The great Yale church historian Jaroslav Pelikan once called the Roman Catholic Church ʺthe most formidable religious institution in the history of America and of the world.ʺ1 One distinguishing doctrinal feature of Catholicism is the claim that the pope is the official leader of Christendom. Of the three branches of Christendom (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism), Catholics uniquely view the pope as sitting…
Throughout my professional career as both a college professor and a Christian scholar I have been asked thousands of questions. However, whenever I’m asked about suicide it always strikes an emotional chord deep within me. A close member of my family died by suicide more than 40 years ago when I was just a teenager. My wife also lost a member of…
This week we’ll be finishing up a series on the biblical canon, a topic that has been a source of discussion, debate, and controversy since the beginning of Christianity. We’ve covered the doctrine of divine inspiration and standards for recognizing canon, as well as apocryphal literature. To conclude, RTB editor Maureen Moser and I will tackle some challenges skeptics pose…
Last week RTB editor Maureen Moser and I began a discussion of the biblical canon, including the doctrine of inspiration and the criteria for recognizing canon, particularly for the New Testament. But as we noted, the branches of Christendom view aspects of Scripture in different ways. This week we’ll look at the Old Testament and apocryphal literature. **** So,…
Earlier this year, scholars announced the discovery of what might be the oldest known copy of the Gospel of Mark (see here and here). A fragment of Mark’s book was found on ancient papyrus used to create a mummy mask. While more research is needed to date the fragment conclusively, the find is an exciting one. It also provides a…
In January, I had the opportunity to discuss the always popular, frequently controversial topic of the end times on Issues, Etc. with host Todd Wilken, a Lutheran pastor and theologian. Our discussion lasted over an hour and included time for listener questions. This interview about Christian eschatology teaching is likely different from what you’re used to hearing among many evangelicals.…
This month marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ first trip to America. I remember how depressed my family was following President Kennedy’s assassination, but how excited my siblings and I were to see The Beatles on our black-and-white television in February 1964. Their coming marked the beginning of the British invasion! Since that legendary episode of The Ed Sullivan…
The great Christian thinker and writer C. S. Lewis died the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated—November 22, 1963. Due to the broad coverage of the assassination, Christians in America didn’t learn of Lewis’s death immediately. In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Lewis’s death I’d like to briefly outline one of the ideas he wrote about that…
I have always said that the last topic I would choose to write about was the last days of the world. Well, since I’ve gone and done it we must be at the end. Pretty clever, huh? My new book on eschatology (study of end times), entitled Christian Endgame: Careful Thinking about the End Times, is due for release by…
I strive to encourage Christians to think carefully and critically about their faith not only through Reflections but also through two RTB podcasts: Straight Thinking (I lead my colleagues in discussions of important issues in light of the Christian worldview) and I Didn’t Know That! (RTB scholars offer unscripted answers to listener questions). In case you missed them, check out…
Reflections 