A feather in your theological cap.
The personal blog of pastor, grammarian, and runner Brent Niedergall
The Existence of God
Do we need to prove God’s existence? https://youtu.be/B3Dh9jZUiOY Your cosmological and teleological arguments aren’t going to convince anyone that God exists. Neither will your ontological or moral arguments. And they don’t need to. Scripture says God has already...
Sunday Prayer (Psalm 136)
This is the latest in the series of corporate prayers for Sunday worship that I’m writing from the Psalms, working through them in reverse order. Our God, we give you our praise because you are good. We recognize you show loyal love to your people. You are always...
Small Preaching
A Book Review I’m not a great preacher. When I’m standing in the pulpit my manuscript retains a tight hold on my focus, my delivery is tepid, and my conclusions falter. But wanting to improve gives me a good reason to read books on preaching. Jonathan Pennington has...
WHAT IS THE PRESERVATION OF SCRIPTURE?
Has God preserved a fixed master copy of the Scriptures? https://youtu.be/BD8g2ItZ3Fw God has preserved His written Word. We have the Bible. But He has done so providentially, not miraculously. Once upon a time, there were two brothers who printed a Greek New...
From Research to Teaching: A Guide to Beginning Your Classroom Career
A Book Review The transition from student to teacher is not automatic, nor is it natural. Years of top-tier, top-notch scholarly research does not entirely equip you to educate a classroom of undergraduate students. You are an expert on a topic, not teaching a variety...
Reboot Your Greek
A Book Review In general, many prefer the idea of Greek to reading Greek. Pastors, who studied it in seminary, retain only enough to consult with Thayer and Strong so they can tell their congregations what the Greek “really means.” Realistically speaking, the majority...
WHAT IS THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE?
What do we need God to tell us? https://youtu.be/LLB5hRsIAss The Word of God gives us everything God wants us to know. This is called the sufficiency of Scripture. All the words that God wants you to have when it comes to salvation, and trusting Him, and obeying Him...
A Theology of Butter: BUTTER-OLOGY
Did you know the ancient Greeks had a word for “butter eater”? https://youtu.be/apeMEquOUcU βουτυροφάγος (boutyrophagous). That’s the ancient Greek word for “butter eater.” Maybe you’re a butter eater. I like butter as much as the next guy. But I’ve never really spent...
T&T Clark Handbook for Septuagint Research
A Book Review Who could have foreseen the current skyrocketing popularity of Septuagint (LXX) scholarship? Recently published resources abound and there are more to come. For friends of the LXX, the only preferable time to live and witness would have been when the...
WHAT IS THE NECESSITY OF SCRIPTURE?
Sure, Scripture is nice to have. But is it necessary? https://youtu.be/3ALDYDkQHKU Yes. Scripture is necessary. We need it. One dictionary of theological terms I checked gave me this definition. The necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for...