Category Archives: Systematic Theology

  1. A Pastor’s Reflections: Demon Possession and Mental Illness

    I can remember sitting in church as a young teenager as my pastor posed a question about the possible links between demon possession and mental illness.

  2. A Pastor’s Reflections: Drowning in Bibles

    I recently received a Christian bookstore catalog in the mail, and so I began to flip through its pages, naturally. One thing I noticed was how large the Bible section was.

  3. A Pastor’s Reflections: Christ in the Old Testament

    In the wake of the death and resurrection of Christ a number of Jesus’ disciples failed to receive word that their Lord and Savior had arisen from the dead. Under the impression that Jesus was dead in his tomb, the disciples walked on the road to Emmaus until a visitor joined them along the way.

  4. A Pastor’s Reflections: The True Rock Stars

    If I were to ask my students to give me a list of the top ten theological rock stars, I suspect I know who most of the names that would appear. In many respects, this is understandable.

  5. A Pastor’s Reflections: Defining Success

    We live in an age of celebrity where people become famous for merely being famous—they have little talent or significant skills. They have become adroit at taking selfies and giving people the impression that they’re someone to watch and emulate.

  6. A Pastor’s Reflections: Supplication

    If there’s a part of prayer that few Christians need encouragement to include, it’s supplication. One of the privileges of redemption is our adoption, the fact that our union with Christ grants us the status as God’s sons.

  7. A Pastor’s Reflections: Thanksgiving

    One of the common characteristics we find in the apostle Paul’s letters is the number of times he gives thanks to God in prayer. The opening of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is an example of this: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Eph. 1:16).

  8. A Pastor’s Reflections: Forgive Us Our Debts

    The familiar phrase, “forgive us our debts,” is probably known to most Christians because it comes from the Lord’s Prayer. When Christ’s disciples asked him how they should pray, Jesus identified the confession of sin as one of the key elements of prayer (Matt. 6:12).

  9. A Pastor’s Reflections: The Narthex of Prayer

    I think one of the weakest areas of the Christian life for many is prayer. We seldom spend significant time in prayer unless we find ourselves in a period of suffering or trial. Under such circumstances we might regularly engage in prayer.

  10. A Pastor’s Reflections: Sanctification Hack?

    I regularly come upon the phrase, “hack,” and people use it to denote a shortcut or way to bypass unnecessary problems or obstacles. One of my favorite websites, in fact, is dedicated to “life hacks”—articles that show you how to solve many common problems.

  11. A Pastor’s Reflections: The Good Ole Days

    I used to have a regular standing appointment with a widower in my congregation. We’d get together for coffee every Friday morning and we’d chat.

  12. A Pastor’s Reflections: Burn the Ships

    When Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez reached the new world in 1519 he gave orders to his men to burn their ships. Why would he do such a thing?

  13. A Pastor’s Reflections: Ready to Lose

    This past spring I had my first experience as a parent sitting on the sidelines and cheering for my son as he played organized team soccer. I have to say it was quite the experience.

  14. Latest Faculty Publication: Fesko on Imputation

    WSC’s latest faculty publication comes from Dr. Fesko. He’s written an essay entitled, “Reformed Orthodoxy on Imputation: Active and Passive Justification.”

  15. A Pastor’s Reflections: Vacation

    One of the most important things you can do as a pastor to prolong your ministry is to take vacations. It may sound odd, but it’s true. As a pastor you need to take time off to recharge your batteries.

  16. A Pastor’s Reflections: Wait for it!

    As a pastor you will be the recipient of thousands of questions throughout the course of your ministry. At first, the thought of this can be quite intimidating: “How can I possibly be ready to answer questions about any theological topic?”

  17. A Pastor’s Reflections: Going Against the Grain

    When you go to church what do you hope to get out of the sermon? This is a question we should ask ourselves on a regular basis. I think most people rightly want to be edified, encouraged, and comforted.

  18. A Pastor’s Reflections: Don’t Lean the Fridge!

    All too often we dally with sin and wander the streets of temptation. We fail to recognize that sin is powerful and we do best to steer clear of it entirely.

  19. A Pastor’s Reflections: Pray the Directory

    I think one of the most underrated things a pastor can do is pray for his congregation. I think pastors, of course, should do all of the regular tasks we might expect, preach, study, counsel, meet with the elders, and perform the regular pastoral administrative responsibilities, which may vary from church to church.

  20. A Pastor’s Reflections: The Face in the Mirror

    As a pastor I regularly listened to people give all sorts of reasons and excuses for their sinful conduct. As a parent, I have listened to my children blame everyone else for their sin.