Midwestern Magazine - Issue 40 by Midwestern Seminary

BIANNUAL MAGAZINE O F M I D W E S T E R N S E M I N A RY AND SPURGEON COLLEGE

THEOLOGY in the

EV E RY DAY D A I LY R H Y T H M S O F D O C T R I N E

ISSUE 40

A DAD AND HIS DOCTRINE | MOTHERHOOD AND TRUTH | HOPE FOR A SUFFERING WORLD | SEMINARY & STEWARDSHIP

Prepare for a lifetime of fruitful ministry with our flagship degree. THE 81-HOUR M.DIV. IS OUR PRIMARY TRACK FOR MINISTRY PREPARATION. Midwestern’s Master of Divinity degree provides a solid foundation for ministry leaders, offering the tools you need for a lifetime of fruitful ministry. We are fully committed to equipping believers to take God’s unchanging Word into a rapidly-changing world. The M.Div. is also now offered completely online. Study for the Church, without leaving yours.

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C O N T EN T S

Midwestern Magazine Issue 40

AT A G L A N C E

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT Corey Chaplin

IN FOCUS Mount Hope Church (Bristol, R.I.)

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT Costi Hinn

FACULTY HIGHLIGHT Patrick Schreiner

AROUND CAMPUS A review of news and events

at Midwestern Seminary

BOOKS IN BRIEF Recent and upcoming

books published by Midwestern faculty and staff

Jason K. Allen

RESOURCES FOR THE CHURCH A selection

of articles from the For The Church resources site at ftc.co

FROM THE PRESIDENT

4 A Dad and His Doctrine

Karen Allen

Jared C. Wilson

Matthew Barrett

ARTICLE

8 Motherhood

12 No Blank Slate

16 Hope for a

Grounding the nurture of our children in the truth of God’s Word

The daily blessing of imputation

Reflections on the doctrine of divine impassibility

20 Divine Aseity and

24 Seminary and

28 God’s Glory and the

Ronni Kurtz

Matthew C. Millsap

Julie Masson

and Truth

Your Day-to-Day

Christianity

Stewardship

View past issues of MIDWESTERN MAGAZINE at mbts.edu/magazine.

Suffering World

Theater of Social Media

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FROM THE

President JASONKALLEN.COM

 JASONKALLEN

n the Spring 2020 issue of Midwestern Magazine I wrote, “As we enter 2020, one can only imagine some of the different issues that will confront the church in this new decade.” Unbeknownst to me at the time, this statement could not have proven more true and prophetic. Our world has been swept into a global pandemic, causing chaos, fear, and frailty among many. Now, more than ever, the world is in desperate need for followers of Christ to live out their theology daily.

life-giving gospel. In our deeds, we strive to bring light to those in darkness. In whatever we do, “in word or in deed, [we] do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17). As we follow this command, we can trust that God will take our meager efforts and multiply them to His ends. We live with confidence knowing that we can work, rest, worship, and recreate for His glory and for our own well-being. For this purpose, I pray we press on together.

In this issue of Midwestern Magazine, my colleagues and I want to remind you that the doctrine you believe should apply to all facets of life. Here at Midwestern Seminary, our goal is to equip every believer to not only believe godly doctrine but to live out godly doctrine as we exist For the Church. From the way we parent to the way we work, God’s Word must transform our entire lives if we are to prove ourselves faithful to Him. In our words, we seek to cultivate the

Sincerely,

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

 JASONKEITHALLEN

JASON K. ALLEN, PH.D. President Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

ED I T O R’S N O T E ISSUE 40

ADMINISTRATION Jason K. Allen PRESIDENT

Jason G. Duesing PROVOST

James J. Kragenbring VICE PRESIDENT FOR

INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATION

Charles W. Smith, Jr.

There is nothing more practical for the church than thinking clearly about who God is and what he has done. Far from the false notions of theology being an impractical discipline reserved for a select few, we believe doctrinal contemplation can stir the Christian’s affections for our triune God and move him or her toward faithfulness and mission. Moreover, we believe theology is for everybody and is useful every day. That is the driving conviction behind this issue of Midwestern Magazine.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR

INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS

EDITORIAL Ronni Kurtz CHIEF EDITOR

Mike Brooks

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

T. Patrick Hudson EDITOR

Dave Wright

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

ART Jason Muir

LAYOUT & DESIGN

Daniel Day Grace Pike Matt Hines

PHOTOGRAPHERS

In these pages you’ll find two different types of articles, both aimed at demonstrating the beauty and relevance of theology in our everyday lives. The first type of article looks at everyday matters—fatherhood, motherhood, social media, and finances—and explores how theological truth impacts these daily functions. The second type of article looks at particular doctrines—imputed righteousness, immutability, and impassability—and seeks to apply them to our daily rhythms. I’d like to express my sincere gratitude for the contributing authors in this issue: Dr. Jason Allen, Mrs. Karen Allen, Jared Wilson, Dr. Matthew Barrett, Dr. Matthew Millsap, and Julie Masson. They have all provided edifying articles sure to serve God’s people. I’d also like to give thanks to the editors and designers of Midwestern Magazine, without whom this issue would not be possible. We pray this issue will bless you and aid the church in her journey toward doctrinal fidelity. Christian theology is a deep well of joy believers should drink from often, and we hope this issue, Theology in the Everyday: Daily Rhythms of Doctrine, will be a small sampling of the delight found in Christian doctrine. For the glory of God and the good of his people,

© 2020 Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. 5001 N. Oak Trafficway Kansas City, MO 64118 (816) 414-3700 Midwestern Seminary maintains professional and academic accreditation with two accrediting associations: The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC).

Ronni Kurtz Chief Editor, Midwestern Magazine Managing Editor, For The Church Assistant Director of Marketing  RonniKurtz

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D A D and His

D O C T R I N E by J A S O N K . A L L E N

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

FROM THE PRESIDENT

s the father of five children, I live with an ever-present awareness that my children are my greatest stewardship.

Fatherhood dominates my mind, my time, and my interests. This is right and appropriate, but it is also noble and good. That is why my wife and I approach our family with a profound sense of stewardship. We strive to rear our children in the fear and the admonition of the Lord, and we find no greater joy than seeing our children pursue Christ. Thus, to be a dad is to be a disciple-maker. Intuitively, faithful fathers understand their primary goal is to point their children toward Christ. This one task is more important than producing champion athletes, honor-roll students, or aspiring entrepreneurs. We are called to cultivate children who love and follow Jesus. Raising our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord does not just happen. It takes prayer, wisdom, intentionality, and doctrine. Yes, doctrine. Doctrinal formation has staying power. Moral imperatives might offer a quick fix, but doctrinal instruction will last.

children misbelieve, it is abstract and subjective, hard to sense, and harder to correct. When our children misbehave, it is concrete and objective, easier to detect and correct. Yet, we are called to go deeper, to steward not only our childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outward actions but also their inward persons. We are to cultivate not only right actions, but right beliefs. As we focus on the latter, the former will invariably improve. How can fathers best steward their children in this regard? Consider these five actions a faithful father must do: First, a faithful father knows his Bible. While all the spiritual disciplines are commended, Bible intake is the most foundational and most urgent. It is the indispensable discipline because it informs, fosters, and enables the other disciplines. For example, the Bible teaches one how to intercede, thus informing the discipline of prayer. Not everyone can preach a sermon, lead a Bible study, or persuasively advocate for biblical truth, but every father can and must engage in Bible intake.

As fathers, we tend to focus more on behavior than belief. This is understandable. Misbehavior is easier to recognize than misbelief â&#x20AC;&#x153;We strive to rear our children in the fear and the and, if we are honest, admonition of the Lord, and we find no greater we typically find it more troubling. When our joy than seeing our children pursue Christ.â&#x20AC;?

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Second, faithful fathers place their children under pass on what you do not possess. In time, both the preached Word. Hearing the Bible is the most you and your children will benefit from your basic and common form of Scripture intake. It doctrinal growth. occurs when one sits under the ministry of the Word, whether preached or taught, received in Lastly, a faithful father consistently teaches his person or through other mediums. Though the children the gospel. The gospel is the first truth. church is not perfect, it ought It is both primary and essential, to be cherished—warts and and by it, our children will truly all—by every member of the see, cherish, and comprehend congregation, including our the fuller body of Christian “The gospel is children. When your pastor truth. Share the gospel the first truth. It preaches the Word to the with your children plainly, gathered congregation, make passionately, and frequently. is both primary every effort to have your children Let them know the gospel is and essential, in the room. not for other people, it is for them. And after they have given and by it, our Third, a faithful father leads in their life to Christ, continue children will truly family worship. Family worship to iterate and reiterate the simply includes Bible reading, message of the gospel and what see, cherish, and prayer, spiritual reflection it means for them. comprehend the and discussion, and perhaps singing. Over the years, we Writing an article on fuller body of have not been legalistic about fatherhood is a daunting Christian truth.” it, but we have sought to be responsibility. I am sure many consistent. Family worship has Christian parents feel the same been a near constant in the way I do—awestruck by the lives of our children, now agedopportunity and responsibility 12-17. If in doubt, keep it brief and simply read that God has entrusted to me. In fact, my wife and explain, the best you can, God’s Word to the and I are often asked about building a Christian young ones in your life. home and rearing children who grow up to follow Christ. We will be the first to admit that Fourth, a faithful father actively seeks to renew we are far from accomplished. On the contrary, the minds of his children. Renewing the mind is we just keep plugging away, seeking the Lord’s a biblical command and, ever since sin entered grace in our children’s lives, as in our own. the world, it has been a spiritual necessity. Due to the fall, we do not think as we should, nor In the final analysis, all I have written of, and do our children. When teaching them the Bible, more, takes a father’s time. As a wise man do not just look for the moral of the story, look once told me, love is spelled T-I-M-E. As you for the doctrinal truth in the text. Surface the demonstrate your love for your children through key truth, unpack it in simple terms, and apply the gift of your time, make sure to prioritize it to their lives. Over time, you will be amazed doctrine for them—and for yourself. at how biblically and theologically grounded your children will become. In so doing, you will equip them for a lifetime of Christian service. Dad, to accomplish this you may well need to DR. JASON K. ALLEN | President, Midwestern deepen your own doctrinal wells. You cannot Seminary & Spurgeon College

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M O T H E R H O O D and

T R U T H by K A R E N B . A L L E N

by J A S O N G . D U E S I N G

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

ne of the most urgent questions mothers everywhere should be asking is, “How do we faithfully nurture our children in the truth of God’s Word?” To answer this question and accomplish this goal, there’s a prior consideration: mothers must be women of truth themselves. Over the years, I’ve found Psalm 1 instructive in this regard. We often think of Psalm 1 as a word to men, but godly women should pay close attention to it also. Psalm 1 teaches us about wisdom and folly, about good company and bad, about the way of truth and the way of deceit. We also note its rich promises: The way of truth leads to blessing and salvation, while the way of deceit leads to cursing and destruction. As 21st century Christians, we read Psalm 1 in a particular cultural context and, unfortunately, a challenging context at that. In the last few decades, Christians in the United States have lost their homefield advantage. Instead of being culturally accepted, Christians are now culturally marginalized and even persecuted. What is more, motherhood is often viewed as a trap, a prison of confinement that locks women into the home and away from the finer, more enjoyable things of life. These lies can be tempting to believe, especially after a hard day in the home with young children. Therefore, as Christian mothers, it is crucial that we saturate our minds with the truth of Scripture. In God’s Word, we find our identity, our calling, and our day-to-day bearings. As our minds and hearts are in the right place, we’ll be best positioned to form our children’s minds and hearts in God’s truth. So, how do we accomplish this? Let’s look to Psalm 1.

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First, we must meditate on God’s Word. As verse one teaches us, “Blessed is the man (or woman) who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” This verse rightly points out several negative things that we must avoid if we want to know God’s favor. Ladies, we must avoid foolish counsel, walking in sin, desensitizing fellowship with sinners, and using our mouths in destructive ways.

then we might not be rooted in the right place. If pride, envy, ingratitude, and other fleshly desires are prevalent, we most likely aren’t spiritually planted by streams of water. Yet, the promise holds. If we are, by God’s Word, planted in streams of spiritual water, our lives will yield spiritual fruit. There’s also a word of encouragement here for mothers as it relates to our children. Over the years, I’ve been discouraged when I didn’t see the fruit of biblical teaching in the life of a child. But, ultimately, that is the work of the Lord, not an end I can ensure. I must point them to Christ and teach them His Word. God will be faithful, in due season, to bring fruit in their lives.

On the contrary, the righteous woman will avoid these things at all costs. As verse two teaches us, our delight should be in the law of the Lord, and on it, we should meditate day and night. The command to meditate is not a correction; it’s an invitation. As we delight in God’s Word, our “The command hearts are shaped, our joy is filled, and our spirits are lifted. to meditate Moreover, as we meditate on God’s Word and obey what it says, we will be able to point our children to the hope they can have in Christ. I encourage you to read the Bible aloud with your children. Pray the Scriptures aloud with them. Model for them what it means for the Word of God to dwell in their minds.

Second, draw spiritual nourishment from God’s Word. The psalmist points us

is not a correction; it’s an invitation. As we delight in God’s Word, our hearts are shaped, our joy is filled, and our spirits are lifted.”

deeper into the spiritual benefits of Bible intake. Verse three promises that we will be like “a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields is fruit in its season…” Despite this rich promise, we must acknowledge that so often our attitudes and inclinations reveal we are attempting to nourish ourselves elsewhere. If personal chaos and spiritual dryness are normal,

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Third, we must heed the warning of neglecting God’s Word. On this point, the psalmist’s words are stark. He warns us that “the wicked are like chaff…they will not stand in the day of judgement…nor in the assembly of the righteous.” Again, this warning is harsh, but it is, nonetheless, so often ignored.

Whether due to a besetting sin or just motherly busyness, neglecting God’s Word always brings unwanted consequences. Some are more benign, such as a general spiritual coolness or lack of joy in our hearts and homes. Others are more severe, like misplaced priorities and worldly affections that lead our lives adrift and undermine our ability to serve our families and rear our children.

Fourth, we can cling to the promise of God’s Word. Psalm 1 ends with a promise that has anchored my life and has strengthened my mothering. The psalmist writes, “For the Lord

“Though we are imperfect in our pursuit of Christ and may be inconsistent in our Bible reading and meditation, we can still draw great strength from the fact the Lord knows the way of the righteous.”

knows the way of the righteous.” Though we are imperfect in our pursuit of Christ and may be inconsistent in our Bible reading and meditation, we can still draw great strength from the fact the Lord knows the way of the righteous.

Serious about women’s integral roles in ministry

This is a liberating word for Christian women and mothers. No matter how intense our daily struggle may be, the Lord knows and is gracious to our weary hearts. No matter how fatigued we may be by the long days and short nights of motherhood, the Lord knows our hearts. No matter how discouraged we may be by our own lack of spiritual progress or that of our children, the Lord knows our hearts. As we are rooted in Christ and given to His Word, we can cling to His promise that He knows the way of the righteous. Psalm 1, at first read, depicts the way of the blessed man, but its message applies to women, too, and even to mothers. Sisters, as we draw near to Christ and prioritize His Word, we can rest in the promise of Psalm 1. Motherhood is too weighty a responsibility to be built on any other foundation than the truth of God’s Word. We can—we must—build our hearts, and our homes, upon this impregnable rock. In the spirit of Psalm 1, lets recommit ourselves to this end. And, as we do, let’s not be surprised at the blessings that come our way— and to our children.

Midwestern Seminary believes in equipping the whole church to serve the whole church. We offer degree concentrations within our Master of Divinity and Master of Theological Studies programs to equip women to follow God’s call wherever he sends them, at home or abroad. BEGIN YOUR TRAINING TODAY.

mbts.edu/women

KAREN B. ALLEN | President’s Wife, Director of Midwestern Women’s Institute

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NO BLANK SLATE CHRISTIANITY T H E D A I LY B L E S S I N G O F I M P U T A T I O N

by J A R E D C . W I L S O N

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

ne of the saddest phenomena in the evangelical church is the generations-long subscription among many to a kind of half-gospel.

A sinner hears the good news of the forgiveness of sins through the saving work of Jesus Christ, and he or she comes to faith without knowing the other half of it. Now, I am not saying those who legitimately repent and believe in Jesus are only half-saved! No one’s faith must be perfect, nor must every convert know everything there is to know about the fullness of the gospel in order for the whole gospel to save them. What is in play is a kind of half-understanding. A whole gospel can save a sinner with a half-understanding of it because it’s not a perfect faith that saves but a perfect Savior! Indeed, none of us justified sinners will perfectly understand the total fullness of the gospel until the day our blessed hope is fulfilled, when we finally see our Savior face to face and finally know him as he knows us (1 Cor. 13:12). But it’s worth exploring more and more of this fullness on this side, isn’t it? Especially since knowing more and more of the glory of Christ in his gospel is actually how we grow more and more into his likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). Here’s what usually happens: We hear the announcement that God loves sinners so much that he sent his Son to take, at the cross, the punishment of death owed to them for that sin, and then to rise again after three days to secure the blessing of everlasting life. We repent of our sin and place our faith in Christ. We are legitimately and eternally justified. We’ve heard the fine point of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:3-4), and it is more than enough to save us. But then we begin going about our new life in Christ without some very important information. Here’s the problem: When Christians know only the news of the forgiveness of sins at conversion, they start their Christian walk believing they must maintain as much sinlessness as possible to remain in the grace that saved

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“God doesn’t just wipe away our self-righteous sin; he covers us with the sinlessness of his sacrificed Son.”

them. They may not necessarily believe that intellectually, but without some more key facts about the gospel of Jesus Christ, they may spiritually and emotionally drift into that defeated way of thinking. Here’s what’s missing: Christians do not simply receive forgiveness of sins at their conversion— as wonderful as that is!—but also the imputed righteousness of Christ. This means that God doesn’t just reckon us guiltless; God also considers us innocent. Not just innocent, however. As innocent as Christ! In fact, the doctrine of imputed righteousness means that God considers Jesus’ perfect obedience our perfect obedience. “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us,” Paul writes, “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). This verse teaches a double imputation. At the cross, our sin is imputed to Christ, as if it were his. He was made to be sin for us. But also at the cross, his righteousness is imputed to us, as if it were ours. In him, we become the righteousness of God. This is why we are told that Abraham’s faith was “credited to him” as righteousness (Gen. 15:6, Rom. 4:3). So, God doesn’t just wipe our sinful slate clean when we are saved. No, he wipes it clean and then inscribes on it eternally the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Maybe you’ve heard that to be justified means “just-as-ifI’d never sinned.” Well, it also means “just-as-if-I’d always obeyed!” Remember when the Lord called Adam and Eve to account? They had covered themselves in fig leaves to hide their shame (Gen. 3:7). God said

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that wasn’t good enough. But he did not leave them naked, vulnerable, exposed. No, he himself covered their shame with his own sacrifice (3:21). Similarly, God doesn’t just wipe away our selfrighteous sin; he covers us with the sinlessness of his sacrificed Son. Here’s why this matters, day to day: A “blank slate” kind of Christianity, as I said, can inadvertently lead to a tenuous faith built around our own good works. Our obedience is important—necessary, in fact—for glorifying God and becoming more conformed to the image of Christ. But if we wake up each day thinking this work hangs on our efforts, we will be setting ourselves up for discouragement at best and despair at worst. Here’s how Paul details this issue in his letter to the Galatians: I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by the Spirit, are you now finishing by the flesh? Did you experience so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing? So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard— just like Abraham who believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness? (Gal. 3:2-6) The false teaching infiltrating Galatia amounted to the most insidious kind of legalism—the kind that claims it’s all about grace. They had created a “yesbut” gospel. “Yes, you are saved by faith,” they’d say, “but also circumcision is required.” By insisting on a kind of grace-plus for justification, the Judaizers had effectively gutted the gospel by adding to it.

“Did you begin by the Spirit,” Paul asks, “only to be perfected by yourself?” This is what we try to do when we see justification as only about pardon and not about imputation. We live as though we can perfect the work Jesus has begun, when only he is able to do that (Phil. 1:6). So, Paul reminds the Galatians of Abraham’s belief being “credited to him for righteousness” (Gal. 3:6). The doctrine of imputation gives the Christian the right kind of confidence. Because your faith is counted as righteousness (Rom. 4:5), you don’t have to “pay back” what Christ purchased for you (as if you ever could anyway!). You don’t have to earn credit with God. He has freely given Jesus’ sinless perfection to you as if it was your own. Now you can obey God freely and with joy, knowing you’ve been set free from the condemnation of the law. This is hugely confidence-building, as it destroys any pride we might have in our own obedience and strengthens our reliance on Christ’s obedience on our behalf.

through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. (Phil. 3:7-9)

Paul’s assurance is not found in his own obedience, as great as that undoubtedly was. No, he reckoned his own best efforts to be “dung” compared to Christ’s efforts on his behalf. The righteousness he knows we all need is the kind that cannot come from our obedience—for that would be “Clothed in the the best grounds for a lack of righteousness of assurance—but from Christ’s.

Christ, we really have nothing left to prove and nothing left to hide. Your knowledge of imputed righteousness can kill your fear of man.”

The doctrine of imputation gives the Christian the right kind of assurance. We are commanded to obey, and the Lord takes delight in our obedience. But compared to God’s three-times perfect holiness, the best we can muster up is still filthy rags (Is. 64:6, KJV). Paul puts it this way: But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is

The doctrine of imputation also sets the Christian free from needing to impress others. Blank slate Christianity keeps seeking something to fill in the blank. This usually consists of the approval of or validation from others. But if you know your slate is engraved with Christ’s goodness, you know the Person’s approval who matters most is eternally yours because of it. Clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we really have nothing left to prove and nothing left to hide. Your knowledge of imputed righteousness can kill your fear of man.

These are just some of the implications of the doctrine of imputation for the Christian life. There are many, many more, perhaps as many blessings for us to discover as there are jewels in the crown of Christ himself. A Christian’s subscription to a half-gospel robs himself of enjoying these blessings. So search well into the doctrine of imputation, and you will be diving deeper into the glories of your salvation.

JARED C. WILSON | Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry, Spurgeon College; Author in Residence; General Editor, For the Church

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H O P E for a

S U F F E R I N G W O R L D D I V I N E I M PA S S I B I L I T Y

by M A T T H E W B A R R E T T

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.

that God suffers, too, upon further reflection, it’s a dangerous idea—one that gives little comfort or hope in the end.

As we look back at the 20th century, Help! My house is on fire! one idea that had serious consequences To bring this point home, consider an was the common assumption that God illustration. Imagine if your house suddenly suffers. Influential theologians, like Jürgen caught on fire. As you escape the flames and Moltmann, sought to provide hope to a watch from the street, you realize that your suffering world, a world split apart by child is still inside. What if, in that moment, two World Wars. Moltmann took a long a neighbor ran up to you and, wanting to and hard look at the atrocities of the Nazi feel your pain and empathize with you, your concentration camps; when he heard neighbor lit themselves on fire? Jews cry out, “Where is God?” Moltmann answered that God was there, and he was suffering, too. It was God who “In times of suffering, we need a God suffered in the gas chamber; it was God who hung from who does not suffer, one who can the gallows. For that reason, overcome suffering in order to redeem we have hope in a world of pain because we know God us and return justice to this evil world.” knows our pain. Let’s be honest: Moltmann’s argument can be very persuasive and is emotionally appealing. Perhaps you’ve been to a Bible study where a close friend was in tears over a tragedy. If so, it is likely someone said, “Don’t worry, God is suffering with you. He is in just as much pain as you. He is just as overcome with grief as you.” The idea of a suffering God resonates with our relational instincts and appears to be a great comfort in times of suffering.

Naturally, you would look at them in disbelief, perhaps even maddened by the insanity of their response. Who do you really need in that moment? You need that firefighter who can, with a steady, controlled confidence, survey the situation, run into the flames, and save your child from death’s grip. Only the firefighter who refuses to be overcome by emotional meltdown is your hope in that hellish experience.

Yet, it’s in those difficult moments, when tears flood our faces, that theology matters most. While it may seem comforting to tell a friend

The point is: a God who suffers, a God subject to emotional change, is not all that comforting on second thought. A God who

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suffers may be like us, but he cannot rescue us. In fact, an emotional God is just as helpless as we are. In times of suffering, we need a God who does not suffer, one who can overcome suffering in order to redeem us and return justice to this evil world.

Retrieving an Old Word: Impassible For this reason, the church—from the early fathers to the Westminster Confession—has believed that the God of the Bible is a God without passions; in other words, he is impassible. Up until the 19th century, the word “passions” was a word only to be applied to the creature, not the Creator. It was a word that had negative connotations, referring to someone or something that was vulnerable to change, subject to the emotional power of others. When our fathers denied passions in God, therefore, they were distinguishing him as the immutable, self-sufficient Creator from the ever-changing, needy creature (much as Paul does in Acts 17). In this one word, “passions,” we see the difference between the Christian God and the gods of Greek mythology, gods susceptible to emotional fluctuation, overcome by a variation in mood, gods changed or manipulated by the will of another. One minute they are given to lust, and the next they fly off the handle in a fit of rage. By contrast, the Christian God, says Thomas Weinandy, “does not undergo successive and fluctuating emotional states; nor can the created order alter him in such a way so as to cause him to suffer any modification or loss.” That is what it means for God to be impassible. It must be clarified, then, that the house-on-fire illustration has a flaw (don’t all illustrations?). In that moment of panic and chaos, the firefighter chooses not to be overcome by emotional fluctuation; however, God is impassible not merely

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by choice but by nature. He is impassible. Passibility, in other words, is contrary to his very essence; he is incapable of being passible. Why, you ask? There are many reasons why, but one important reason is because a passible God is susceptible to change, emotional change. But remember, we know from Scripture that God does not change (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17); he is immutable. Impassibility, then, is the natural corollary to God’s unchanging nature. It is essential to who God is, not merely what he does.

Apathetic? If God is impassible, does that mean that he is stoic, lifeless, indifferent, apathetic, and incapable of love or compassion? That is, unfortunately, the all-too-common caricature. Actually, impassibility ensures just the opposite: God could not be more alive or more loving than he is eternally. Remember, Scripture not only says God is immutable but also says he is infinite (Ps. 147:5; Rom. 11:33; Eph. 1:19; 2:7). He is immeasurable, unlimited not merely in size but in his very being. He has no limitations; he is absolute perfection. If God is infinite, then it is never the case that something in God is waiting to be activated to reach its full potential. To use fancy theological language, there is no passive potency in God. Rather, God is his attributes in infinite measure. Put otherwise, he is maximally alive; he could not be more alive than he is eternally. The church fathers liked to make this point by calling God pure act (actus purus). He cannot be more perfectly in act than he is. Otherwise, he would be less than perfect, finite and in need of improvement. Apply this truth to an attribute like love, for example, and it becomes plain why impassibility makes all the difference. If God is impassible, then

“Far from apathetic or inert, impassibility promises the believer that God could not be any more loving than he is eternally.”

he does not merely possess love, he is love and he is love in infinite measure. He cannot become more loving than he already is eternally. If he did, then his love would be passible, it would change, perhaps from good to better, which would imply it was not perfect to begin with. In that light, impassibility ensures that God is love in infinite measure. While the love of a passible God is subject to change and improvement, the love of an impassible God changes not in its infinite perfection. Impassibility guarantees that God’s love could not be more infinite in its loveliness. God does not depend on others to activate and fulfill his love; no, he is love in infinite measure, eternally, immutably, and independently from the created order. All that to say, it may seem counterintuitive, but only impassibility can give us a personal God who is eternal, unalterable love. Far from apathetic or inert, impassibility promises the believer that God could not be any more loving than he is eternally. That is something a passible God cannot promise.

Impassibility is Our Real Hope in Times of Suffering I said it once, but I’ll say it again: ideas have consequences. Although it may not seem like it at first, a passible, suffering God is one dangerous idea. It is dangerous because it undermines the Christian’s confidence and assurance—even the Christian’s hope—especially in times of real hardship. If God is subject to emotional change, how do we know whether he will stay

Learn more about CREDO at credomag.com.

true to his promises? His gospel promises might change as quickly as his mood swings. And if God is vulnerable to emotional fluctuation, what confidence do we have that his own character will remain constant? His love might not remain steadfast, his mercy may no longer be eternal, and his justice can guarantee no future victory. But it’s also a depressing idea. As Katherin Rogers confesses, “Myself, I find the idea of a God who is made to suffer by us, and who needs us to be fulfilled, a depressing conception of divinity.” It’s depressing because it does not turn us to God as our rock and our fortress (Ps. 18:2), but instead makes us pity God as one who is just as impotent in suffering as we are as his finite creatures. The good news of impassibility, however, is one of hope. When life’s most difficult trials hit hard, the inscrutable plan of our personal and loving God does not waver because he is a God who is immutably impassible. Although the pain strikes a heavy blow, we will rise with Luther and sing, “A mighty fortress is our God, A Bulwark never failing.”

MATTHEW BARRETT | Associate Professor of Christian Theology, Midwestern Seminary; Executive Editor, Credo Magazine; Host, Credo Podcast

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D I V I N E

A S E I T Y

and Your

D AY- T O - D AY by R O N N I K U R T Z

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

he late theologian John Webster once said of God, “He is the one who, out of nothing other than his own selfsufficiency, brings creatures into being, sustains and reconciles them, and brings them to perfection in fellowship with himself.”1 What Webster describes here is a doctrine the church has long believed, called “divine aseity.” Simply put, divine aseity means that God has life in himself. Consequently, God does not derive his existence from any source outside himself. He is not dependent on someone or something to give him life. Unlike you and I, God is not dependent on parents to bring about his life, nor is he reliant on food and water for continued sustenance. Rather, God simply is and has life in himself. Hearing this definition, you might be tempted to conclude that divine aseity is a rather abstract doctrine. Doctrine can already have the unfortunate caricature of being impractical, and this is even more true for a doctrine which describes God’s inner life. Why should Christians, trying to pursue everyday faithfulness in their journey of following Jesus, concern themselves with a doctrine like divine aseity? I’d like to argue that much joy and clarity is at stake in the doctrine of divine aseity. Here are a few ways this doctrine might impact your day-to-day living:

A Grand Vision of God There is nothing more practical for Christians than a grand vision of God. Contemplating who God is and what he has done should stir Christians to faithfulness. The doctrine of divine aseity brings into focus the fullness of God’s being in himself. In doing so, the Christian is reminded of the supremacy of God in all things. He is the one who lacks nothing and has everything to give since, from the fullness

John Webster, “Life in and of Himself” in God Without Measure: Working

Papers in Christian Theology, Vol. 2. (London: T&T Clark, 2016), 213.

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“The story of Christianity is the story of a God who has of himself, he creates out of everything and lacks nothing, graciously laying his life nothing. Not only does he own the cattle on a thousand down for those who have nothing and lack everything.” hills, but the hills themselves come from him; and he is the “Father of lights” who unchangeably gives “every Christian. For if it is true that God is supremely good gift” to his children (James 1:17). complete in his triune life, it means that he did not save you out of an insufficiency in his own Extended contemplation on the doctrine of life. Instead, God redeems the unredeemable divine aseity should bring Christians to a place of out of the fullness of his own life and the grace worship at the grandeur of a great God who alone therein. Our redemption flows not out of a need has life in himself. in God, but out of the God of grace.

The Freedom of a God Who Does Not Depend on You Few lies are as crippling to Christians on mission as the idea that the success of the mission depends solely on their efforts. We often get lost in our own heads trying to formulate the right string of words to somehow persuade someone into the Kingdom of God. Placing this amount of weight on yourself to do the right thing, say the right phrases, or be in the right place is a recipe for insecurity or pride. On the contrary, there is freedom in the truth that God does not need us for the success of his mission. Instead, he has chosen to use our feeble actions to build his never-ending Kingdom. Aseity assures us that the mission of God depends not on us but on the God who breathed out the stars and tells the oceans where to stop. The same ex nihilio power that spoke the cosmos out of nothing has the power to speak new life into the wayward. Only a God who possesses life in himself has the prerogative to give life to others.

The Grace of a God Who Did Not Need You God’s life in himself means he lacks nothing. From eternity past to eternity future, there is nothing God needs to complete himself, nothing he’s missing which would further fulfill him, and nothing outside of him which would bring him life. While this might sound like bad news to some, it should be a well of deep joy to the

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

The story of Christianity is the story of a God who has everything and lacks nothing, graciously laying his life down for those who have nothing and lack everything.

The Day-to-Day Life of Radical Receivers The question posed above was: “Does divine aseity impact your day-to-day?” Perhaps a better question would be: “Is there any area of your life divine aseity does not influence?” You and I live our day-to-day lives as radical receivers; we live a life of need. From realities as small as our need for food to eat and water to drink to our greatest needs of forgiveness and adoption, we receive all from our gracious God, who has the fullness of life in himself. In contrast to God not depending on anything, you and I are utterly contingent. All our contingencies are met in the grace of the supremely non-contingent one. Our day-to-day lives reveal that we have needs; may we not grow to despise our neediness. On the contrary, may we press into our frailty as a reminder that our need in all things points to our ultimate need for the One who alone has the fullness of life in himself.

RONNI KURTZ | Assistant Director of Marketing, MBTS; Managing Editor, For the Church

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S E M I N A RY and

S T E WA R D S H I P by M A T T H E W C . M I L L S A P

Luca Pacioli is a name that one is not likely to encounter during his or her church history courses while in seminary or a Christian college. While I cannot claim to have read every church history textbook in existence, I nonetheless suspect that there is no church history textbook that makes mention of him, even in passing. A Franciscan friar and contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci, Pacioli is better known for his mathematical contributions than his ecclesiastical service.

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Thomas Aquinas may have penned his Summa Theologiae centuries earlier in the Middle Ages, but Pacioli also penned a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Summaâ&#x20AC;? of a different stripe during the Italian Renaissance: Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalita, a treatise on all things mathematical. The ninth chapter of Pacioliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summa deals exclusively with the mathematics of

business and trade, and tucked within the same chapter is a section on double-entry bookkeeping.

truth through numbers: to account rightly for what has been entrusted to his or her care.

At first blush, this fact might not sound all that significant. However, this one, particular section is considered by financial historians as the first book on double-entry bookkeeping ever published, and it subsequently became one of the most influential financial texts ever written, impacting accounting standards even to this day. Luca Pacioli may be unknown in church history, but he is not unknown in a broader context, now being referred to most often as the “Father of Accounting.”

But what is so interesting about stewardship, and the truth-telling through numbers that comes part and parcel with it, is how likely we are to feel the moral imperative of such stewardship in the capacities of our occupations and with resources that we openly acknowledge are not ours. It is much less the case in our own personal finances, with resources that we often pretend are ours.

Theology and financial math: What an odd combination! Or is it?

“One’s theology influences everything. There is no separation of any facet of life from what one believes about God. Not truly.”

In the centuries since Pacioli’s work was published, it has influenced countless accountants and financial professionals, perhaps most of whom paid no thought to the degree to which Pacioli’s theology might have underpinned his understanding of mathematics, and by extension, his understanding of accounting. Thinking purely in “secular” terms, why should they care? But, as believers, we have a different understanding of the way theology permeates the everyday. We know that when we dig deep into the minds of all individuals, no matter who they are, we inevitably arrive at an inescapable reality: one’s theology influences everything. There is no separation of any facet of life from what one believes about God. Not truly.

When we then take this reality and apply it to Pacioli specifically, we move closer to understanding a seemingly strange combination of theology and financial math because fundamentally, at its most basic level, accounting is about stewardship. Pacioli understood this. He knew that God is truth and, as such, there is the duty of any steward made in God’s image— any person responsible for the management of financial resources in any capacity—to tell the

What do I mean? Let’s take a hypothetical example. Think with me about a financial officer of an unnamed company. He is a Christian, and as he goes about his daily work for the company, he feels the moral obligation to do everything he can to steward the company’s resources faithfully in order for the company to reach its goals. After all, it’s his job to do so, and he knows he is to perform his work for his employer as unto the Lord (Col. 3:23-24). But let’s also say that if we were to take a look at the personal finances of this man, we would see that they are a mess. Though he earns a good income, he and his family are severely in debt. They keep significant balances on high-interest credit cards, purchasing more or less everything they want whenever they want. They live in a house they cannot actually afford. The man and his wife repeatedly lease brand-new luxury vehicles. What’s wrong with this picture? If this hypothetical financial officer were to apply the truth-telling through numbers of sound stewardship that he regularly performs for

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“Christians, understanding our role as stewards to be a matter of faithfulness for kingdom advance, should take personal finance seriously since it is very much part of the theological everyday.”

his employer to his own family’s financial circumstances, he would not like the truth being told. Yet, he most likely isn’t willing to turn that level of scrutiny and circumspection toward his own call to Christian stewardship. If he were, he probably wouldn’t still be in his current situation. Why the proclivity toward overlooking this failing? If I’m being honest, this is something about which I have to be vigilant in my own life, as I would suspect many of my fellow Christians do. While thankfully I’m not in severe debt and have not adopted the unwise practices of the man in my hypothetical example, I still do find that it’s all too easy for me to act as though the resources God has placed under my care are mine to do with as I wish, however large or small they may be. When I treat my resources more as means to benefit me and my family in the here and now than as means with which my family and I can have an eternal impact, there is a problem. Seeing this tension between stewardship and selfishness in my own life is why I am passionate about “unofficially” educating seminarians about how personal finances are more theological than they might initially seem. Such an understanding no doubt informed Pacioli’s work. While not taught in the seminary classroom in courses under curricular requirements for theological training, sound personal financial practices should be an underlying part of any faithful ministry. I have had multiple conversations with seminary students in individual contexts about personal finance and investing. In each case, I’ve found that these students are eager to hear and to learn, seeking to be faithful not only with what God has entrusted to their care now but also with whatever he might entrust to them in the future.

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

As encouraging as these experiences have been, they reveal to me more work to be done. This isn’t the place to list statistics about the abysmal financial state of many American households or about the lack of financial literacy across America. Nor do I want anything said here to sound as though it is an attempt to shame. But I will say that Christians, understanding our role as stewards to be a matter of faithfulness for kingdom advance, should take personal finance seriously since it is very much part of the theological everyday. “We shouldn’t This isn’t to say that every believer is overlook the called to become a importance of financial expert. Nor managing, as is it to intimate that Christians should stewards, what develop an unhealthy God has divinely attraction to money, determined to place potentially straying into what the Apostle under our care.” Paul terms “the desire to be rich” (1 Tim. 6:9). Rather, my point is we shouldn’t overlook the importance of managing, as stewards, what God has divinely determined to place under our care. I would argue that doing so assumes at least some level of financial knowledge and even a desire to equip oneself with enough knowledge to be faithful in this respect. Perhaps Fra Pacioli—though not discussed in many seminary classrooms—would agree.

DR. MATTHEW C. MILLSAP | Director of Library Services, Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, Midwestern Seminary

G O D â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S

G L O RY and the

T H E A T E R of S O C I A L M E D I A

by J U L I E M A S S O N

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

e’ve all been to a theater. There are dark, thick curtains hanging around a stage, with large cushy seats for the audience. As you take your seat, you hear the orchestra warming up. The performers backstage ready their hair and makeup. They practice their lines. They look in the mirror to ensure they look “just so.” They have a role to play. The curtain rises, and the performance begins. Allow me to tell you about one of my recent “performances.” One Sunday, this past February, my entire family wore Kansas City Chiefs gear to church. Our hometown team was playing in the Super Bowl, and I couldn’t wait to watch the game with them later that day. During the service, as worship began, I kept finding myself thinking about the picture I wanted to take of my family to share on social media. How would I frame that post? What would I say to demonstrate how excited we were about the Chiefs playing in the championship game? I mentally wrote several drafts of Instagram captions during worship.

You see, I was stepping up on stage. Or rather, in this instance, I was backstage, getting ready to perform. I wanted to present myself to my audience—my followers—in a certain way. I wanted to show them that I was loyal to my city, the Chiefs, and that my family was excited. None of those things are bad in and of themselves, but I’ve come to realize that many of us often view social media like a theater and that can be harmful. There are two main components to a theater—the stage and the audience. You may use social media like a stage on which to perform, as I did in the previous example, or you may see it as a place to take in entertainment. However you use it, I want to encourage you to see social media for a different purpose, one centered on making much of Christ. But first, let’s determine how you are currently using social media.

I’ve come to realize that many of us often view social media like a theater and that can be harmful.

I caught my mind wandering to the future social media post and couldn’t believe I was so focused on it. When our pastor began the sermon by praying that we would be free from distractions, I knew I needed the Holy Spirit to keep me focused. I was so bent on thinking about what others would think of something I would say later that day on social media.

For those who view social media as a stage: Is your performance on social media all about yourself? Do you even realize you are performing? As you consider what you post, do you carefully craft words and angle the camera just so it blocks out that pile of laundry? The temptation to perform on social media is great. I understand. It seems to be the perfect channel for showing the world a version of yourself that others will approve of and give praise to.

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Perhaps you aren’t on stage. Instead, you are in from your social media audience, and what unmet the audience, watching the performance but need may be driving that desire. never engaging. You may prefer to hang back in the shadows of the darkened theater. No When we see social media merely as a stage to one is looking at you. You’re just there to relax perform on, it’s harmful for both the performer and enjoy the show. You may love watching and the audience member. We are forgetting the drama unfold. Perhaps you’re mindlessly about the real drama taking place all around scrolling through Instagram feeds and making us. All around us, God is on the only stage that snap judgments about a friend’s choice of matters, and He is doing amazing work. outfit or you could be growing envious of that influencer’s seemingly perfect family life. You are Social media is a great tool for seeing what God is mostly an observer on social media. The audience doing through people and in people all over the member may seem like an world. Social media is not the innocent party here, but even problem; it’s how we use it. the audience member must carefully consider how he or God works through imperfect she is using social media. If people to accomplish his work If your scrolling is of caring for the earth and the your scrolling is causing envy and discontentment, your people living on it. The Holy causing envy and attention is being drawn away Spirit is moving in the hearts from Christ and onto things of people from small-town discontentment, you don’t have. Iowa to Saudi Arabia.

your attention

For the performers on stage, you must remember that you are called to draw attention to Christ. We are made in the image of God, and we’re made to reflect him. If that is true, and it is, then what we reflect on social media matters greatly.

is being drawn away from Christ and onto things you don’t have.

This doesn’t mean you never post pictures of yourself or your family, but it may mean that your posts need a pre-post filter. Before posting, examine your heart. Are you about to post something for the sole purpose of drawing attention to yourself or because you are yearning for the praise of men through likes and retweets? If so, maybe you don’t need to post. Instead, remember that God is your audience, and he’s already completely and utterly pleased with you because you’ve placed your trust in Jesus for salvation from your sin. You don’t need to earn any approval from social media because you already have all the approval you need in Christ. Before posting, you may also want to explore why it is that you’re seeking attention

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

When audience members get sucked into the drama unfolding from the stage of social media, they are giving praise and glory to something other than the One who designed them for so much more.

When performers use social media solely as a way to feature themselves, they are drawing attention away from the One who created them. We exist to glorify God. Therefore, it reasons that as we interact on these very public platforms, we have to ask ourselves if our activity there is bringing praise and glory to God, or to ourselves.

JULIE MASSON | Marketing and Social Media Manager, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

Learn more about THE ETHICS AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION at erlc.com.

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT

Meet

COREY CHAPLIN M.DIV. | SPRING 2019

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

It is no secret—Midwestern Seminary exists to train men and women for service within the church. Thus, it brings great joy when a seminary graduate transitions from the earnest work of the classroom to faithful ministry among God’s people within a local church setting. Recent graduate Corey Chaplin embodies the spirit of our institution well. After receiving his Master of Divinity degree from Midwestern in the spring of 2019, Corey and his wife, Jamie, moved to Bristol, R.I., where Corey serves as pastoral assistant at Mount Hope Church. It is with great pleasure that we introduce Corey as this issue’s Alumni Spotlight.

MBTS You have lived in New England now for just over a year. What is something about ministering in that particular region of the country that brings you joy? COREY CHAPLIN After ministering in New England for a year, there is a particular joy in the experience of being the religious minority. In our context, it can be disheartening with the surrounding secularism, rising apathy for true religion, and the lack of gospel-centered churches. It can seem as if your work is futile. Yet, in this kind of environment, when a church member repents, or a sinner comes to faith, or a new Christian experiences the grace of God afresh, the work of the ministry is made all the more joyful and God glorifying. MBTS This particular issue of Midwestern Magazine is about the importance of theology in everything we do. What doctrine has been especially helpful in your first year of ministry? CC In the past year, ministry has produced some experiences that demand a high view of God’s sovereignty. From tough ministry realities to the pandemic, I have had to trust in God’s control, which also leads to a consistent reminder that, no matter how undesirable the circumstance, obedience is still necessary. The joy in those circumstances is that God is present and in control. MBTS Reflecting on your time at Midwestern, what classes did you take that have aided you in loving God and taking care of his people?

CC Dr. Barrett’s class on the Attributes of God was groundbreaking and helped me see the grandeur of God more clearly. One can’t walk away from the class and not worship. The class also helped me practically. I co-led a Bible study at our church through Amos last spring. Divine immutability is evident in Amos 7. Since I was familiar with the doctrine from Dr. Barrett’s class, I was better equipped to help our people think through that tough passage and doctrine. Dr. Strachan’s Theology I and II classes were also helpful. As someone who came into seminary with a business degree, I had much to learn regarding theology. Dr. Strachan’s class helped me see and understand theological categories, concepts, and doctrines that I use every day. MBTS Finally, since you have crossed the finish line of graduation, what advice would you give for incoming graduate students? CC Do not receive theological training in a vacuum. Do your best to seek friends to take the journey with and to have as conversation partners and as sources of encouragement. Most importantly, join a local church. Make sure that your training is not void of God’s people. As you train, continue to have God’s people in the forefront of your mind. Make efforts to serve and care for the church while also watching and learning from the leaders and pastors God has placed you under.

MBT S .EDU

IN FOCUS: MOUNT HOPE CHURCH

MOUNT HOPE CHURCH LOCATION: Bristol, Rhode Island

he difficulties inherent to gospel ministry in New England are well remarked upon, making the task of highlighting the ongoing work of faithful believers there all the more necessary. In this issue, we are glad to introduce Mount Hope Church in Bristol, R.I. to our readers as our Church Spotlight. Mount Hope was planted in 2016 by a church planting team from Grace Harbor Church, located nearby in Providence. The church’s mission is to be a “community that follows Jesus together as (they) seek to declare and display His Good News.” Corey Chaplin, an MBTS M.Div. graduate, and this issue’s Alumni Spotlight, currently serves as pastoral assistant to the church’s Lead Pastor, Joel Sedam. We asked Corey a few questions about the ongoing ministry efforts at Mount Hope to the community of Bristol and surrounding areas.

MBTS Tell us a bit about the origins of the Church. How did Mount Hope come about? COREY CHAPLIN The beginning of Mount Hope Church was a culmination of many prayers and years of waiting. Joel Sedam had been working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Roger Williams University in Bristol. Throughout his time at the university and in the wider community of Bristol, Joel felt burdened to see a gospel-preaching church planted that would be home to both college students and Christians in the area. The Sedams and a core team of 12 others were sent out by Grace Harbor Church, and in February 2016, MHC was formed as the group covenanted together for the sake of the gospel in Bristol. MBTS Often the depiction of the spiritual landscape of New England is pessimistic. On the contrary, what is something that encourages you about being at a church in the New England region? CC Catholicism has had a massive influence on Rhode Islanders for over 100 years. It’s the only form of Christianity that many people know and understand. Often paired with that is a severe deficiency in understanding the gospel, specifically justification by faith alone. This yields many opportunities for conversations in which the gospel can be freshly shared and heard.

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

MBTS This particular church highlight is unique since we are conducting this interview in the midst of a global pandemic. What have you learned about pastoring or leading during such a unique and strange season? CC We are completely dependent upon Jesus as the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. COVID-19 simply revealed how weak and needy we are, and how Christ must be the one to build His church. Additionally, it was a joy to discover creative ways that we can love and serve one another and those outside our church community. This is a reminder of how obstacles are often great opportunities for spiritual growth and gospel advancement. There are a number of Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College students who are interested in ministry in New England. What advice would you give to them as they plan and pursue such a venture?

MBTS

We need people to come to New England who take the long view. Receptivity to the gospel isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily lower, but it is slower up here.

Pray, avail yourself to godly counsel and, if the Lord leads, connect with a gospel-centered New England church where you can learn, grow, serve and, maybe one day, be sent.

QUICK FACTS CHURCH NAME

Mount Hope Church LEAD PASTOR

Joel Sedam YEAR PLANTED

2016

LOCATION

Bristol, Rhode Island TOWN POPULATION

22,234 WEBSITE

mthopechurch.org

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STUDENT HIGHLIGHT

Meet

COSTI HINN

Proper doctrine and theology have the power to utterly transform the trajectory of a person’s life. That is the story with this edition’s student spotlight, Costi Hinn. Costi’s story is a powerful testimony of allegiance to Christ’s truth even over all things. Costi is a student at Midwestern as well as a pastor of Redeemer Bible Church in Gilbert, Ariz. He is also the co-author of Defining Deception and author of God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel.

MBTS Costi, thanks for joining us, we are happy to have you as this issue’s student highlight. To begin, what degree are you currently working toward, and how much time do you have left in your program? COSTI HINN It’s an underserved privilege to be a part of this issue of Midwestern Magazine. Thank you for asking me to do this. I currently have a Master of Theological Studies degree from MBTS and am wrapping up my Master of Divinity degree. That should be completed in 2021. Beyond the M.Div., I do aspire to enter doctoral work but will need to use wisdom and prudence as I navigate the timing of that. Along with ministry work like shepherding, preaching, and writing, my most important ministry includes four kids ages six and under. You have written quite a bit about the dangers of the prosperity gospel. How do you think the prosperity gospel robs Christians of joy?

MBTS

CH The prosperity gospel robs Christians—and I would add, non-Christians—of joy by shifting M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

their focus away from what they need most. I call these “joy-killers.” Let’s briefly unpack three: The first joy-killer the prosperity gospel unleashes is the focus of “stuff.” That “stuff” typically includes being happy, healthy, and wealthy. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy, enjoying great health, and earning wealth in this life. The problem is that the prosperity gospel promises that these things are guaranteed if you simply follow Jesus, have enough faith, or give enough money to a preacher. That’s a major joy-killer because when your faith in Christ is attached to expectations of “stuff,” you’re being set up for a major letdown since the Christian life will more certainly include trials, suffering, financial challenges, and seasons of despair. The second joy-killer is the focus of “me.” The prosperity gospel makes everything about you! Again, like the first joy-killer, this one contains a small kernel of truth. God does care about you (1 Peter 5:7), sent His Son to die for you (John 3:16), and loves you (1 John 4:9-10). But the gospel is still not about you. It’s about a holy

Father, a righteous Son, and an empowering Holy Spirit redeeming repentant hearts from sin and causing people to live for the glory of God and not the glory of themselves. The third joy-killer is the focus of “now.” Most people have heard the prosperity gospel summarized as a promise for your “best life now.” The world has its own spin on this with the popular mantra, “You only live once” or “YOLO.” These kill joy because they kill eternal perspective. For a believer, our best life isn’t “now,” it’s to come. Nobody lives once. Everybody lives twice—once on earth and once for all eternity. Believers are called to remember that they are merely passing through this earth as temporary residents who are heading home (1 Peter 2:11). While on earth, we are to be busy about the Father’s business and to call all people to put their faith in Christ because this earth is passing away, and heaven is coming. The prosperity gospel promises to give people everything they want for life on earth but leaves people without what they truly need for life in heaven.

MBTS Beyond writing, you are also a pastor. How has pursuing formal theological education aided your ability to shepherd God’s people? CH

I cannot overstate how MBTS and its professors have blessed my ability to shepherd in the local church. My road to seminary was atypical because I was already a “pastor” (though not a qualified one) when God opened my eyes to the deception of my former prosperity gospel beliefs. Shortly after I was genuinely converted, my title changed to “Pastor in Training” (P.I.T.), and I began to slowly climb the mountain of being a “late bloomer” when it came to seminary. I saw my late start as a huge disadvantage. Instead of it being a great disadvantage, God turned it into a great blessing because I was suddenly learning what we needed in real time. That’s not the way it is for every man or women pursuing theological education, but Romans

8:28 was very evident in my own journey. For example, after my first year in seminary, the elders assigned me the task of establishing a biblical philosophy for various ministries in our church. As I took missiology, it shaped the biblical missions philosophy of our church immediately, and I was able to introduce our church to “new” historical heroes like Adoniram Judson (who few had even heard of). By the time I worked through church administration, I happened to be serving as the executive pastor and was able to implement changes to critical administrative systems right away. Completing systematic theology courses both confirmed, challenged, and strengthened core doctrinal positions I held which immediately impacted the way I preached and led our church. Lastly, the personal connection with professors did nearly as much (if not more!) as the coursework to shape and challenge me. Men like Owen Strachan were instrumental in providing encouragement, exhortation, and guidance.

MBTS Finally, this issue of the Midwestern Magazine is about the importance of theology for our everyday lives. What doctrine brings you the most joy in your day-to-day life? CH The sovereignty of God has become the bedrock of our home and what sustains our joy throughout all of life’s victories and challenges. Whether it be interpersonal difference with family still in the prosperity gospel, challenges in local church work, or navigating our youngest son’s cancer, we agree with Spurgeon when he said, “When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.” In the good, the bad, and the ugly, God is still sovereign. When things are going well, and we’re on top of the mountain, God is sovereign. He allowed it. He gets the glory. We get the joy. When we’re in the valley of despair and enduring trials in life, God is sovereign. He allowed it. He gets the glory. We get the joy. MBT S .EDU

FACULTY HIGHLIGHT

Patrick Schreiner ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF NEW TESTAMENT AND BIBLICAL THEOLOGY

While Dr. Patrick Schreiner is new to the Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College faculty as of this fall, he is not unknown to our students and staff. On the contrary, even before his arrival in Kansas City, much of the Midwestern community had already benefitted from Dr. Schreiner’s scholarship from afar. Through books, articles, podcasts, and more, Dr. Schreiner has already aided many students’ love of God’s word, especially the New Testament. Given the recency of Dr. Schreiner’s addition to the Midwestern and Spurgeon faculty, we are glad to have him as our faculty spotlight in this issue of Midwestern Magazine.

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MBTS At the time of this interview, you are days away from moving to Kansas City. What is one thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking forward to about joining the Midwestern and Spurgeon College community? PATRICK SCHREINER It is difficult keeping it to one! I am excited to join an academic community that seeks to serve the local church. I love that MBTS is pressing into on-campus learning both for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees. Having a community of people devoted to the church, who seek to be faithful to the Scriptures, is an exciting place to be. I look forward to learning from my fellow colleagues as each person brings a unique specialty of study to the school. I am also excited to explore Kansas City with my family, as we love getting out and doing things. MBTS As mentioned in the intro, most of our students and readers are familiar with your work, but for those who are not, what are some scholarly interests and topics you are passionate about? PS

I have always been interested in hermeneutics, the art and science of interpretation. I love thinking about questions related to what it means to interpret a text, and what it means to be an interpreter. I also enjoy finding new areas of study, so my interests are always developing. In the past, I have been focused on the Gospel of Matthew, but more recently I have been working a lot on Acts. Topics that seem to continually come up in my work relate to the kingdom of God, the reign of Jesus, and looking not only at temporal relationships but spatial and place-related themes in the Bible.

MBTS What projects are you currently working on or do you hope to work on soon? PS I am in the editing stage of a commentary on Acts that will look at the book from a more theological and biblical theological perspective. Hopefully, this will come out summer of 2021. I am also finishing an overview of the New Testament that gives a visual outline of each book and brief summaries. I am working with a great artist who is doing a fabulous job. It is designed for pastors and students to get a quick overview of the books. Finally, I am finishing a first draft of a New Testament biblical theology on Acts that looks at the different theological themes in Acts. I have a few other book projects I want to start after that, but I must keep those secret and safe. MBTS This issue of Midwestern Magazine focuses on how theology can impact our day-to-day lives. What doctrine of the Christian faith has been a consistent source of joy for you? PS My latest book on the ascension of Christ just released, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about how this is such an encouraging doctrine. Jesus says it is better that he leaves because in his leaving we receive a double portion of his Spirit, who empowers us to do his will. We can walk in the footsteps of Jesus because the Spirit empowers us. The ascension also teaches us Christ is interceding for us in heaven, which helps me when my prayer life feels dry. Finally, looking to our ascended Lord reminds us that we will be glorified; the best is yet to come. No matter how bad things get, we have a sure and steadfast hope.

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MBTS and Spurgeon College communities adapt and innovate in light of Covid-19 challenges by S TA F F

While collectively people have grown familiar with “unprecedented times” and “new normals,” one aspect of life within the Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College community has remained the same: the opportunity to render its time, effort, and resources toward equipping the church for maximal impact in gospel ministry. The Covid-19 season has offered many challenges, as one might expect. In late February, the seminary’s administration made the call to move the remainder of its spring semester online. Students went home, and the majority of staff and faculty transitioned to work-from-home environments.

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The strength of Midwestern and Spurgeon College’s online course infrastructure eased the transition. The semester was completed via online course lectures and assessments and group chat sessions. Spring graduates were recognized and given the option to “walk” later at either the December 2020 or May 2021 commencement ceremonies. Late spring and early summer provided opportunities for creative initiatives in the classroom and at attempts to connect with prospective students. In addition to regularly scheduled online summer courses, five new intensive courses were quickly developed, allowing students to

participate live via Zoom online class sessions. The courses included: Principles of Preaching with Jason Allen, Baptist History with Jason Duesing, Theology I with Owen Strachan, Church History I with John Mark Yeats and Michael McMullen, and Old Testament Survey I with Jason DeRouchie. In late May, President Allen officially announced the institution’s plans to move forward with an on-campus fall semester by implementing “Residential Plus”—an innovative classroom strategy employing the use of technology and a synchronous lecture format to ensure on-campus classroom environments are kept in step with local and state-

wide public health guidance. Efforts to reach prospective students were similarly affected, as many were forced to forego the opportunity to visit the school’s campus in Kansas City, Mo. The admissions and communications teams quickly introduced “Virtual Meals with Midwestern”—online chat sessions with groups of prospective students, members of the MBTS/Sprugeon College faculty, and representatives from the admissions team. After the session, participants received free meals via gift cards to a restaurant delivery service of their choice. This rare season has provided many opportunities for service as well. In addition to in-house assessments, school leaders began asking, “What does it mean to be truly for the Church given the commotion within our culture at large and within the walls of local churches?” The answer was and remains multi-faceted. Because various new responsibilities, brought about by the pandemic, occupied many pastors’ time and attention, it seemed fitting to help fill the gap in sermon preparation and delivery. In April, a new landing page was added to the MBTS website featuring select pre-recorded sermons for overloaded pastors to use at their discretion. The collection included sermons preached in recent chapel sessions and at seminary-hosted events by the school’s faculty and staff, including Allen, H.B. Charles, Jr., Jared C. Wilson, Strachan, and DeRouchie, among others. The sermons, which can be accessed at www.mbts.edu/sermons, are still available to stream or download. Yet another challenge many

churches have faced is the temporary suspension of in-person weekly gatherings. Many have opted to livestream announcements, worship music, and Sunday sermons via Facebook, YouTube, and other online streaming platforms. However not all churches have the resources to do so effectively. Throughout the spring and summer, MBTS extended the use of its chapel pulpit and live recording technology to local pastors in need of assistance. A number of pastors from churches in the Kansas City metro area scheduled weekly time slots with the MBTS and Spurgeon College Audio/Visual team to record sermons for later distribution online. The challenges and opportunities brought about by Covid-19 continue to present themselves in varying degrees. Allen, in one of several presidential updates to the seminary community, said, “I encourage you to frame all of this with biblical wisdom. As men and women of God, we are to be wise, but not fearful; vigilant, but not unnerved. We trust in our sovereign God, his kind providence, and in the power of prayer. Moreover, this is a time for a Christian community, such as Midwestern Seminary and

Learn more about our COVID-19 EFFORTS at mbts.edu/coronavirus.

Spurgeon College, to radiate gospel hope, fervent prayer, and a confidence in our Redeemer.” From leadership to faculty, staff, and students, the campus community has imbibed the spirit of adjustment, flexibility, and a sacred optimism in the midst of many changes and uncertainty. Currently, life on campus is navigated in light of procedural policies and guidelines set in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved, and the ongoing task of training God-called men and women to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ for the Church and for the Kingdom moves steadily forward. •

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Midwestern Seminary introduces free theology classes through FTC Institute by T. PAT R I C K H U D S O N

Midwestern Seminary announced today (July 7) the launching of the For the Church Institute—a free online training platform designed to provide accessible theological training to equip, encourage, and edify the local church and beyond. Jordan Wilbanks, director of church partnerships at Midwestern Seminary, acknowledged that there is a growing movement in local churches, called “church-based theological education,” where regular church

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members are seeking out educational opportunities—such as classes typically taken in seminaries—from within their own churches. In response to this need, Wilbanks said Midwestern Seminary has spent considerable time over the past year-and-a-half developing For the Church Institute, which provides solid theological training to local congregations through 10week classes on foundational subjects like theology, church history, being a Christian, Old Testament,

New Testament, and more. “What we’ve aimed for in developing FTC Institute is to provide a curriculum consisting of shell versions of our core classes that are accessible for anyone from pre-teens to great-grandmothers,” Wilbanks said. “We want to remove the ivory tower image of a seminary in our dealings with churches. The fact is, we exist for local churches. “Our primary goal is to strengthen the church from the inside out,” he added. “In these challenging

cultural times, it’s imperative that our everyday church members know how to defend their faith and continue growing as a Christian.” The FTC Institute, Wilbanks shared, is a free resource built specifically for church members to learn from Midwestern Seminary’s world-class faculty—making the Bible come alive and enabling believers to grow in a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ. Wilbanks added that through this program there is absolutely no intent to displace the local church pastor’s teaching responsibilities or teaching function. Rather, he noted, “For the Church Institute is a tool created to help church leaders shepherd their people and equip them for ministry.

“The courses are intended to Old Testament & New Testament help church members know God Surveys and Interpreting the Bible. better through his Word under the Wilbanks explained that FTC instruction of their pastors with Institute is a tool ready-made for our professors as a resource. At pastors to help their churches Midwestern Seminary, we have a without needing much prep time, world class faculty, and FTC Instiand participating church members tute shares them directly with local aren’t required to have any prior churches. In these classes, you can level of training to benefit from the build a solid foundation of theologcourses. “Just come with a heart ical education to strengthen your willing to learn more about the God faith and your confidence with the who saw fit to come to the earth, Word of God.” save us from sin, death, and hell, Wilbanks said his office frequent- and make us his own through his ly hears from pastors wanting to Son, Jesus Christ.” provide some kind The FTC of educational Institute’s vision structure so their for the future is “The courses are people can grow one in which each intended to help deeper in their member of each personal study and Christian church is church members knowledge of God. trained with sound know God better In partnership, he doctrine to go and through his Word said, FTC Institute make disciples, desires to see these Wilbanks said. under the instruction saints, with eyes “For the Church of their pastors with trained on eternity, Institute is not a our professors as a being equipped for silver bullet or the the work of the ultimate answer resource.” ministry—while to any church’s — Jordan Wilbanks not leaving all the woes—again, that ministry to those in answer is Jesus pastoral ministry. Christ. For the Church Institute’s initial “But through these classes, we offerings include Church History desire to have a church body in I, taught by John Mark Yeats, dean which 15-year-olds know that the of students and professor of church Old and New Testaments are one history; Theology I, led by Owen story, revealing the Word made Strachan, associate professor of flesh. We need our oldest saints Christian Theology; “Being a Chrisequipped and laser-focused for tian” with President Jason Allen; mission that they might share and “The Story of Everything” led the great story of Scripture with by Jared C. Wilson, author-in-resfriends who fear the darkness on idence and assistant professor of the nearing horizon. As a result, pastoral ministry. Other courses to the church of Jesus Christ will be be developed in the future include made stronger.” •

Learn more about the FTC INSTITUTE at ftcinstitute.com.

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The volleyball era at Spurgeon College begins with hard-fought battle by T. PAT R I C K H U D S O N

The volleyball era at Spurgeon College got off to a rousing start on Sept. 1, as the Knights battled Calvary University in a five-set match—taking the Warriors to the brink of elimination before falling just short—losing 20-25, 11-25, 25-18, 27-25, and 16-18. The historic evening at the Mathena Student Center saw a raucous crowd whose spirit wasn’t dampened in any way by social distancing measures in the stands nor by masks on their faces. In fact, after the initial excitement of the game was briefly tempered by losses in the first two sets, the crowd urged the Knights to climb back into the match and roared louder and louder throughout the comeback. President Jason Allen praised the Knights for their strong effort saying, “This was an electric night in the Mathena Student Center. The atmosphere we experienced here is all we had hoped for when introducing collegiate sports to our campus. “I can’t be prouder of the effort our Knights made in battling a very talented Calvary University varsity squad to the very end. Obviously, we were pulling for the win, but thanks

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to the great work of Coach Evie Stanton, and the tremendous effort of our team, they played tough and the future is bright.” Calvary took the first two sets handily and had the third set under control when the Knights’ furious comeback began. The Knights then staved off a match point in the fourth game before going on to force game five. The decisive set saw the Knights one point away from victory, when the Warriors stormed back for the win. Sidney Miller, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas, led the Knights in most categories including a game high double-double with 28 kills and 13 digs. She added two aces and had a .388 hitting percentage—overall, she accounted for 30 points. Shaley Miller, a sophomore from Kansas City, Mo., contributed 31 assists, which was also a game high. Other contributors from the Knights’ first collegiate volleyball game included Samantha Zelaya, a senior from Kansas City, Mo., Hannah Bingham, a senior from Richmond, Va., Melody Owen, a junior from Emerson, Ark., Sarah Commerford, a

sophomore from Overland Park, Kan., Amelia Jackson, a sophomore from Des Moines, Iowa, and Samantha Dobbs, a freshman from Kansas City, Mo. Stanton admitted that the competition brought by Calvary was solid and challenged her team. However, she was proud of the Knights’ drive to compete. “The team played with so much grit, determination, and heart,” Stanton said. “They listened intently during timeouts and responded so well to adversity, which is something we’ve been working on in practice. At the start of game three, I looked at them and told them to give it all they had and control the little things on our side of the court, and that is exactly what they did. It was so fun to watch them fight for every single point and never give up.” She added, “Each day the team improves, so I cannot wait to see where we are at the end of the season from where we are now. We’re on an upward trajectory, and we won’t stop pushing to get better every single day.” Stanton also explained that she’s

thrilled about Spurgeon Volleyball now playing a significant role in the MBTS/Spurgeon community saying that it adds an element of excitement to campus life and brings everyone together in a special way. “I couldn’t ask for anything more from the campus community than what they brought tonight,” Stanton said. “It was completely electric during the game. It was so fun to see students, faculty, and staff rally around these girls and cheer them on until the very end. To see the support that was given, and how loud it got in the Mathena Student

Center from the cheers of our fans, was so special.” In October of 2018, Midwestern Seminary’s trustees received plans from the administration to field sports teams at Spurgeon College through the NCCAA—beginning with basketball. In November of 2019, the school hired Stanton as head coach and announced its intent to field a women’s volleyball team. Since that time, Stanton has worked toward developing the program. “There were a lot of ups and downs in the recruiting process and in just forming this team in general,”

“Each day the team improves, so I cannot wait to see where we are at the end of the season from where we are now. We’re on an upward trajectory, and we won’t stop pushing to get better every single day.” — Coach Evie Stanton

Learn more about the SPURGEON COLLEGE KNIGHTS VOLLEYBALL TEAM at spurgeoncollege.com/volleyball.

Stanton said. “However, I couldn’t be more pleased with the young ladies the Lord has brought to Spurgeon Volleyball. They all have the desire for God to be glorified above all else, and they are a joy to coach.” She added that her goals for the team reach beyond that of many collegiate volleyball programs saying, “Being competitive on the court is important, but the most important thing to me is that volleyball is not the primary focus of these girls’ lives. My desire is that they earnestly seek Christ in everything they do, and that they would take what they learn here at Spurgeon College and use it to further the kingdom of God, making disciples wherever they go.” Updates and results from the the Knights’ inaugural season can be accessed via the Spurgeon College Volleyball website. •

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Midwestern Seminary’s Spanish Studies Department grows, reorganizes staff by T. PAT R I C K H U D S O N

Citing significantly increased program growth, Midwestern Seminary’s Spanish Studies Department announced on Aug. 17 a reorganization of the staff and the addition of new faculty members. According to Bobby Sena, director of Spanish Studies, Arnaldo Achucarro and Cesar Perez have been added to the teaching faculty, and Felix Cabrera will assume additional responsibilities. “With nearly 200 students now pursuing degrees through the Spanish Studies Department, the time was right to expand the program,” Sena said. “With these recent moves, it’s clear that the administration at Midwestern understands the value and need for strengthening the program.”

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From what was once only a doctoral focus, Sena explained that the school has now moved to an overall Spanish Studies Program that includes a certificate level, three master’s programs, and a Doctor of Ministry degree with a focus on leadership. What makes the program special, Sena shared, is that all members of the Spanish Studies team are Hispanic with Cabrera being from Puerto Rico, Achucarro from Paraguay, and Perez from Cuba. Each will teach students in their heart language and understands the Hispanic culture. Each is also currently or has in the past served in a pastoral role, “which keeps them relevant as they lead and teach pastors, denominational workers, and lay leaders in the Spanish

Studies Program.” Within their new roles, Cabrera will serve as assistant Spanish Studies director and assistant professor of pastoral ministry; Achucarro will be academic coordinator for the program as well as an adjunct professor; and Perez will be academic assistant and adjunct professor. Sena said Cabrera, who also serves as a NAMB SEND director and executive director for the Puerto Rico Southern Baptist Convention, “is a leader of influence, with a deep commitment to the Scriptures; reaching Hispanics with the gospel and training them to serve in and through the church.” Cabrera will also work with Midwestern’s new For the Church Institute to develop courses in Spanish as well as continuing to promote

and recruit students for all Spanish Studies programs. Achucarro serves as pastor of a new Hispanic church in Kansas City, Mo., and is a trainer of church planters for NAMB. Sena explained that in Achucarro’s new role, “When students have a question, they’re able to connect with the doctoral offices at Midwestern and are greeted by a Spanish voice—their heart language—and by a person who understands their culture and identifies with their specific programmatic needs because he also graduated from Midwestern.” Sena shared that Perez’s other responsibilities include serving as the point person for Spanish social media platforms, and he will also be the lead person for a future Spanish Ph.D. program. Perez also presently serves as pastor for international ethnic groups at Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, Texas. Another gratifying aspect of each man’s appointment to his respective role, Sena noted, is that each is a product of Midwestern Seminary. “These are true team players, who have been ‘home grown’ at MBTS,” he said. “They can speak from their own experience at the institution, and they identify linguistically, culturally, and educationally with the students. “Through this, our hope is that our programs will make Midwestern’s Spanish Studies Program the most complete pathway for theological training available in the Spanish language in Iberoamerica— from certification and master’s to doctorate and Ph.D.” President Jason Allen noted that what’s taking place in the Spanish

Studies Department falls in line specifically with Midwestern Seminary’s vision of existing for the local church and, in this case, particularly toward helping “our Hispanic brothers and sisters in reaching the nations for Christ.” He added, “Dr. Bobby Sena and his team are poised to do just that. We’ve created a comprehensive Spanish Studies program that well positions us to train Spanish-speaking ministers in their heart language. As a result, these students will be optimally prepared to minister the gospel to Spanish-speaking churches and peoples across the globe.” The Spanish program at Midwestern Seminary started in 2010 with a small cohort of Doctor of Ministry students. Cabrera noted that today the program has “more than 100 students in the doctoral program, with our student population being composed of students from across the U.S., Central and South America, and beyond.” Cabrera added that with the addition of the three master’s programs and the certification program in 2017, and the anticipated Ph.D. program addition, there’s a projection for significantly increased enrollment by 2023. “We’ve already seen a strong increase in our enrollment with the formation of doctoral partnerships with the Cuban Baptist Seminary and the Seminario Teologico Bautista Lacy and Seminario Mexicano in Mexico,” Cabrera said, noting that the Cuban classes have already begun and the Mexican cohort began in September. Additionally, he shared that the Convention of Southern Baptists of Puerto Rico is working diligently to

Learn more about the SPANISH STUDIES DEPARTMENT at mbts.edu/spanish.

offer a Christian studies undergraduate degree program completely in Spanish by 2021. Master’s degree offerings within the program include the Master of Divinity, the Master of Theological Studies with Pastoral Ministry emphasis and Master of Arts in Ministry Service. Both the M.Div. and MTS are created for pastoral ministry preparation and the MAMS is designed for lay people desiring to increase their theological knowledge. At the certificate level, the team has also developed strategic alliances with ministries that are serving local churches to equip believers who have little-to-no academic preparation and/or theology. “The combination of equipping the local churches with academia is having outstanding results,” Cabrera shared. “Without a doubt, providing affordable tuition costs, along with the recruitment of an all-Spanish faculty for the program places us as one of the best Spanish theological education programs. Additionally, we are unique in that we are the only SBC seminary to offer a doctorate completely in the Spanish language.” Looking to the future, Sena said his desire is that the Spanish Studies Program at Midwestern would be the first in the SBC to offer a complete pathway of academic opportunities— from Certification to Ph.D.—totally in Spanish. He said he foresees the addition of new master’s and doctoral degree programs as well as a commitment to recruiting and hiring outstanding Hispanic faculty, publishing books by our faculty, developing a Spanish language Journal of Theology, and implementing the first Ph.D. program totally in Spanish. •

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Spurgeon College announces new B.A. in History program, B.A. in Communication degree program updates by J O H N L . I N M A N I I I

Spurgeon College announced on July 13, the launch of a 120-credit hour undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in History degree program, along with faculty-approved updates to the current Bachelor of Arts in Communication program. The history program, which includes the same general education and biblical studies core courses required of all Spurgeon College students, also incorporates an additional 42 credit hours that focus on

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history and historical methods. Six credit hours of electives round out the degree track. Andrew King, assistant dean of Spurgeon College, said the addition of the B.A. in History aligns perfectly with Spurgeon College’s mission of existing “For the Kingdom,” as it adds to the current diverse degree options for study and deployment of students in a variety of avenues both in the marketplace and ministry. “Considering these marketplace

degrees,” King said, “when we think of being for the Kingdom, we’re not considering training only in missions, the pastorate, or some other ministry-related field. This type of training can be seen, for example, through our communications degree, which can lead to working at ad firms, or our business degree setting a student up to launch into business leadership—all from a Christian worldview. I’m glad to see the history program join these

programs to drive our “These globally infused historical courses are designed for students broader focus and vision to understand the heritage, history, and culture of not only the for Spurgeon College.” United States but of nations and cultures around the globe.” For students specifically inclined toward — Andrew King serving in missions, King added the history curriculum provides valuable inthe history and dynamics of varied best platform to launch into local sight into the historical and cultural global areas and cultures may help church ministry or the marketplace heritage of areas where they may them to know how to pray better, or for the kingdom. serve or support as missionaries. how to support those who are going He added, “By making these King explained that the B.A. to serve in those areas. The missions changes to the B.A. in Communiin History program’s curriculum thrust and implications of the procation program, we now offer our includes many of the vital standard gram are great.” students a strong mix of commucourses like world, American, and King added that another goal nications theory and practical skill church history, but it also includes of the B.A. in History program application. Many communications exciting new courses in African, is to prepare students to become programs are loaded toward the European, Asian, and Latin Amerexcellent historians who possess a theoretical side, but we desire our ican history—taking the degree biblical worldview. students to have the hands-on skills to the next level. “These globally “Our hope is for students to come needed to enter the ministry or infused historical courses,” he away from their studies with all the marketplace and immediately make said, “are designed for students to skills necessary to conduct solid rean impact for Christ.” understand the heritage, history, search and methodology in the field Changes to the communications and culture of not only the United of history,” he said. “But ultimately, program include replacing five States but of nations and cultures we want them to use those skills business courses with new commuaround the globe.” to magnify our Triune God, while nications courses including JournalOne of the significant aspects of leading future generations to unism II, Online Presence, Principles the history program that King said derstand and appreciate the diverse of Crisis Communication, Advanced excites him is its globality. Tying histories and cultures of the world Visual Communication, and Introtogether the fact that Spurgeon God has made.” duction to Communication Theory. College exists “For the Kingdom,” “We’re thrilled that students and that Christ’s Kingdom is global, Bachelor of Arts in can dive more deeply into subjects is something King hopes will be Communication (Updates) like journalism, graphic design, and eye-opening for students. crisis communication while being “The Kingdom of God is adPatrick Hudson, coordinator of exposed to communication theory vancing to the ends of the earth the B.A. in Communication degree and current digital communications through faithful gospel ministers, program at Spurgeon College, noted technology like web development and that’s the reason we’re here— that while the initial development to spread the fame of Christ from of the communications program Eden to the ends of the earth,” was well-designed with a mix of “By making these changes to he said. “So, students in our new communications and business the B.A. in Communication history program, who may not iniclasses, the recent curricular upprogram, we now offer our tially possess a global perspective, dates are designed to maximize the may take an Asian history class and practical and theoretical study of students a strong mix of the Lord may open their hearts to communications for students. communications theory and that part of the world. Hudson said a primary goal of practical skill application.” “Even if they’re not thinking of Spurgeon College’s communications serving cross-culturally, learning program is to provide students the — Patrick Hudson

Learn more about the B.A. IN HISTORY and B.A. IN COMMUNICATION at spurgeoncollege.com/academics.

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and social media strategy,” he said. Hudson also explained that students in the current communications program will be unaffected by the changes, as all the communications and business courses are available to them. However, those wishing to pursue the updated degree would need to take all of the newly added courses to complete their degree. One other aspect of the program that should be exciting to current and prospective students, Hudson noted, is the Communications Studies Capstone course. “This course culminates our communications students’ hard work and enables them to practice and hone their skills through internships and mentoring.” Hudson said that through these internships students will also have an opportunity to learn from the best practitioners in the field of communications in areas such as journalism, graphic design, church communications, and public relations. He added, “We’re always looking for new partnerships, and we’ll need even more as our program continues to grow.” At present, he said, Spurgeon College is partnering with SBC entity communications offices, state entity newspapers, local church communications teams, and local businesses to provide students with incredible opportunities to learn and serve. Both King and Hudson shared that Spurgeon College’s Online Studies Department is hard at work ensuring that both programs are integrated online in the future. Hudson said the B.A. in Communication degree’s first online course, Principles of Public Relations, successfully launched this fall semester, and others are currently being developed for future terms. •

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Thomas Kidd lecture, Ph.D. presentations highlight MBTS’s virtual colloquy by J O H N L . I N M A N I I I

Historical theology was the theme of the second annual Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Colloquy, held on May 8 via Zoom. The colloquy, which is a theological forum for MBTS’s doctoral students to present topics aimed at further scholarly discussion and hosted by Midwestern Seminary’s Ph.D. Residency Program, saw 14 presenters and over 60 people attending virtually from across the country and even overseas. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the colloquy, which ordinarily would be held at Midwestern Seminary’s Kansas City campus, was presided over by Owen Strachan, associate professor of Christian theology and director of the Residency Program at MBTS. He opened the event by encouraging attendees that during this

season when many are fighting to survive and exist, “at Midwestern Seminary, we are not only trying to exist, but to thrive theologically, academically, and institutionally.” Strachan charged the presenters to keep pushing intellectually and theologically, and he expressed that great leadership is a key component to thriving in “God’s kindness.” “I want us to revel in the life of the theological mind,” Strachan said to the group of doctoral students. “A colloquy on historical theology lets us do just this. In a season when so much is unsettled, we have the joyful privilege of studying the work and doctrine of God in history. What better pursuit than this when we feel tempted to drop back and ease up? We want to think with excellence unto the glory of God, and we

believe this is valuable in any season, easy or hard.” He added that the seminary’s prime focus is to take students deep into the Word of God so that they can minister the grace of God to the church of God. “We believe in scholarly excellence, but it is all submitted to the all-conquering, all-ruling Lordship of Jesus Christ.” After Strachan’s introductory comments, each of the 14 presenting students was given two minutes to provide a summary of his or her paper. Afterward, other students, along with Thomas Kidd and Strachan, took time to further the dialogue on the varied subjects and give the presenters an opportunity to further elaborate on their conclusions. Thomas Kidd, distinguished professor of history at Baylor University and distinguished professor of church history at Midwestern Seminary, assisted in evaluating the presentations and was also the keynote speaker, presenting on the topic, “Who is an Evangelical: The History of a Movement in Crisis” from his recent work which carries the same title. Following the student presentations and discussions, Kidd’s lecture offered a flowing narrative of the timeline of Evangelicalism in America. He charted how the term evangelical went from denoting one who believed in a born-again experience tied to faith in Christ to a social-political affiliation and even became tied to racial culture. This change in the term’s meaning was, according to Kidd, due to a fight within evangelical Christianity against theological liberalism, which embraced arguments against the inerrancy of the Bible and scientific thoughts such as evolution. This

“We believe in scholarly excellence, but it is all submitted to the allconquering, all-ruling Lordship of Jesus Christ.” — Owen Strachan would all manifest itself in the ties between Evangelicalism and politics, as exemplified in partnerships between Billy Graham and U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. Today, Kidd said, this phenomenon can be seen in the connection between the term “evangelical” and those who support current president, Donald Trump. Kidd closed his argument with a charge to reclaim the term back to its roots of belief in Christian conversion, the inerrancy of the Bible, and God’s presence in the world as defining those who are evangelical. Doctoral students who participated in the event spoke highly of the overall experience as well as the adapted format in light of social distancing measures. Travis Montgomery, Ph.D. student and member of the Residency Program, who presented on the biblical-theological foundations of Abraham Kuyper, said, “It was a great relief in the midst of the stayat-home order to enjoy some digital academic fellowship. This year’s colloquy was certainly unusual, but it presented a great opportunity to learn and grow. Our students are excellent, and the benefit of the interdisciplinary vision of the colloquy and the Residency was on full display.” Another Ph.D. student and Residency member, C.J. Moore, addressed the group on “the dangers of

Learn more about the RESIDENCY PH.D. PROGRAM at mbts.edu/theresidency.

presenting Christ as our ‘ancestor,’ which can lead to issues of heresy and promoting the African ancestor mythology.” He explained that the unique format of presenting in two minutes afforded him the opportunity to hone and craft a concise summary for his paper’s argument. Moore also appreciated the thoughtful interaction from Strachan and Kidd saying, “When it comes to historical matters, Christian or otherwise, Dr. Kidd is surely considered one of the best historians of our time. To be able to present my paper before him, Dr. Strachan, and fellow MBTS students, was a blessing that I do not take lightly, and it made me even more diligent to do the most excellent work I could do.” The Residency program has been offered at Midwestern Seminary since 2016 and combines the best aspects of the American Ph.D. program and the traditional U.K. doctoral model. The goal of the Residency, according to Strachan, is to merge independent advanced theological research with cohort-based mentorship and oversight. This is all done via regular, intensive engagement with faculty and other theological leaders within the normal rhythm of the unique on-campus ministry culture of Midwestern. Strachan further noted, “The Residency is a unique program that offers students an intellectual community sparked by sound doctrine and a commitment to fellowship. We want it to have a Shire-like feel, and in some ways it does. “Our weekly gatherings allow us to hear from faithful Christian leaders of varying vocations, deepening both the faith and practice of our students.” The Residency plans to hold its third colloquy in May 2021. •

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Books in Brief New and upcoming releases from the Midwestern Seminary community

SIMPLY TRINITY: THE UNMANIPULATED FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT

by Matthew Barrett (Baker Books) March 16, 2021 What if the Trinity we’ve been taught is not the Trinity of the Bible? In this groundbreaking book, Matthew Barrett reveals a shocking discovery: we have manipulated the Trinity, recreating the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our own image. We have distorted the Trinity to justify our countless social agendas. The result: we have drifted away from the orthodox Trinity of the Bible.

HISTORICAL THEOLOGY FOR THE CHURCH

Edited by Jason Duesing (B&H Academic) February 15, 2021 In Historical Theology for the Church, editors Jason Duesing and Nathan Finn survey key doctrinal developments from four periods of church history: the Patristic (A.D. 100–500), Medieval (A.D. 500– 1500), Reformation (A.D. 1500–1700), and Modern (A.D. 1700–2000) eras.

GOSPEL-DRIVEN MINISTRY: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CALLING AND WORK OF A PASTOR

by Jared C. Wilson (Zondervan) March 2, 2021 In Gospel-Driven Ministry, Jared Wilson begins by looking at the qualifications for the pastorate, addressing the notion of a call to ministry and how an individual—and a church community— can best identify the marks of maturity and affirm a call.

HANDBOOK ON HEBREWS THROUGH REVELATION

by Andreas J. Köstenberger (Baker Academic) Available Now An easy-to-navigate resource for studying and understanding Hebrews through Revelation. Written with classroom utility and pastoral application in mind, this accessibly written volume summarizes the content of each major section of the biblical text to help students, pastors, and laypeople quickly grasp the sense of particular passages.

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Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions by C O S T I H I N N

If there is one word to describe how we must navigate re-assimilation amid COVID-19, it’s this: grace. A friend of mine who happens to be the vice president of a prominent seminary, and no stranger to the challenges in leadership, recently tweeted words that accurately predict the current (and coming) landscape in homes, families, and friendships. Charles Smith wrote: “Prediction: one of the most challenging aspects of the #COVID19 recovery will be disagreements over acceptable post-COVID social norms between friends and family. Hurt feelings will abound if we’re not careful. Extend lots of grace. Everyone is different.” He couldn’t be more right. This reality is especially going to hit hard for pastors—starting with the dynamic between staff and leadership teams. I believe one of the ways that the enemy will seek to divide our ranks within the church is by tempting us to use our opinions against each other. If the Devil has his way, we’ll be throwing stones of accusation from all sides, calling the cautious people “soft,” labeling the optimists “reckless.” More than that, the enemy especially loves when we cement ourselves in political corners, adding opinionated fuel to the already tumultuous fire of conflict. Things can get ugly—very quickly. This is a new frontier of ministry for an entire generation of leaders. We must recognize the challenges and begin to determine how we will face COVID recovery before it erodes valuable relationships. MBT S .EDU

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Navigating our varying COVID convictions is a non-negotiable for any leader who desires not only a physically healthy organization but an emotionally healthy one, too. We’re Going to Be Different The pastoral staff I am a part of is one example of taking differing approaches to COVID quarantine and ministry, and that’s okay. Our different approaches have even become helpful because we can diversify our ministry efforts like different members of the body should (1 Corinthians 12:12). Further, we are sharpened in our ability to love one another regardless of unique circumstances. One of our pastors has vulnerable family members and works exclusively from home. One had a baby during the crisis and needed others to carry the added load while he went on paternity leave. Another can serve more openly in the community right now, while another endured unexpected back surgery and is mostly bound to bed during recovery time. It takes a great deal of sensitivity and understanding to navigate how each member of our team is approaching the scenario. It will continue to require such understanding as we approach re-assimilation with friends, family, and our church. The reality is, we are all a unique blend of experiences, vulnerabilities, preferences, tendencies, and talents. Perhaps you relate to one or more aspects of the following COVID-19 profiles: Cautious: Those who primarily work from home, follow every aspect of CDC regulations, and prefer to stay conservative about their re-assimilation plan. Confident: Those who don’t wear a mask, spend greater amounts of time

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with people outside their home and don’t mind tight proximity, obey the law but don’t necessarily worry much about going the extra-mile with precautions, lean toward re-assimilation now regardless of the news, and some think this crisis may be blown way out of proportion. “Cauti-dent”: Those who find themselves doing and feeling a little bit of everything in both the cautious and the confident profiles. There are certainly a few more profiles that could be added here, including those who have strong opinions about churches holding services online instead of gathering physically, obedience to government instructions, and conspiracy theories about numerous aspects of the crisis, but those views do not necessarily help us navigate re-assimilation.

a healthy team, and a healthy church there must room for different opinions and experiences. These differences often stretch us and help us grow together and learn from each other. We need to respect one another and realize that everyone is navigating a new frontier. A healthy relational ecosystem allows for “different,” and even leverages it to help us make decisions. Attitude Determines Altitude You may have a healthy culture in your church, organization, or family. Conversely, you may be seeing tension rising and anticipate this issue being a major challenge. Whatever the case, your attitude is going to determine your altitude. In other words, whether or not you lead yourself and others above the fray and toward a higher perspective depends on attitude.

It’s Okay to Be Different The temptation is to look at these profiles and let your opinion dominate your perspective. For highly confident optimists, others are much too conservative. Perhaps, some would even accuse others of living in fear and not faith—which can be true of all of us at times. For cautious types, confident optimists may be too relaxed as the “what ifs” begin to creep into their minds. They think, What do we gain by re-assimilating so quickly? Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? As the spiral of opinion leads you downward, you must formulate a game plan that takes you upward. It’s okay to be different! To have a healthy family,

Here are four attitudes for COVID-19 recovery that will strengthen your ability to navigate differing views and approaches: 1. Optimistic people are a blessing to my life. It keeps me hopeful about the future and enables me to embrace uncertainty as opportunity. 2. Cautious people are a blessing to my life. It keeps me sensitive to the needs and concerns of others and enables me to make prudent decisions. 3. Different gifts and approaches make us all more effective. Pride demands that everyone do things the way we demand. Read 1 Corinthians 12 and celebrate different gifts. 4. People matter more than my opinion. Being in healthy relationships

with people is a privilege that requires me to love others above myself. When I am highly opinionated, I can needlessly hurt others. Choose Love In the end, these attitudes prepare our hearts and minds to do one thing above all else: choose love. Preserving valuable relationships and developing healthy teams, churches, and families are more important than winning arguments or being (more) right. Look, when this crisis begins to wind down, there will be plenty of people who got some things right and plenty of people who got some things wrong. There will be those who blew things out of proportion, and those who didn’t take things as seriously as they should’ve. Some will take longer to come back to the office; others will rush in (or are already there). What will it matter if we re-assimilate only to end up “socially distant” again— not because of a virus but because of our inability to love others who approach COVID-19 differently than we do?

Packer’s Dusty Puritan Discovery Still Guides and Helps by J A S O N G . D U E S I N G

During J.I. Packer’s second year of undergraduate studies at Oxford, he was invited to serve as the junior librarian at the Christian Union student organization. Having been converted only a year earlier, Packer was new to the Union but, as he would soon discover, so were a recent donation of books. An octogenarian clergyman had recently concluded that he could no longer make use of his library and, thus, gave them to the Union who, upon receipt, proceeded to pile them in the basement of their meeting space in North Gate Hall for an unknown future.1 Thereafter, as is now famously told and retold, Packer discovered, as a 19-yearold, the works of the Puritan John Owen—and the Evangelical world has not been the same since.

Choose love. •

COSTI W. HINN is a graduate of Dallas Baptist University and is completing his M.Div. at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He currently serves as executive pastor at Mission Bible Church in Southern California, where he has been faithful in ministry for over five years. Costi is married to the love of his life, Christyne, and they have four children.

At the time of this discovery, Packer would later relate his life “was all over the place” emotionally and, thus, “God used [Owen] to save my sanity.” More than just sorting out Packer, his literal “recovery” of the Puritans would start a movement that not only would bring great and good revived interest in these evangelical forebears, but also would help provide an anchor to the

Word of God during the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s in the United Kingdom and abroad. From this discovery, Packer would later help recover a more faithful understanding of Puritanism. He summarizes “the Puritanism of history” well in A Grief Sanctified (2002), “It was, rather, a holistic renewal movement within English-speaking Protestantism, which aimed to bring all life— personal, ecclesiastical, political, social, commercial; family life, business life, professional life— under the didactic authority and the purging and regenerating power of God in the gospel to the fullest extent possible.” 2 Even more, Packer would spend a lifetime underscoring how the Puritans of the past can help Evangelicals of the present. As one example, Packer explains how reading the Puritans can correct the hyper-individualism and anti-thinking perspective that pervades Evangelicalism. In A Quest for Godliness (1990), Packer offers that the Puritans have these seven points of wisdom for presentday Evangelicals:

The location where this took place is North Gate Hall, St Michael’s St, Oxford OX1 2DU, UK.

J. I. Packer, A Grief Sanctified (Crossway, 2002), 19.

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The stress on God-centeredness as a divine requirement that is central to the discipline of self-denial.

The insistence on the primacy of the mind, and on the impossibility of obeying biblical truth that one has not yet understood.

The demand for humility, patience, and steadiness at all times, and for an acknowledgment that the Holy Spirit’s main ministry is not to give thrills but to create in us Christlike character.

The recognition that feelings go up and down, and that God frequently tries us by leading us through wastes of emotional flatness.

The singling out of worship as life’s primary activity.

The stress on our need of regular self-examination by Scripture, in terms set by Psalm 139:23-24.

The realisation that sanctified suffering bulks large in God’s plan for his children’s growth in grace. 3

Even more, Packer’s discovery in Oxford proved vital for helping Evangelicals strengthen their theological foundation and still is helping. May a new generation continue to follow Packer to make new discoveries like his of their own. • At Midwestern Seminary, we currently have several Ph.D. students reading and writing on the Puritans and Puritan influence. From John Owen, Richard Baxter, and Jeremiah Burroughs, to the Puritan influence on the English Baptists, Jonathan Edwards and D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and then also, of course, the influence of the Puritans on Charles Spurgeon, explored uniquely through his Puritan collection in The Spurgeon Library. In brief, if you are interested in the Puritans and their legacy, continue the discovery work of J.I. Packer by coming to study them with us at Midwestern. Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared at JGDuesing.com and is used with permission.

JASON G. DUESING serves as the academic provost and professor of historical theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned his Ph.D. in historical theology and Baptist studies from Southwestern Seminary in 2008. He also holds a M.Div. from Southeastern Seminary and a B.A. in speech communications from Texas A&M University in College Station. Duesing is married to Kalee, and together they have four children: Gracyn, Ford, Lindsey, and George.

One could argue, that had not Packer discovered that box of books, his tremendously influential and life-altering works, Fundamentalism and the Word of God (1958) and Knowing God (1973), may never have appeared—not to mention the republishing of the Works of John Owen as well as many other volumes in the Puritan canon readily available today. 4

J.I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness (Crossway, 1990, 2010), 31.

Leland Ryken, J.I. Packer: An Evangelical Life (Crossway, 2015), 265-267. This key event in Packer’s life is also told in

Alister McGrath, J.I. Packer: A Biography (Baker, 1998).

M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

God Still Shows Up in The Nazareths of This World by T Y L E R G R E E N E

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Genesis 28:16) In John 1:45, Philip tells Nathanael, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote: Jesus of Nazareth.” For an Israelite at the time, this would’ve come as quite a surprise. “The Messiah is from where now? Nazareth? Of all places?” You see, Nazareth wasn’t exactly a desirable place to live. It was about as backwater as you could get, hence Nathaniel’s snooty response: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Implied answer: “Heck, no.”

Look at what Jesus says next: “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:50–51) On the surface, this may seem like a strange thing to say. But it would have made sense to Nathanael as it was a reference to a story with which he, as a Jewish man, would have been familiar.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:46–49)

Genesis 28 recounts this story. One of Israel’s patriarchs, Jacob, fled from home to avoid some “family drama” (i.e. his older brother wanted to kill him). Weary as he was from all his running, he found a place to sleep for the night and had a stunning dream of angels ascending and descending upon a ladder that connected heaven and earth. Jacob woke from his dream realizing that even though he was in the middle of nowhere, running away from his problems, the God of heaven was with him: “Surely, the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Gen. 28:16)

It’s hard to say exactly what happened under that fig tree. But we do know that, whatever it was, it was enough to get Nathanael’s attention. At that point, there was no denying it—he had encountered the Messiah and was instantaneously transformed.

By referencing Jacob’s dream to Nathanael, Jesus not only reaffirms that God likes to show up in the most surprising places (like Nazareth), but He also makes a significant claim about Himself, that He is the Ladder that connects heaven and earth. Jesus the Mes-

Nathanael’s perspective was about to change, though:

siah brings the glory of heaven down to earth so that people—even people in the lowliest and most mundane places—may have direct access to God’s presence. So let me ask you something, dear reader: Do you recognize God’s presence in the messiness and strangeness of your everyday life? Amidst the limitations and restrictions of a COVID-19 world? When you’re inconvenienced and irritated? When you’re frustrated and fearful? When present circumstances aren’t at all to your liking, are you still able to recognize that He is present to redeem those circumstances for His good purposes? Psalm 105:4 tells us, “Seek his presence continually.” If you are incapable of seeking and recognizing His presence in the daily humdrum routines of life, you will languish spiritually in this season of societal upheaval and homebound days. On the other hand, if you are training your heart to have the pursuit of God’s presence as its singular occupation, you will have eyes to see Jacob’s Ladder at the kitchen sink or on the drive home from the office. Why? Because God still shows up in the Nazareths of this world. •

TYLER GREENE serves as the associate pastor of Worship Ministries at LifePoint Church in Ozark, Mo. He resides near Ozark with his wife, Erin, and their three children.

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Honoring Those We Disagree With by J I M E S S I A N

Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. — 1 Peter 2:17 In our current cultural moment of vitriolic debate and amplified voices in ubiquity, this countercultural command from a long gone apostle pierces through the noise, resounding in a collective pause and an instant response: Honor everyone? Are you sure, Peter? Yes, everyone. The back-and-forth in first century Asia-Minor wasn’t all that different than our wars with speech here and now. Sure, there was more of a class system in that culture, definite gender inequality, and no two-party system to go extreme rage on, but it was still a war of words. And Peter was saying to beat your swords into plowshares and offer a gift of blessing. To honor in his culture, and in much of the biblical writings, was to do so with one’s words. It was what you said that would honor or shame someone. Honoring someone means we pray for them, we consider how we speak to them and about them, in public or in private. It means we believe the best about them, and we don’t believe every word of gossip or slander. Honor Doesn’t Mean Agree For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. — 1 Peter 2:15 However, honor doesn’t mean agreement. Peter certainly has in mind that some of these “everyones” in verse 17 are M I DW E S T E R N M A G A Z I N E

also the foolish and ignorant people in verse 15. Honor can’t mean—and doesn’t mean—agreement. Yes, the Bible just said some people are ignorant. It isn’t politically correct, of course, and maybe in your understanding of love it doesn’t sound very loving, but it’s just true: some people are wrong. Peter is saying two things: Some people are wrong. Honor everyone regardless. Here’s the problem: In our post-Christian culture, where everyone is outraged and offended, Christians sometimes get caught up in playing too nice with ideas out of a desire to play nice with people.

treat us, is a sinner who needs grace. It means we are to look for ways to do “good” (v. 15). When everyone else is shaming each other, we are looking for ways to honor. When everyone else is cursing each other, we are looking for ways to bless. When everyone else is spewing vitriol, we are looking for ways to forgive. Remember this is “doing good,” not to other Christians or people we like, but to people who are speaking against you. “Oh, you voted for that guy?” “You hold to that policy?”

The world teaches us that to love or honor means to agree; it’s called tolerance. And tolerance is a cheap alternative to Christian love. It’s not actually loving, and it’s not actually honoring. Tolerance is just a wholesale acceptance that doesn’t consider the merits of your idea or belief, doesn’t engage them thoughtfully or graciously. Instead, it just outright accepts them with no effort at all. That’s not honor; that’s indifference. You can and should disagree with foolish and ignorant ideas, all the while honoring and loving the people who wrongly hold them. But how? What does it mean to honor those whom we disagree with? It means that we know, as sinners saved by grace, that everyone around us, no matter what they believe or how they

“You’re a bigot, you hate minorities and women, you hate people with guns, you’re a terrible person.” It’s when that happens, when you’re public and passionate about Jesus, when you’re up against ignorant fools speaking against you, that’s when you do good. That’s when you honor. •

JIM ESSIAN planted The Paradox Church in downtown Fort Worth in 2011 and serves as lead pastor. He played eight years of professional baseball in the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit Tigers organizations, prior to planting. Jim and his wife, Heather, have been married for 11 years, and they have three girls: Harper Grace, Hollis Jane, and Haddon Faith.

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