Theology

Coffee With Bonhoeffer

Jared Myer
With culture shifts and upcoming generations sometimes focusing more attention on the present and future, earlier teachings from wise men and women worth learning from can be overlooked. Perhaps one of these teachers being German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, widely known for his writings amidst his actively anti-Nazi stance in the World War II era. In this week's piece, Jared Myer, a student at Southeastern University, invites us on a personal journey into Bonhoeffer's letters, and shares his takeaways from engaging with teachers from the past.... Read More...
4 min read

Encouraging Education in the Church

Grayson Campbell
An essential need for us as the church is to walk alongside members while they wrestle with theological issues – doing so gently – providing a non-shaming space for them to explore their thoughts, beliefs, and doubts. In this week’s post, undergraduate student William Campbell discusses his personal experience encountering theological misunderstandings in the church and how, through education, the church wields the power to inform its community rather than discourage questioning. ... Read More...
5 min read

The Lord, Alone, is on His Throne

Peter Hartwig
The sudden boom of elevation in leadership materials has begun producing some ministers who know the ‘how’ of leadership, but cannot articulate the ‘why’ of Christian vocation with sufficient theological depth. In this week’s post, Peter Hartwig, theologian in residence at National Community Church and MDiv candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary, addresses the pressing issue to dethrone the study of leadership and, in the process, reconsiders its relationship to theology itself. ... Read More...
10 min read

The Kingdom of God in Pentecostal Missions

Robert Houlihan
The gospel that declares the coming of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15), has been recognized as transforming the lost from darkness to Light and from those in social chaos to Christian community. In this week’s post, Dr. Robert Houlihan, professor at Southeastern University, discusses the debated missiological topic of Western influence and how his experiences shaped a lens of social action corresponding to the Kingdom of God. ... Read More...
6 min read

Muted Skeptics Spawning Cynics

Aaron Ross
We may find that if we listen, dialogue with, and engage authentically with those who have questions or false premises about the church, not only may we hear something we have missed, but we might even grow our understanding from it. This week Aaron Ross, theology professor at Southeastern University, continues from his recent post in the discussion of skeptics within the church and addresses how we as a community might gather our response. ... Read More...
3 min read

Dark Night of the Soul

Jordan Montgomery
When left unchallenged, our dialogue with God can become the way by which we measure our relationship with him, and often leads us to believe that God’s love and presence is limited to the functions of our behavior. In this week's article, Jordan Montgomery, senior practical ministries major at Southeastern University, highlights how painful deprivations press upon a believer's spirituality and how to overcome the darkness rooted from internalized suffering. ... Read More...
6 min read

The Church and the Academy

Benjamin Gomez
While some believe differences should separate the Church from the Academy, others disagree claiming that, in the interest of faith communities, the two function best intertwined. In this week's discussion, Dr. Ben Gomez, assistant professor and director of youth ministry studies at Southeastern University, presents evidence explaining why the church should unite with the academy and disregard the common either/or stigma.... Read More...
7 min read

Faith Outside Ourselves

Jordan Reed
Faith can, will, and should be challenged from outside ourselves. A humble faith recognizes contrasting voices as valid even if the value of their claims is up for debate. In this week's discussion, Jordan Reed, a seminary student at Boston University, provides a personal reflection examining his transition from undergraduate learning into a more diversely opinionated institution and how it has influenced his current theological perspectives. ... Read More...
5 min read

Making Peace with the Warrior God

Chris Green
How are we to deal with certain brutalities found in the Old Testament? How do we know what is and isn’t worthy of God? The good news is that God means to put us in that difficult place. He means to save us not from interpretation but through it. Dr. Chris Green, professor at Southeastern University, provides four approaches on how Christians today should perceive and interpret God's seemingly violent Old Testament acts in a rather confounding context. ... Read More...
9 min read

Are You Not Entertained?

Jordan Reed
Since antiquity, human beings have been entertained by and seemingly infatuated with violence. For the Ancient Greeks and Romans this hunger would have been satiated by gladiator fights and tragic plays. Today, these forms of entertainment have been replaced by professional sports and violent films. While the modern equivalents are not perfect translations of these ancient activities, the parallels between them cannot be denied. How then should Christians respond to different representations of violence in all forms of entertainment? What duty do we have as Christ-followers in response to violent entertainment?... Read More...
5 min read

Rest Assured

Hanna Larracas
Rest. As a practice this word remains irrelevant to some people, and it occupies a marginal amount of space in the lives of others. We barely need to look around us to recognize how busyness is ingrained into not only what we do, but also virtually into who we are. How can we take time to step back from working, and reflect on the "daily grind"?... Read More...
5 min read

Spirit-Led Business

Lyle L. Bowlin
I believe we can think of our lives as an integration between physical and spiritual qualities. There is an all-important point to keep in mind in our discussion and that is that "God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24). However, in what ways can this understanding of God affect business decisions?... Read More...
4 min read