scripture by Casey Chalk

Note: the following is a modified transcript of an adult Sunday school lecture that I taught at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in October 2023, as part of a series defending the Protestant doctrine of Scripture. In this lecture, I address some common Roman Catholic objections to the perspicuity of Scripture. I do this primarily […]

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Review: God Reforms Hearts by Thaddeus Williams

These words, written by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, reflect one of the most common Christian responses to the problem of evil and suffering in the world. At first glance, the so-called “free will defense” has considerable appeal. It seems to absolve God of responsibility for the existence of evil, by shifting that responsibility to […]

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Review: Conservatism: A Rediscovery by Yoram Hazony

There was a time when liberalism ruled the West. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, the divide between conservatives and progressives mostly amounted to a contest between competing versions of liberalism. However, in recent years, liberalism’s grip has begun to weaken. In its place, we have witnessed the rise of an updated Marxism […]

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Review: Outsiders on the Inside by Billy Boyce

William E. Boyce. Outsiders on the Inside: Understanding Racial Fatigue, Racial Resilience, and Racial Hospitality in Our Churches. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2022. 146 pages. Since its founding in 1973, the Presbyterian Church in America has professed a commitment to welcoming all races. However, putting this commitment into practice has proven more difficult. Despite […]

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Review: The Myth of Colorblind Christians by Jesse Curtis

There has been a lot of discussion recently on the topic of American evangelical deconstruction (see also here and here). Such deconstruction generally involves subjecting the evangelical church to historical and sociological analysis, in order to demonstrate that evangelicalism is actually rooted in efforts to uphold—and to provide religious justification for—the social dominance of privileged […]

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White fragility, white guilt, and the ring of Gyges

I think these books were meant to be read together. They are coming from very different perspectives—one a white progressive and the other a black conservative—but they are both attempting to make sense of white psychology in post-Civil Rights America. Even the book covers look similar, with the black and white appropriately inverted. Let me […]

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