Theolographs

Hello everybody!

Today we're talking about the origin of the Baptists. Baptists are fairly diverse, but they generally affirm believer's baptism (in opposition to infant baptism), sola scriptura (dependence on Scripture alone instead of tradition), and local church autonomy. Where did Baptists come from?

Here are three common views.

16th Century Anabaptists: During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, Anabaptists arose in Holland, Switzerland, Germany, and Moravia. They were known for their refusal to baptize infants, their nonconformity to the world, and their nonresistance. Baptists were an offshoot of Anabaptism, and they maintained Anabaptist views on baptism and the separation of church and state.

17th Century Separatists: Baptists originated in England and the American colonies, and their founders had very little connection with the continental Anabaptists. Rather, they arose out of 17th century English Separatism, which was so named because they separated themselves from the Anglican Church. Separatists believed that the Anglicans were still continuing some of the errors of the Catholic Church.

1st Century Apostles: The theological distinctive of believer's baptism has existed since the 1st century apostles, and it has been passed down in an unbroken lineage to today. Although the Catholic Church was the dominant form of Christianity for over a thousand years, various Christians and minority groups preserved the tradition of believer's baptism over the centuries: Tertullian, Arnoldists, Waldensians, etc.

What do you think? Also, do you affirm believer's baptism? Why or why not?

Hello everyone! I'd been thinking about doing one on atonement theories for a few months now, but it just seemed too intimidating to boil these complex ideas into simple diagrams. Well, here's my attempt!

How exactly did Jesus atone us? What did he save us from, and how did his death and resurrection accomplish that? Here are seven of the most popular views. Note: Some Christians hold to just one view, while others may hold to different views but may consider one to be the "primary" view.

Ransom Theory: Humanity was held in bo***ge to Satan. But God ransomed us through Jesus' death, which paid off our debt to Satan and set us free.

Christus Victor: Jesus' death and resurrection were not transactions with Satan, but rather they demonstrate God's victory over Satan, which liberated us from sin.

Satisfaction Theory: We were not indebted to Satan, but to God. Jesus' obedience to death fully satisfied our debt to the Father, guaranteeing us forgiveness of sins.

Governmental Theory: God seeks to deal with sin not because of a sense of retributive justice within his character, but because of his desire to publicly rule with law and order. God the Father has accepted Jesus' death not as payment for sin, but as the means to restore moral order and to forgive humanity.

Penal Substitution: On the cross, Jesus died to save us from the wrath of God. He absorbed the penalty of our sin, satisfying God's justice, and now those who believe in him are declared to be righteous before God.

Moral Influence: Jesus' life and death are a demonstration of God's love to us, and it has the power to inspire and transform us to follow his example and live sacrificial lives.

Recapitulation: Through his incarnation, death, and resurrection, Jesus re-lived the full human experience in a perfect way, and by doing so, he reversed the Fall and undid the curse of Adam. By uniting himself with humanity, he has restored their ability to truly be the image of God.

What view(s) do you hold, and why?

Happy Theology Thursday! We're back again with another doozy. What teaching or leading roles can a woman have in the church, if any?

Sometimes the issue is approached in a binary fashion. Either you are a complementarian (women should not be ordained), or you are an egalitarian (women may be ordained). But in actuality, there are six possible positions to take on the complementarian/egalitarian spectrum.

If you want to learn more, check out this extended article that I wrote about it! https://larrylin.wordpress.com/2023/06/14/six-types-of-churches-on-the-complementarian-egalitarian-spectrum/

Anyway, what church leadership responsibilities are for men? Here are the six views (with A being the most complementarian and F being the most egalitarian):

A (Teaching & Leading): Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-12 that women should be silent in churches, and they should not teach or assume authority over a man. These commands should be interpreted as literal and binding for all churches. While women may certainly teach other women and children (Titus 2:3-5), they should not have any teaching or leading role in mixed-gender settings in the church.

B (Public Teaching & Leading): There are clear examples of godly women teaching or prophesying in the Bible (Acts 18:24-26; 21:8-9). Also, nowhere in the Bible does it seem like the spiritual gifts of teaching or prophecy are limited to men (Acts 2:18). Therefore, the biblical mandate is not to forbid women from teaching in general, but only to forbid women from exercising authority by publicly teaching to the gathered church.

C (Teaching in Church Services & Leading): Women are permitted to not only privately teach, but also to publicly preach in any Christian setting outside of the local church service, including Christian retreats, conferences, and workshops. Nonetheless, women must not preach in a Sunday service, as the jurisdiction of the local church still falls under male authority.

D (Leading as an Elder): Women may exercise their spiritual gifts of teaching and hold high levels of leadership anywhere. After all, Paul seems to assume that women will prophesy in church services (1 Corinthians 11:4-5), which connotes some level of authority. However, women are not qualified to hold the office of elder, which is the highest level of authority in a local church. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 state that an elder must be a man of one wife.

E (Leading as a Lead Pastor): God has called men to be the ultimate responsibility-bearers of creation. That is why Paul says that sin came into the world through one man, even though Eve ate the fruit first (Romans 5:12). Therefore, even though New Testament leadership models are not prescriptive for today, the individual with the highest authority in the church (lead pastor, rector, bishop, etc.) should still be male.

F (Nothing): There are no limitations for women in church leadership today. The very idea that women should not lead men actually comes from the Fall (Genesis 3:16). In fact, the Bible is filled with many female leaders with high levels of authority (Judges 4:4; 2 Kings 22:14; Romans 16:7). The hierarchy of the kingdom is unlike the world's—all citizens, regardless of gender, are welcome to serve in all aspects of the church (Luke 22:26).

What do you believe? Has your view changed over time?

Happy Thursday! Today we're talking about the number of books in the Old Testament. Just about all Christians agree on the 27 books that make up the New Testament, but there is actually quite a bit of disagreement on which books should be included in the Old Testament. Here are three common options (preceded by a symbols guide):

Symbols Guide:
* = Books included in the 46 that are not included in the 39
** = Books included in the 50 that are not included in the 46
+ = Books that include additional content besides the content found in the 39
++ = Books that include additional content besides the content found in the 46

39: Most Protestants recognize 39 Old Testament books. While there are other books recognized in other traditions, known as "the deuterocanonical books" or the Apocrypha, their origins have long been debated, and they were not accepted by the Jewish people as the Hebrew Scriptures from the first century onward. Furthermore, these other books arguably contain theological contradictions or historical errors.

46: Most Catholics recognize 46 Old Testament books, 7 of which are the deuterocanonical books. The New Testament alludes to deuteronomical content multiple times, signifying that its authors may have held these books with the same regard as the other Scriptures. Also, many early Church Fathers (like Augustine) viewed them as Scripture, and the earliest Bibles that we have (like the Codex Sinaiticus) also include them.

50: The Greek Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, is the version of the Bible most frequently quoted by the New Testament writers, and it includes books besides those that are commonly accepted by the Protestant or Catholic Church. Many Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox traditions recognize these books, putting the count at around 50, though there are slight differences in naming and organization.

How many books do you think there are in the Old Testament, and why?