Entrance Exams The Texas sky threatened an ice storm. My wife and the storm radar confirmed it. However, my entrance exam for the PhD program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary was scheduled early in the morning. So I reasoned that I could leave early, stay ahead of the storm, and make it to Fort Worth … Continue reading My PhD Journey at SWBTS
The Critical Difference between Error and Heresy
Cold, clammy, and shaking, my hands revealed more about my nerves than my face let on. Sitting in a small room at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, surrounded by bright young minds and the brilliant but piercing gaze of my PhD supervisor, I presented my first exegetical paper in a seminar on the Trinity. Yes, we … Continue reading The Critical Difference between Error and Heresy
Meditating on death: a memorial for 2020
I could come to terms with loss, if good-bye only meant see you next summer; if the cold sting of death's winter was blunted by whispers of spring's tiding. But this past year heaps snow upon snow, loss upon loss; I feel like it is always winter and never Christmas. On April 11 we held … Continue reading Meditating on death: a memorial for 2020
Sinning in the Name of Christ: Ravi Zacharias, Paul Tillich, and the Skeletons under the Altar
Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias (1946–2020) and Liberal Theologian Paul Tillich (1886–1965) share several things in common: Both men were considered premier Christian apologists. Both men rose to fame later in life. And both men used a superior position to prey upon women. Allegations against Zacharias first came to public attention in 2017, when Lori Anne … Continue reading Sinning in the Name of Christ: Ravi Zacharias, Paul Tillich, and the Skeletons under the Altar
Do You Believe in Ghosts, Poem
From March of 2019 through October, I officiated nearly twenty funerals for family, friends, and church members. Some of these dear brothers and sisters were expected passing, most were not. On top of these funerals, a mentor of mine (a spiritual giant to me) died as well. This period of mourning in my life and … Continue reading Do You Believe in Ghosts, Poem
Five Noticeable Changes at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
As a student of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) since 2008, I’ve spent eight years living on campus. We moved away in 2017. Recently, I got to spend two weeks on campus. There are five big changes on campus worth noting: The Student CenterFrom 2008 to present I’ve seen Naylor student center go from Victorian … Continue reading Five Noticeable Changes at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Nostalgia and Why We Can’t Even
Nostalgia has a powerful effect on the twenty-first century. Having loosened the moors of Western traditions which long held our culture from drifting, we now find ourselves looking back not to our forefathers but to our fore-child: we ask our childhood to answer the adult questions of our present. Nostalgia cannot answer the hardest questions; … Continue reading Nostalgia and Why We Can’t Even
The Bells of Notre Dame Will Be Silent This Easter
The bells of Notre Dame will be silent this Easter. The iconic gothic cathedral burned on Monday. The cathedral’s stone architecture trapped heat like an oven as the spires of Notre Dame collapsed on themselves. This conflagration interrupted a recent effort to restore the eroding cathedral. Lacking major renovation for two centuries, nearly all areas … Continue reading The Bells of Notre Dame Will Be Silent This Easter
Are You Consuming Food Porn?
One October at Oklahoma State University, proud I made it to class early, I walked up to the professor smiling and some students and asked what they were discussing. Food porn. Immediately, I knew I had walked into the wrong conversation. I awkwardly excused myself. At the end of October the situation happened again. I … Continue reading Are You Consuming Food Porn?
How To Start A Quiet Time
What is a quiet time? When a friend of mine first became a Christian, his mentor asked him to start having a quiet time. He had no idea what it meant to have a quiet time. Wanting to be faithful, he went to his closet, closed the door, and sat in silence. Afterwards, he wondered, … Continue reading How To Start A Quiet Time