The Future of Practical Theology Among Free Will Baptists
We can identify much of what we seek to do in everyday life as “practical theology.” We’ve grown accustomed to various mantras and assertions that “all of life is theological”—and it is. We cannot avoid thinking, feeling, and behaving in theological ways. All of life is under the lordship of Christ, and thus it is all, ultimately, of theological significance. Yet, if all of theology is not only Christ-centered and biblically-based but...
Free Will Baptist Ecclesiology in the Twenty-first Century
In an age of global pandemics, financial upheaval, and an increasingly secularized western culture, ecclesiology might sound like a topic reserved for those with their heads in the sand—idealists out of touch with reality. For many, the most important thing that Christians can and should do is to share the gospel with as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. Any perceived hindrance to that is simply that: a hindrance. But I...
The Pro-life Ethic of Orphan Care
The confession to which Free Will Baptists subscribe is the Faith and Practices of Free Will Baptists. The name of our treatise follows the traditional dual concern for orthodoxy (right doctrine or belief) and orthopraxy (right practice). This latter emphasis (practices) sometimes goes by the name ethics. Sometimes when we hear the word ethics, we think of the hot-button issues of our day, such as abortion, biotechnology, capital...
Church Revitalization: Myths and Realities
Evangelicals have been having an extensive conversation about church health and renewal for nearly fifteen years. This conversation occurs under the banner of many names, but none more common than revitalization. Search online and you’ll be inundated with titles, seminars, and words like revitalize, renew, reclaim, restore, and even resuscitate. Free Will Baptists have also joined the fray through investing in revitalization...
In Honor of Jackson Watts
The Helwys Society is always sad to see its regular (and, in this case, long-term) contributors conclude their time with the forum. Regrettably, that time has come for member and co-founder, W. Jackson Watts. It would be difficult to overestimate the value of his contribution to the forum. Jackson, or “Jack” as we affectionately refer to him, has been a part of the forum from the beginning. His unique influence and tireless work have...
Recommended Books (Summer 2020)
Words are powerful. In the beginning, God spoke the universe into existence and ordered it according to its kind. At the crux of history, the “Word became flesh” (Jn. 1:14), and through His Spirit all of our disordered desires are being refashioned into a new harmony that will be consummated when His name will be on our foreheads (Rev. 22:4) and all creation will have been reconciled to the Word (Col. 1:20). As image-bearers of God,...
Recent Comments