John Mark Hicks

Two new electronic journals, one named Kingdom and the other named Missio Dei, have published their inaugural issues. Kingdom is published by the Bible faculty of Freed-Hardeman University. Its masthead quotes Romans 14:17, “For the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”   Ralph Gilmore, Distinguished Professor of Bible and Philosophy at FHU, […]

I like the idea.  It is a wonderful point to emphasize.  The church must not see itself as bounded by or confined by the four walls of its building. We have always known that the church is not the building but somehow we have tended to think or at least act as though the Sunday […]

During the Fall semester at Lipscomb University, I teach a class entitled “Nursing as Kingdom Vocation.” There I intend to cast a vision for those pursuing nursing as a career that their chosen path is a ministry in the kingdom of God. As nurses, they will participate in the mission of God (missio Dei) as […]

[Note: I am attempting to keep these SBD installments under 2000 words each, but that is–of course–quite inadequate for the topics covered. Consequently, these contributions are more programmatic than they are explanatory or defenses of the positions stated. You may access the whole series at my Serial page.] God partners with humanity as divine representatives […]

One formerly unchurched person recently told me about his first experience with the Lord’s supper. He had grown up in the inner city where a gang was his family. Befriended by “good Samaritans” in a time of need, he attended “church” for the first time and sat on the second row with his new friend. […]

Road Trip: Shaped by Mission “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s […]

“In my former book, Theophilus, I worte about all that Jesus began to do and to teach….” (Acts 1:1). “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and […]

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). “Today this scripture is […]

“…Galilee of the Gentiles–the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:15d-16). “…Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17) “Galilee of the Gentiles”? Is that not part of the land of promise? Indeed. […]

Christians in the early centuries approached the doctrine of God according to the structure of the Apostles’ Creed and the earliest baptismal formulas:  “I believe in one God the Father, I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, and I believe in one Holy Spirit.”  To believe in one God is to believe in the Creator […]