John Mark Hicks

What does it mean for the creation to wait with earnest expectation for the revelation of the children of God in which it will be delivered from its own bondage of decay so as to experience the freedom of the redeemed and resurrected children of God?  Romans 8:19-23 Moses Lard (1818-1880), the conservative editor of Lard’s Quarterly and the Apostolic Times, answered […]

Lipscomb was asked: “What are the times of restoration and the all things spoken of by the prophets in Acts 3:20,21?” According to J. W. Shepherd’s Queries and Answers (published by F. L. Rowe, 1918), Lipscomb responded in this way (p. 360): Jesus had been to earth and returned to heaven. Heaven must receive him until […]

Several friends, in different places and ways, have asked me for a list of resources on renewed earth eschatology.  Below are some books that I think are quite helpful in developing and thinking through such an eschatology in biblical-theological terms. There are, of course, many more resources than these.  Many books on systematic theology (recently […]

The Bible Banner, edited by Foy E. Wallace, Jr. with a masthead reading “Devoted to the Defense of the Church Against All Errors and Innovations,” had a profound impact on Churches of Christ in the 1930s-1940s. Whether it was for good or ill depends on whether one thinks the theological movements and consensus achieved in that era, […]

I am often amazed at how some contemporary writers–missional and emergent–seem to believe that they have embraced a new vision for the mission of God. It also amazes me that some more traditional writers–some Evangelicals and some New Calvinists–regard the missional emphasis as a new understanding of the gospel.  David Lipscomb (1831-1917) reminds us that such emphases […]

David Lipscomb believed that eventually the “earth itself will become heaven” (Gospel Advocate, 1903, p. 328). I recently noticed that someone will be speaking at the Freed-Hardeman lectures on the topic “heaven on earth.” I do not know what he will say, but I think it is at least helpful to know that many of our Stone-Campbell forebearers believed that God […]

This week I am participating in a wonderful conference on preaching the paradigmatic texts of Scripture. The focus of this particular conference is creation.  Walter Brueggemann is the featured speaker and his presentation last night on Psalm 104 was excellent. Other speakers include Ken Durham, John York, David Fleer and Rhonda Lowry. Everyone has done […]

Created materiality is good; indeed, it is very good. It is not simply good in an ethical sense but delightful and wondrous. God created the world as a temple in which to dwell, a place where God and humanity would enjoy each other, delight in the wonder of the world, and rest within it. Materiality, […]

What is salvation? In my first post in this series I proposed the below chart as a way of answering that important question. In this post I will comment on the eighth sector (8).   Past Justification Present Sanctification Future Glorification Personal Forgiveness of Sins and Relationship with God (1) Moral (Inner and Outer)  Transformation (2) Resurrection […]

What is salvation? In my first post in this series I proposed the below chart as a way of answering that important question. In this post I will comment on the seventh sector (7).   Past Justification Present Sanctification Future Glorification Personal Forgiveness of Sins and Relationship with God (1) Moral (Inner and Outer)  Transformation (2) Resurrection […]