Matthew O’Reilly orients us to the Bible by providing a critical analysis of Gerd Thiessen’s proposed “Darwinian Hermeneutic” for reading Scripture.
Joseph Sherrard articulates a biblical doctrine of the mortification of sin that challenges and corrects the distortions of an exclusively therapeutic gospel.
Jim Samra brings 2 Corinthians 3-5 to bear on the insights of behavioral science to enable a more theological evaluation of their limitations in light of people’s need for divinely accomplished rebirth and maturation.
Michael LeFebvre offers a careful and hermeneutically aware reading of the story of Abigail and Nabal (1 Sam. 25) to mine it for insights into mental healthcare.
By means of a rich exposition of Jacques Ellul’s thinking about ‘technique’, Joel Lawrence considers how Ellul can help Christians to avoid conforming to the world, and instead to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Benjamin Espinoza compares John Wesley, George Whitefield and contemporary white evangelicalism to call for more faithful formation that is aware of and addresses racial prejudice.
Adam Copenhaver builds on St Luke’s use of history and theology to provide assurance to show how pastors might similarly seek the spiritual formation of believers from doubt to certainty.
Todd Wilson articulates the importance of an integrated approach to formation that takes seriously our embodiment and also the recent discoveries of neuropsychology.
In an article at once exegetical and pastoral, B. G. White reflects on depression in the light of Christ’s experience in Gethsemane.
Babatunde Oladimeji offers a challenging and important African perspective as he considers what can be learned from the Nigerian Church about the importance of mentoring for spiritual formation.
Edward Klink argues from a robust Reformed ecclesiology for the importance of prioritising the Church in practices and priorities of spiritual formation.
Jeff Hubing argues that the primary goal of formation is shaping disciples for life in the kingdom, and offers strategies for this from Acts 2:42.
Joey Cochran brings theological anthropology into conversation with technology and transhumanism as he examines the theological significance of data.
In an example of theological ressourcement in service of pastoral ministry, Chris Bruno repristinates an Augustinian reading of the Good Samaritan to show its value for spiritual formation.
Zachary Wager explores the cultural dynamic, rooted in resentment of abuses of power, to refuse to forgive, an attitude that is more and more celebrated in our day and is symbolized by the “cancel culture” prevalent in our society. In order to engage this attitude, Wagner pushes against truncated views of forgiveness that have too often marked the church, and that have been utilized as covers for abuse. Exploring Paul’s use of chorizomai, Wagner offers a more full-orbed vision of forgiveness as “re-humanization,” the dynamic act of forgiveness by which we affirm the humanity of those who have sinned against us, an act of obedience that follows Christ’s own re-humanization through the cross of those who sinned against His Father.
Jeremy Treat offers a helpful overview of the doctrine of the atonement, with emphasis on the theme of the believer’s union with Christ, a theme that is not commonly emphasized in the evangelical church. By connecting atonement with union, Treat is able to explore the fullness of God’s forgiveness, and the dynamics of how we experience that forgiveness through the Spirit.
Joseph Sherrard explores Martin Bucer’s theology of penance and its connection to forgiveness. Demonstrating that most recent studies of forgiveness focus on the forgiver, Sherrard focuses on the heart of the one being forgiven, and calls pastor theologians to a commitment to the formation of the trespasser. Mining the wisdom of Bucer’s The True Care of Souls, Sherrard opens up Bucer’s pastoral care for those who have sinned against others, and provides a needed model for forming those who have offended against others and need to seek forgiveness.
Michael LeFebvre offers a close study of Abraham’s binding of Isaac as a foreshadowing of the cross, demonstrating how the ritualistic aspects of Abraham’s obedience to the command of God draws out the parallel between the stories more clearly. Through this, LeFebvre demonstrates the “foundational pattern of sacrifice,” i.e, the liturgy, that will recur throughout Israel’s history and culminate in the sacrifice of Christ at Golgotha. LeFebvre’s careful atten- tion to the pattern invites us to see more clearly the heart of God revealed through the forgiveness of sin provided for us by the Lamb who was slain.
Gerald Hiestand offers the manuscript of a sermon from I Kings 8, entitled “Forgiven Unto Life.” In this sermon, Hiestand takes us into a sermonic reflection on Solomon’s dedicatory prayer for the Temple, a prayer whose main theme is forgiveness. Building on this observation, Hiestand offers something of a biblical theology of forgiveness, encouraging us to see that forgiveness is not solely about God’s change of attitude toward us, but about our being released from the judicial punishment for sin that we stood under before our salvation through Christ. This claim enables Hiestand to demonstrate the depth of forgiveness for believer and non-believer alike, and the grace of God that brings healing to the nations.
Placing the story of Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers in the context of God’s promise of the land to Israel, Chang encourages us to reflect on the relationship between the eschatological promise of eternity with God and our neighbor and the call of the church to forgive one another. Through this, Chang calls us to read Joseph’s story as pedagogy in communal forgiveness for Israel, and so through an Eastern, communal lens, and encourages us to reflect more deeply on the function of forgiveness in the building up of the Body of Christ.
With God Every Day
BOBBIE SCHAEPERKOETTER
ARTICLE: Revival For All of Us
JOSEPH LEAR
ARTICLE: Why Church Identity Really Matters
JOEL LAWRENCE
From Word to Worship
MICHAEL NIEBAUER
