On the Te Deum by Matthew Anderson
The hymn proceeds through an interesting progression of names and verbs in the opening lines: we praise God, confess Him as Lord, and the whole earth worships Him as Father everlasting. There is a double movement at work here: as we move closer to the center of the Christian confession of God as Father, we also expand the horizon of worship to include not simply the Church but the whole earth.
Why Evangelicals Should Care More About Ecclesiology by Tish Harrison Warren
Evangelicals need to reap the long wisdom of the church. As we think (and talk and write and debate) together about how Christian leaders need to deal with power, we must recall that we aren’t the first to ask these questions. The church has been talking about the role of institution, power, and accountability for at least 2000 years, and we ought not neglect her ancient wisdom in our current conversation. In the pages of the New Testament, we see the apostles grappling with the kind of character and oversight needed for pastors and elders; we see church structures set in place to both empower leaders and hold them accountable and also to protect the flock from false teaching.
William Carey's Commitment to the Gospel and Social Change by David Prince
It’s possible to abandon or truncate the gospel in opposing directions. One direction tragically replaces gospel preaching and attendant calls for repentance and faith with immediate societal transformation. The other also prioritizes culture—but in defense of the status quo by shrinking the gospel’s effect to individual salvation only. We would do well to heed the vision of Carey in our day by neither replacing the gospel with social justice nor acting as though the gospel has nothing to say about social justice.
Catholicity Requires Dogmatic Humility by Luke Stamps, Matthew Emerson and Brandon Smith
Dogmatics – the articulation of Christian dogma, or doctrine – is important. Being right in our theological conclusions is important, since we are claiming to reflect accurately the inspired, inscripturated, inerrant Word of God in our doctrinal commitments. Our theological method is important, since the steps we take to arrive at those doctrinal commitments can lead us astray if we are sloppy or misguided. But dogmatics also requires virtue. Talking about God is discourse of the highest order, and thus it requires not only right steps, right questions, and right conclusions, but also the fruits of the Spirit. It requires Christian virtue.
