Posts by Brian Collins
Was the Serpent a Real Serpent?
Brian Collins Orthodoxy is challenged on many points. One point of interest is the question of the reality of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, indeed the reality of the whole account. On the point of the serpent, Brian Collins offers us the following contrasting views, and offers a sober and Biblical conclusion:
Read MoreCulture: Conformity and Contextualization
Brian Collins Pastors often warn their congregations about conformity to the culture. Missionaries are typically instructed to adapt to their new cultures. On the surface, the advice appears contradictory. The tension becomes greater because as American culture becomes more pluralistic, that is, as subcultures multiply, many are suggesting that churches must adapt to these subcultures…
Read MoreReview: The End of Secularism
A review by Brian Collins Baker, Hunter. The End of Secularism. Wheaton: Crossway, 2009. Hunter Baker’s The End of Secularism provides a good introduction to secularism. His endnotes point to resources of greater depth. Baker notes that secularism is a Western reaction against the idea of a Christian state. After religious pluralism developed in the…
Read MoreReview: The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition
A review by Brian Collins Synan, Vinson. The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997. In chapter one of The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition, Synan roots the origins of Pentacostalism in the teachings of John Wesley. He notes the influence of William Law as well as Jeremy Taylor, Thomas à Kempis, Madame…
Read MoreReview of “The Greatness of the Kingdom” – Bibliotheca Sacra, 1955
Brian Collins This review pertains to the articles found in Bibliotheca Sacra rather than the book by the same author with the same name. It was originally published here and is used by permission. We offer it in connection with the theme of our recent annual meeting. McClain, Alva J. “The Greatness of the Kingdom…
Read MoreMusic in the perspective of Creation, Fall, and Redemption – expanded edition
Brian Collins One of our regular contributors, Brian Collins, recently wrote an excellent piece on music at his blog, Exegesis and Theology. Before reading this article, you might like to read his initial offering and the comments. The piece is called “Music in the Perspective of Creation, Fall, and Redemption”. When I read the article,…
Read MoreWho Chose the Gospels?
A review by Brian Collins Hill, C. E. Who Chose the Gospels?: Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy. Oxford University Press, 2010. The fictional claims of Dan Brown, the sensationalized claims of Bart Ehrman, and the more scholarly arguments of Lee Martin McDonald, Ehrman, and others have promoted the idea of an early Christian movement notable…
Read MoreLove Not the World: Winning the War Against Worldliness
A review by Brian Collins Leedy, Randy. Love Not the World: Winning the War Against Worldliness. Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 2012. Discussing topics such as worldliness or eternal punishment or ecclesiastical boundaries are rarely enjoyable. The gospel, the new heavens and new earth, or the missionary advance of the church are more engaging…
Read MoreA New Song? What the early church might have thought of CCM
Stapert, Calvin R. A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007. a review by Brian Collins Historical theology provides a great service to the church, especially when applied to matters that are fiercely debated among God’s people today. C. S. Lewis, in his famous celebration of…
Read MoreReview: D. A. Carson, The Intolerance of Tolerance
review by Brian Collins Carson, D. A. The Intolerance of Tolerance (Wm. B. Eerdmans) ISBN #2800802831707 What explains a bank’s unwillingness to retain the bank account of a Christian organization that adheres to traditional Christian views on human sexuality? How do universities justify requiring Christian student organizations to admit officers who hold views contrary to…
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