November 11, 2011
My dear friend, as well as colleague, Lee C. Camp has recently released a new book entitled: Who Is My Enemy? Questions American Christians Must Face About Islam–and Themselves. Lee is Professor of Theology and Ethics at Lipscomb University in Nashville (TN) where I also teach. Lee uses a line from a prayer of St. […]
8 Comments | Books, Church History, Theology | Tagged: Islam, Jesus, Just War Tradition, Nonviolence, Peace, Terrorism, War | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
August 30, 2011
Sink or swim? Sound familiar? Some learned to swim by a parent throwing them into the pool. Perhaps that is not a good idea, but it appears analogous to what God did with Jesus…or maybe not. Rising from the waters of baptism, Jesus is anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Father affirms him, loves him, […]
2 Comments | Biblical Texts | Tagged: Bible-Mark, Deuteronomy 8, Jesus, Mark 1:12-13, Temptation, Wilderness | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
February 17, 2010
Text: Luke 4:1-13 Lent is forty days of letting go of some of our normal habits in order to pursue God with a special focus. The pursuit of God during these forty days comes in various forms: repentance, meditation, Scripture reading, prayer, immersion in sacred music, communal worship, almsgiving, etc. Lent was originally named “Forty […]
12 Comments | Theology | Tagged: Ash Wednesday, Christian Calendar, Forty Days, Jesus, Lent, Temptation, Testing, Wilderness | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
October 21, 2009
When God called Abraham, he promised blessings through which all the nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:2-3). Included in those blessings is the land promise (Genesis 12:6-7). The promised land is part of the Abrahamic promise. This land promise is both overplayed as some identify the contemporary state of Israel with this land promise and […]
14 Comments | Theology | Tagged: Abraham, Bible-Romans, Cosmos, Covenant, Earth, Eschatology, Inheritance, Israel, Jesus, Kingdom, Land, Messiah, Promises | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
September 8, 2009
[For those interested, a video of my 2007 sermon on the baptism of Jesus at Sycamore View Church of Christ in Memphis, TN, is available here (October 21, 2007) and my 9/6/09 sermon on the baptism of Jesus at Woodmont Hills Family of God will be available here soon.] Luke’s description of the baptism of […]
16 Comments | Theology | Tagged: Anointing, Baptism, Bible-Luke, Christology, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Sacraments | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 21, 2009
[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.] Jesus accomplishes the divine mission to make […]
18 Comments | Theology | Tagged: Atonement, Christology, Death, Gospel, Incarnation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of God, Resurrection, Soteriology' | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks