Why should we love God? This seemingly impertinent question is answered by the American theologian Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758). Edwards defined a truly virtuous person as exemplifying benevolence to all or displaying “consent, propensity, and union of heart to Being in general, which is immediately exercised in a general goodwill” (540).[1] In other words, to be […]
This past August, my two older boys and I decided to join another family to backpack in the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming. For my ten- and twelve-year-old boys, this would be the first time that they did real backpack camping—we would be carrying all our gear and food for several days. We had an […]
Sometimes, the Bible forbids one thing and demands something else in its stead. None of this, and only that. None of what? And instead of it, only what? Here is an example from Paul in Ephesians 4:29. None of this: corrupting talk. And only what? Only such as is good for building up, as fits […]
We live in an age of agitation. If there’s one constant in our day, it’s that everyone is restless, anxious, on edge, and stirred up. This restless anxiety and agitation is significantly influenced by voices. And while it’s fashionable and easy to lament the voices that stir us up to anger and desire and agitation, […]
One of the important weekly events at Bethlehem occurs when we gather together for chapel. Recently my friend, Dr. Jared Compton, spoke from our fall chapel text, John 15, which says, “remain in me.” Jared called us to know who we are in Christ. This knowledge of who we are is gained and maintained by […]
It is a huge understatement to say that I am not a social media influencer. I have Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts that I rarely use. I think I might even have a Snapchat account that I used to keep tabs on my son when he was younger. Beyond that, I have very little online […]
In sports, to win is to defeat the adversary. If you have simply “held them at bay,”x or kept them from scoring a point, you have not won. To win, you must score. The purpose of the competition is not to walk away with a participation medal, but with the trophy. In martial arts, to […]
One of our aims at Bethlehem College & Seminary is to raise up Bible-saturated men and women. That particular aim lines up well with the words of the Apostle Paul to the church in Colossae. There, Paul writes these words: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in […]
The Alex Steddom Scholarship makes my vision possible. I deeply thank all the donors for your most generous gifts. Truly, I can’t express enough how thankful I am. In Kachin, I would say Kraw kata kaw nna kabu myiprwi pru let, nachying wa chyeju dum sai. My future ministry will be teaching at the Kachin […]
I wear many hats. I have vocational hats: professor, pastor, president. I have relational hats: husband, father, friend. One of my favorite hats is a baseball hat. For six months out of the year, I’m Coach Joe. My sons currently reside in that precious time between the ages of 8 and 14 in which it’s […]