Andy Crouch, a senior editor at Christianity Today, was at Asbury last week. What a great blessing he was to our community. I first encountered Andy Crouch back a few years ago when he published his book, Culture Making. One of the insights in that book is that it is not enough to simply critique […]
Robust Christianity
In reflecting on the responses to my blog the last four days, I thought it might be helpful for me to share a few of my own reactions. My overwhelming response is gratefulness to God, to our students, various other responders and yes, indeed, to Rob Bell as well for stimulating such a healthy conversation. […]
Part Four: Why Rob Bell needs to return to Seminary… and bring along quite a few contemporary evangelical pastors (cont.)
This is the FOURTH and final part in a series on Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins, by Timothy C. Tennent, PhD, President of Asbury Theological Seminary Bell’s ecclesiology has collapsed and we are left with an individual sincere seeker after God. The mission of the church has been, at best, stunted, since the other […]
Part Three: Why Rob Bell needs to return to Seminary… and bring along quite a few contemporary evangelical pastors (cont.)
This is the THIRD in a four part series on Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins, by Timothy C. Tennent, PhD, President of Asbury Theological Seminary Third, Bell has an inadequate understanding of the Kingdom of God. He rightly chastises the collapse of salvation into personal justification, though he doesn’t use theological terms to describe […]
Part Two: Why Rob Bell needs to return to Seminary… and bring along quite a few contemporary evangelical pastors
This is the SECOND in a four part series on Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins, by Timothy C. Tennent, PhD, President of Asbury Theological Seminary My problem with Rob Bell is not so much with his diagnostics regarding contemporary popular evangelicalism, as it is with his prescription. The real question is not whether Rob […]
Part One: Why Rob Bell needs to return to Seminary… and bring along quite a few contemporary evangelical pastors
This is the first of a four part series on Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins, by Timothy C. Tennent, Ph.D., President of Asbury Theological Seminary Rob Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a graduate of Wheaton College and Fuller Theological Seminary. Rob Bell’s latest book, Love […]
Top Ten Mission Trends in the 21st Century: How Missionaries Are Sent Out Today Is Dramatically Changing
9. HOW MISSIONARIES ARE SENT OUT TODAY IS DRAMATICALLY CHANGING. When we think about missionary support, many of us think about a denominational effort which sponsors and supports missionaries who are working in various parts of the world. For example, many denominations participate in a centralized support structure whereby the denomination collects money which, in […]
Top Ten Mission Trends in the 21st Century: Rise of the Pentecostal Church
8. PENTECOSTAL CHRISTIANITY IS THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE WORLD. For centuries the church has thought of itself as existing in three major branches: Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox. Within each of these branches there are, of course, countless smaller orders, denominations and bodies of believers. One of the most dramatic changes […]
Top Ten Mission Trends in the 21st Century: Church Planting
7. THE GOAL OF MISSIONS AND THE GREAT COMMISSION IS CHURCH PLANTING The gospels record that the last act of Jesus prior to His ascension was to deliver a final commission to his disciples. Today, this is known as the Great Commission. A close examination of the gospels reveals that Jesus issued the Great Commission […]
Top Ten Mission Trends in the 21st Century: Evangelism vs. Mission
6. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS There is a widespread confusion in local churches today in discerning the difference between the evangelistic mandate of the church and the missionary mandate of the church. This confusion has led many churches to claim a wide array of mission activities which are actually, in […]