Robert Picirilli’s ‘Discipleship’: The Expression of Saving Faith: A Review Essay
Discipleship is a term used quite often in the Christian community. Glance at a Christian publisher’s catalog and you’ll encounter books, small group studies, and countless other resources on the subject. Like any biblical term, we need reliable instruction to make sure we understand it. Free Will Baptists have few teachers more reliable than Dr. Robert Picirilli, long-time author, professor, and denominational leader. In Picirilli’s...
Robert Picirilli on ‘Discipleship’: An Interview
Jackson Watts (“JW”): Dr. Picirilli, you’ve written and spoken extensively in the last decade or so on topics like free will, the text of Scripture, and even what the Bible says about the pastor. Why write a book on discipleship now? Robert Picirilli (“RP”): Actually, the book isn’t about “discipleship” in one sense. That is, it isn’t about how to be a disciple or how to disciple others. Instead, it’s about the fact that one can’t...
The Meaning of Free Will
Few ideas are freighted with more baggage than free will. Though the debate between determinists and libertarians is often an intellectual struggle among philosophers, the question of whether human choices are free or determined influences countless everyday issues [1]. Robert Kane surmises this well as he names the following issues that hinge upon the “free will versus determinism” debate: (1) Moral agency and responsibility,...
John L Welch: Pioneering the Way Forward
by Mary Wisehart and Robert Picirilli Free Will Baptist Bible College was renamed Welch College in 2012. The persons thereby honored were John L and Mary Ann Weaver Welch [1]. This article is primarily devoted to the Reverend Mr. Welch, to enable others to understand why the flagship college of the Free Will Baptist denomination was named for this important couple. The “Boy Preacher” The parents of John L Welch, Jr. were John L Welch,...
Our Spiritual Blessings in Christ
Predestination, election, and adoption: such words scare some of us, conjuring up ideas that carry theological baggage. Has God elected to save some and chosen to damn others? Is Christianity a mere fatalistic religion? And what does it mean to be adopted by God? What does it mean to be God’s chosen people, His elect? These questions are particularly important for Arminians who have not always addressed these issues sufficiently. How...
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