Christianity Commons^™

In Defense Of Conciliar Christology, Jesse G. Alker

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Pawl, Timothy. In Defense of Conciliar Christology: A Philosophical Essay (Oxford Studies In Analytic Theology). Oxford University Press. 2016. ISBN-13: 978-0198765929. 288 pages. $120.00.

Divine Attributes: Knowing The Covenantal God Of Scripture, Sherene Nicholas Khouri

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

John C. Peckham, Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture, Baker Academic, 2021. ISBN 9781540961259. 336 pages. $29.99.

Peckham’s latest book, Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture is a study in theology proper, which deals with God’s nature and attributes. Peckham clearly sets forth the main elements of the divine attributes by explaining God’s Aseity, immutability, qualified passibility, omnipresence, eternity, omniscience, foreknowledge, omnipotence, providence, faithfulness, and omnibenevolence. He also dedicates a chapter to the doctrine of the Trinity and ends the book with a quest for covenantal theism.

Jesus Christ Is Fully God, Not Just Fully Man, A. G. Erum

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) is a big religious organization that began in the Philippines and is spreading across the globe. INC teaches that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God is a very special man only and not God. They claim this by using their interpretation of biblical passages, such as John 8:40, Luke 24:38-39, and 1 Timothy 2:5. Contrary to the Scriptures and Christian traditions, they believe that the only true God is God the Father, who is the only Creator of the universe. However, the Scriptures (especially the New Testament) and Christian traditions demonstrate that Jesus is God-Man. …

Nietzsche: Dionysian-Apollonian Lord Of The Dance, Michael S. Mendoza

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Friedrich Nietzsche introduced his philological study of the Ancient Greek's Apollonian and Dionysian duality in his first book, The Birth of Tragedy: Out of the Spirit of Music, in 1872. His interpretation of the two Greek gods underpinned his philosophy of the will to power, the Übermensch, and eternal recurrence throughout his career.

I contend that Nietzsche's philosophy would have a modicum of merit as a metaphor for Greek culture and the German society in which he lived if his underlying assumption about atheism was correct. However, his explicit rejection of Christianity led to a fatal flaw in his …

Rabboni: Christ's Resurrection Through The Eyes Of Mary Magdalene, Thomas J. Gentry Ii

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

In John 20:1-18, Mary Magdalene (hereafter, Mary) holds a significant place in the resurrection narrative. She is the first to tell the disciples of the empty tomb (vv. 1-10), and she experiences a direct encounter with the resurrected Jesus (vv. 11-18). Given the significance of these events, the purpose of this essay is to explore John’s record of Mary’s report of the empty tomb and her dialogue with the risen Jesus. The discussion entails a brief overview of each encounter with special consideration for their apologetic significance. The relevance of Mary’s testimony in these matters is also considered from the …

From Modernity To Post-Modernity: The Apologetic Legacy Of Paul Tillich, Michael W. Cunningham

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Paul Tillich, dubbed an “apostle to the intellectuals,” was one of the twentieth-century’s influential and infamous theologians. Tillich’s apologetic of doubt, method of correlation, and non-traditional lifestyle challenged the cultural and religious norms of his day. The study of Paul Tillich’s theology provides perspective on the origins of subjective apologetics and process theology. His focus on ontology made his works accessible and famous. It put the human at the center of the process as they reasoned up to God instead of accepting unquestioned authoritative doctrines. By embracing existential doubt, he connected to the masses by appealing to the “being” and …

How The Canaanite Conquest Is An Important Case Study In Understanding The Goodness Of God, Sarah D. Stewart

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

This paper attempts to provide a case study to respond to the problem of evil. The paper employs the example of the Canaanite conquest and argues that, contrary to popular attacks against the character of God, this event in scripture actually demonstrates His goodness. It is an example of a time when God delayed His response to the evil perpetrated by the Canaanites as well as His liberation of the Israelites from Egypt because doing so resulted in a greater moral good than would an earlier intervention. In so doing, it examines an issue frequently cited as problematic for Christians …

In The Wake Of Euthyphro's False Dilemma, Gregory S. Mckenzie

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

All moral apologists, at one time or another, engage with the Euthyphro dilemma and all theologians engage, at one point or another, the issue of continuity or discontinuity of the Mosaic Covenant and Torah in general. The general view among apologists is that correct theology can be determined by its logical consistency and explanatory power considering philosophical, existential, and scientific principles. This study examines how answering the Euthyphro dilemma as a false dilemma, which is a common position among apologists actually produces theological contradictions primarily in the realm of theology proper and specifically immutability, issues in hamartiology and an improper …

Divine Hiddenness And Middle Knowledge: A Molinist Answer To How An Anselmian God Can Coexist With Reasonable Nonbelief, Brian Gray Chilton

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Within the spectrum of doubt, divine hiddenness becomes a problem regarding the love of God. Why would a loving God allow individuals whom he loves, if he loves everyone, to maintain ? According to philosopher John Schellenberg, the existence of rational nonbelief poses a problem for divine hiddenness which provides a reason to believe that God does not exist.

We argue that the problem of rational nonbelief does not pose a problem for divine hiddenness if one adopts the doctrine of middle knowledge, a belief first proposed by Spanish Jesuit Luis de Molina. We first offers a defense for the …

Ranking Objections To Christian Theism: A Survey Of Subjective Declarations And Their Correlations With Expert Opinions, David Ochabski, Ronnie P. Campbell, Kelly Budd, Jaelyn Morgan, Hope N. Lassiter, Hunter W. Brown, Madison S. Schmidt, Kristen G. Brown

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

There have been numerous books written on the top objections to Christianity—sometimes stated as “common,” “major,” “frequent,” “every day,” “cultural,” “tough,” “difficult” objections. However, there is a dearth of behavioral studies in the literature that show how and given population ranks objections to Christianity. As such, the apologist has had to rely on expert opinions from the books that have been authored. These expert opinions are based on familiarity with the literature in the field and contact with laity from university, church, and other speaking engagements. The purpose of this study is to document trends in how people report the …

Barriers To Belief: Why Do The Resistant Resist God?, Jana S. Harmon

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Barriers to belief in God and Christianity in an increasingly antagonistic culture are considerable. Reasons for resisting belief were studied in an intellectually-driven population of educated atheists in Western culture (N = 50) through survey and interview analysis. This mixed-method research study evaluated a broad range of functional (socio-cultural, psycho-emotional, existential, experiential, moral, volitional) and substantive (intellectual and spiritual) variables influencing disbelief. Based upon extensive data collection, these findings advance the case for viewing obstacles to belief as diverse, interactive, and complex in nature. These barriers should not be easily reduced to broad brushed presumptions, but should be engaged thoughtfully, …

Arabic Christian Theology: A Contemporary Global Evangelical Perspective, Sherene N. Khouri

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Andrea Zaki Stephanous, Arabic Christian Theology: A Contemporary Global Evangelical Perspective, Zondervan, 2019 (ISBN 978-0-310-32026-5), 493 pp. $34.99.

Crucifixion In The Ancient World: A Historical Analysis, Gary Habermas, Benjamin C. F. Shaw

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Cook, John Granger. Crucifixion in the Mediterranean World. 2nd ed. Vol. 327. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen Zum Neuen Testament. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019. Pp 549 pp. 79,00 €.

The Veracity Of The Empty Tomb Tradition, Kevin Kroitor

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

While several historical facts surrounding Jesus’ bodily resurrection find agreement among virtually all critical scholars, the fact of the empty tomb finds far less critical agreement. Despite this attempt to “leave the door open” for naturalistic explanations of the early Christian resurrection claim, the overwhelming evidence renders the empty tomb tradition historically reliable and Jesus’ bodily resurrection, the most plausible explanation of the historical facts. This paper will examine the evidence for the empty tomb, including the early eyewitness nature of the core tradition and the necessity of the empty tomb to explain the more widely accepted facts surrounding Jesus’ …

Melchizedek: Exposing His Character And Its Biblical-Theological Implications, Wesley Nottingham

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Commentators have long recognized the mystery of Melchizedek, noting “that Melchizedek appears in the narrative out of nowhere and just as quickly is gone.” In light of the nature of this Melchizedek figure, the task for a deep reader of Scripture becomes not only identifying who this figure is as he appears in Genesis, but also drawing out the biblical-theological implications of his presence. To determine how to best understand Melchizedek as well as his presence within the canon, the most effective approach is to examine the text in which he first appears—Genesis 14:18-20—and examine its interplay with another key …

The Historical And Theological Backdrop Of Jesus's Names In John Chapter One: A Baseline For Christology, Joseph D. Carson

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

At the beginning of John’s gospel, a rich theology of Christ’s person unfolds through multiple professions of newly called disciples. In order to understand the person of Christ, the various titles associated with his name should be analyzed in their historical and theological contexts. Full of Jesus’ titles, John 1 is an intersection of history, title-giving, and theology, rich with the meanings of Jesus’ titles; furthermore, John 1 is written with historical accuracy and with impactful theology for the Church. It orients the trajectory for the following chapters and gives a foundation for Christology. Cumulatively, the names of Jesus in …

The Testing Of Jesus In Light Of The Dead Sea Scrolls And Intertextual Hermeneutics, Donald C. Mcintyre

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

This article will seek to interpret Matthew 4:1-11, commonly referred to as the “temptation account” by taking into consideration issues from Old Testament Textual Criticism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Historical and social contexts, as well as theory on inter-textuality. This article will seek to show how Jesus is seeking to prove his Divine Sonship through creating a comparison between himself and the Second Generation of Israel who inherited the Promised Land after their parents’ failures despite satanic harassment. This will be accomplished through an examination of Matthew’s main argument for the book, and move towards grammatical and syntactical issues within …

The Forgotten Disciples: The Faithful Witness Of Women In Early Christianity, Jessica C. Hughes

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

At its earliest, Christianity is a religion of respect and dignity for women. This paper examines the experience and contributions of women to Christianity, beginning at the time of Christ and continuing to through to approximately 300 A.D., or shortly before the Nicene Creed was developed. This paper demonstrates the way the church, from the outset, has largely relied on the contributions and gifts of women in order to fulfill its mission. This paper then applies this historic context to the American church in issues of life and gender, concluding that it is the recognition and partnership with women, not …

Eschatological Space And Triune Kenosis: Jürgen Moltmann On The Nature Of Created And Eschatological Space, Peter Van Kleeck Jr

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Where did God put creation? By means of experimental theology, this paper offers an answer by leveraging certain arguments from Jürgen Moltmann. These arguments for the divine kenosis of the triune persons and particularly the Father. In so doing, He provides the space in which to place all created matter. This paper first wrestles with certain Protestant positions on the nature of created space, noting that not much is said apart from dealing with the things in that space. Then the paper pivots to Moltmann's understanding of God's first act of creation - kenotic hiddenness. Finally, the paper concludes with …

Unity In Christ: An Annotated Bibliography, Kelly E. Budd, Madison S. Schmidt

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

A review of the recent book publications related to the spring theme, "Unity in Christ." We include the following titles.

• Alma, Hans et al. Moral and Spiritual Leadership in an Age of Plural Moralities.
• Anatolios, Khaled. Deification through the Cross: An Eastern Christian Theology of Salvation.
• Barrett, Matthew. Canon, Covenant and Christology: Rethinking Jesus and the Scriptures of Israel.
• Beck, William David and Mike Licona. Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus.
• Chia, Edmund Kee-Fook. Confucianism and Christianity: Interreligious Dialogue on the Theology of Mission.
• Emerson, Matthew Y. He …

How To Have Impossible Conversations: A Practical Review, J. T. Byrd, Brant Wenger

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Boghossian, Peter & James Lindsay. How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide. NY: Lifelong Books, 2019. Kindle. 234 pp. $16.99

History And Eschatology By N. T. Wright: A Review, Benjamin C. F. Shaw

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Wright, N. T. History and Eschatology: Jesus and the Promise of Natural Theology. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2019. 365 pp. $34.99

Christ-Oriented Expository Preaching: Preaching The New Testament Use Of The Old Testament, Randall Zeigler

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

Lee, Kyoohan. Christ-Oriented Expository Preaching: Preaching the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2020. 186 pages. $25.00.

News, Announcements, And Remembrances, The Editors

Eleutheria: John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Academic Journal

News from various organizations in related disciplines. Announcements from Eleutheria editors about internal matters. Remembrances of people and events that include in memoriams, retirements, interesting lookbacks, etc.