Thomas Helwys: A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity
Of all the works penned by Thomas Helwys, A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity is his most famous. A Short Declaration is Helwys’ interpretation of prophesies in John’s Apocalypse as taking place in England. Helwys uses apocalyptic imagery and prophesy to address the contemporary issues of his day [1]. Before dealing with the book’s specifics, an overview is helpful. The volume is split into four books. The first book lays...
Suffering: A Biblical Paradigm for Ministry
The problem of evil is the perennial issue that plagues the human soul. Whether Christian or atheist, Muslim or agnostic, religious or non-religious, all people are faced with this problem. This problem is not new (though some people act as if it is). No era in history has been beyond its reach. No philosophical thought has escaped its grasp. In the end, everyone asks, “How can a good God allow evil to exist?” But as difficult as the...
Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind: A Review Essay
King Solomon said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7). Certainly Solomon extols the virtue of learning. Learning is then a virtue for Christians, too. However, Mark Noll has long lamented evangelicals’ unwillingness to pursue knowledge in his book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, critiquing them for their theological deficiencies and focusing on this grim...
Dying to Live: Understanding the Freedom of Discipleship
The Gospel is a call to liberty. Jesus announced that the Father had sent Him “to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Lk. 4:18-19). Whereas much of the Prophets’ message was about judgment, the Church has the unique privilege of proclaiming the Good News: Jesus death and resurrection saves us from God’s eternal...
Baptism and Circumcision: Where Infant Baptism Gets It Wrong
The issue of baptism is the trademark of Baptist identity. Since their beginning, Baptists have taken a unique stance on the issue of baptism: that only believer’s can be baptized. This doctrine is grounded in Paul’s words in Romans 6:3-4: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was...
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