January 12, 2009
Peter Abelard (1079-1142), who pioneered the scholastic method of theologizing, produced a volume entitled Sic et Non (or, “Yes and No”) for use in teaching through the dialectic method. It is a composition of quotes from earlier theologians and fathers on a variety of topics, but they are arranged oppositionally, that is, some theologians say […]
20 Comments | Books, Stone-Campbell | Tagged: Churches of Christ, Conservative, Division, Doctrine, Faith, Fellowship, Hermeneutics, Opinion, Salvation, Todd Deaver, Traditional, Unity | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
December 24, 2008
While in Montgomery Alabama for a summer meeting in 1902, James A. Harding answered several questions from the “Question Box” which was available to hearers there. He answered a few of these through the pages of The Way (“Questions and Answers,” 4 [July 17, 1902] 121-123). One concerned the name “Christian Church” (which he opposed […]
14 Comments | Stone-Campbell | Tagged: Assembly, Bible, Bible Reading, Christians, Denominations, Fellowship, Giving, James A. Harding, Means of Grace, Poor, Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification, Sects, Stone-Campbell, Stone-Campbell Movement | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
September 2, 2008
“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 […]
13 Comments | Theology | Tagged: Bible-Luke, Christology, Church, Curse, Discipleship, Ecclesiology, Gospel, Jesus, Kingdom, Ministry of Jesus, Mission, Missional, Salvation | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
June 19, 2008
In 1996, 1998, and 2000 I conducted one day, Saturday, seminars for the Pennyrile Church of Christ in Madisonville, KY to which area ministers and members were invited to spend a day discussing “current” theological questions. My friend Norris DeBerry was the minister for the church at the time. Those were encouraging, helpful discussions, I […]
8 Comments | Hermeneutics, Theology | Tagged: Assembly, Baptism, Complementarian, Egalitarian, Gender, Hermeneutics, Leadership, Sacraments, Salvation, Soteriology', Women, Worship | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 14, 2008
I have upload my published and unpublished materials on Stone-Campbell atonement theology to my Academic page. The unpublished version is a lecture I gave at the 1994 SBL conference in Chicago. It is also available at Hans Rollmann’s Restoration Movement website. I published two articles from that lecture. One appeared in Discipliana 56 (Winter 1996), […]
No Comments » | Stone-Campbell | Tagged: Alexander Campbell, Atonement, Barton W. Stone, Christology, Church History, David Lipscomb, J. W. McGarvey, Salvation, Stone-Campbell, Thomas Munnell, Walter Scott | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 10, 2008
As an addendum to my series on Calvinism and Arminianism I want to connect this discussion to the conversions of Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell. Both first approached God through the lens of Calvinist theology and preaching. Neither could find assurance through that preaching because they were not certain of God’s love for them. […]
No Comments » | Books, Stone-Campbell, Theology | Tagged: Alexander Campbell, Arminianism, Assurance, Barton W. Stone, Calvinism, Grace, Love, Reformed Theology, Salvation, Security, Stone-Campbell, Theology | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 8, 2008
There is considerable confusion in terminology when talking about current views of assurance on the theological scene. In this post I want to clarify at least one significant difference. Calvinists and Arminians agree on a signifcant point: all the elect will persevere in faith. Those who do not persevere in faith are not elect. They […]
4 Comments | Church History, Theology | Tagged: Arminianism, Assurance, Calvinism, Faith, Grace, Perseverance, Reformed Theology, Salvation, Security, TULIP | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 6, 2008
All who persevere in faith are elect. Both Calvinists and Arminians can agree with the above statement. For the Calvinist, those who do not persevere in faith, though they at one time seemingly had faith, never possessed authentic faith in the first place (e.g., Calvin’s own example is Simon Magus in Acts 8). For the Arminian, those […]
11 Comments | Church History, Theology | Tagged: Arminianism, Assurance, Calvinism, Election, Faith, Perseverance, Reformed Theology, Salvation, Security, TULIP | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 5, 2008
The often acrimonious debates between contemporary Arminians and Calvinists are not new. The history of this discussion dates back 1600 years and has been continuous within Christian circles. It can be tracked, in part, with the following discussions: Augustine vs. Pelagius (early 5th century) Gottschalk vs. Rabanus (late 9th century) Bradwardine vs. Ockham (mid 14th […]
8 Comments | Church History, Theology | Tagged: Arminianism, Assurance, Calvinism, Election, Faith, Grace, Predestination, Reformed Theology, Salvation, Security, TULIP | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks
May 3, 2008
There has been significant interest over the past decade in a resurgent Calvinism (or Reformed Theology). Some call it a “New Calvinism” (as per Collin Hansen’s book Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists). The popularity of John Piper as well as the renewal of Calvinism among the Southern Baptists (specifically Southern Baptist Theological […]
47 Comments | Church History, Theology | Tagged: Arminianism, Calvinism, Election, Faith, Glory, Grace, Love, Predestination, Reformed Theology, Salvation, Theology, TULIP | Permalink
Posted by John Mark Hicks