Why Yet Another Christian Blog and Another Christian Podcast?

Of the creation of Christian blogs and Christian podcasts, there is no end! So, why another?

I read a lot of blogs and listen to a lot of podcasts but I’ve notice that not many (if any) have the focus that I would like to tackle. I am a conservative pastor steeped in the Stone-Campbell Movement (more on that later) who is currently pursuing two doctorates. I have a passion for the church and for careful study of the Scriptures using the best academic tools available.

I have perused websites and checked out podcasts that address Biblical scholarship and they are either Reformed (either in the Baptist or Presbyterian mold) or left of center. Thus, I will seek to engage, from a broad evangelical perspective, contemporary works in apologetics, Biblical studies, church history, theology, etc.

You may not know what the Stone-Campbell Movement is all about. I’ll go more in depth at another time but, in short, it launched in the 19th century as an effort to unify the Body of Christ under only two core principles—the Bible is the Word of God and Jesus is Lord. Unfortunately, this unity movement splintered into three separate wings: the Disciples of Christ, the Church of Christ and the Independent Christian Church. My roots are in the third group of congregations but I was largely educated and worked for churches in the second and have interacted with the first.

It may be extremely naive but I hope that many congregations can still unite under those two core principles. Unfortunately, the Disciples of Christ largely embraced theological liberalism and are dying as are all so-called mainstream denominations. Churches of Christ are bleeding members as well. Their decline has more to do with a reputation as sectarian (i.e., “we are the only ones going to heaven because we get it right”). Many Churches of Christ do not deserve such a rap but that is how they are largely viewed by a majority of Christians.

The independent Christian Church, however, continues to grow. Yet, many of the larger churches have little or no understanding of their roots and appear no different than any other “seeker sensitive” megachurch. I hope they continue to grow but with a better understanding and appreciation of those who have gone before them—that is yet another reason for this blog and accompanying podcast (which will launch soon).

Yet, despite only championing these two principles, I still maintain that having a breadth of knowledge of all the scholarly disciplines that concern the church are important and I am not alone. The co-founder of the Movement, Alexander Campbell, was well versed in all of the academic areas listed above. The founders of the Stone-Campbell movement did not consider matters outside of their two core principles unimportant but only that they weren’t necessarily worth dividing the church at large. The founders were largely conservative, well-educated and articulate but also much more tolerant than many of the various contemporary sects, whether they be liberal or reformed or fundamentalist.

So, yours truly will take time to discuss what I am learning in my doctoral studies in the hopes that it will help pastors and committed congregants to dig deeper with better academic tools and to know why the Stone-Campbell Movement may be more relevant and necessary than ever before.

Please understand that I will try my best NOT to write as an academic with a lot of specialized vocabulary. When I do use terms plucked from the ivory tower, I will try to explain them so that you can learn them (or re-learn them) in order that recommended books or articles or lectures are a blessing to you and your ministry.

Future blog and podcast topics include: The Stone-Campbell Movement; the state of theological education; the Greek New Testament; a comparison of the various theological systems (Arminianism, Calvinism, Molinism); book reviews; preaching; etc.