This week is American Thanksgiving. This is the moment we eat turkey and pumpkin pie. We gather with family we don’t see often. And, of course, we watch football. Thanksgiving is when we pause to remember the opportunities, liberty, and privileges we enjoy. In essence, Thanksgiving is the moment we pause to remember. We intentionally […]
At Bethlehem, we aim at Christian maturity. This means that by God’s grace we want our graduates to build strong, stable, and happy families that reflect the gospel in the world. Here is an exhortation from Dr. Rigney to his congregation on aiming for the heart in raising our children. The banner that flies over […]
Pornography was the topic in my ethics class this week. The fourth-year Master of Divinity (M.Div.) students surveyed various approaches to ethics at the beginning of the semester, and since then we’ve been studying and discussing various issues such as abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, contraception, divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, transgenderism, critical theory, ethnicity, war, […]
Exulting in the Biblical Languages As a third-year seminarian and aspiring pastor, if I had to name just one “habit of mind” for which I am most grateful to have learned at Bethlehem Seminary, I would say it is the ability to read the Bible in its original languages. It is no secret that Bethlehem […]
This semester, my intermediate Greek students have been working through the Greek text of the Gospel of Mark. In Mark 2, we noted how Mark grouped several stories together that have to do with Jesus and sinners. In these stories, we see the themes of forgiveness and faith surface—forgiveness on Jesus’ part and faith on […]
“True education means thinking by associating across the various disciplines, and not just being highly qualified in one field, as a technician might be.” So said Francis Schaeffer in his landmark book, The God Who Is There. Schaeffer aligns in this regard with Leonardo Da Vinci, who centuries earlier said, “A rule for developing a […]
The Apostle Paul exerted significant energy to proclaim Christ. And he did so with an end, or telos, in mind. He wanted to form mature followers of Jesus for God’s glory and the joy of all people. Consider Paul’s words to believers in Colossae: Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, […]
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalm 90:1–2) Throughout the course of human history, men and women have attempted to seek for immortality, to live forever without aging, pain, or […]
The Lord brought me and my family to Minneapolis in the fall of 2017 to start my Master of Divinity degree at Bethlehem College and Seminary. This was possible because of the generosity of many of you who support the Alex Steddom International Student Fund, of which I was a recipient. After my graduation in […]
Greetings! Last week I returned from my 5th trip to Cameroon this year. But this return was different. I didn’t come back alone. I had the joy of traveling with Dr. Dieudonné Tamfu, my former student and now my boss in Cameroon. He is also my pastor in Cameroon, my fellow professor, and my friend. […]