The new August 2024 issue of Themelios has 263 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. It is freely available in three formats: (1) PDF, (2) web version, and (3) Logos Bible Software. 1. Brian J. Tabb | Editorial: What Makes a “Good” Theological Article? Drawing on his years of experience as Themelios’s editor, Tabb explains in detail what a quality theological essay involves. An article must be aligned with the journal’s aims and marked by fidelity, freshness, fitness, focus, rigor, readability, and relevance. 2. Daniel Strange | Strange Times: The Tightrope of Teaching Typology Strange reflects on the nature of two typologies—Alan Race’s threefold typology of religion and H. Richard Niebuhr’s fivefold typology of culture—and how they relate to theological education. By classifying and organizing religions and cultures, believers function in the image of God. 3. Kevin DeYoung | A Tale of Two Texts: How the Westminster Confession of Faith Was Changed by American Presbyterians to Reflect a New Understanding of the Civil Magistrate DeYoung juxtaposes the American Presbyterians’ revision of the Westminster Confession of Faith in 1788 with the original 1646 version. He highlights how the American Presbyterians rejected the European model of the relationship between church and state, preferring to keep the two generally separate. 4. Nathan Cantu | “Do Not Think It Is Impossible for Anyone to Please God While Engaged in Active Military Service”: An Augustinian Critique of the Narrative of the American Military Cantu applies Augustine’s insights in Confessions and The City of God. According to Augustine, Christians don’t participate in military service for the glory and expansion of the state but to preserve peace, restrain evil, and facilitate the church’s work. 5. Joshua Bremerman | Wisdom Is Vindicated by Her Deeds: Ecclesiastes 3:1–15 in Matthew 11:16–19 This article proposes an Old Testament allusion to Ecclesiastes 3 in Matthew 11:16–19. Ecclesiastes 3:1–15 is the “wisdom” that Jesus has in mind, and Bremerman argues that the context of Ecclesiastes 3 sheds light on Jesus’s biting critique of his audience. 6. Mark Makowiecki | Irenaeus and the Adam-Christ Typology in the Gospel of John Some scholars propose that Adam Christology is only found in Pauline literature. Makowiecki, however, argues it can be discerned in Irenaeus’s reading of John’s Gospel. The Fourth Gospel is a treasure trove of insights into the relationship between Adam and Christ. 7. Timothy E. Miller | Unbelieving Child and Qualified Elder: A Case for “Faithful” Children in Titus 1:6 Commentators and English translations have leaned toward the “believing” position on Titus 1:6: elders must have Christian children to remain qualified for ministry. Miller argues, though, that the Greek word πιστά is best rendered “faithful” in accordance with lexical, contextual, theological, and practical considerations. 8. Jacob Boyd | John Owen’s Theology of Public Worship Boyd presents the case that John Owen pushed back against imposed liturgies, such as the Book of Common Prayer, because their enforcement crippled a congregation’s ability to worship God freely. Owen’s theology of public worship is established on the triune God and beholding him by faith now. A church’s worship should be characterized by actively being in communion with Christ and by looking at him through the prescribed ordinances of worship found in God’s Word. 9. Leland Brown | An All-Out Ministry: Strain and Suffering in Spurgeon’s Pastoral Theology While C. H. Spurgeon’s sufferings and pastoral ministry have often been explored separately, Brown recognizes that Spurgeon viewed his suffering and ministry as going hand-in-hand. Pastors must suffer because they’re Christ’s servants, conduits of his grace to others. Spurgeon’s outlook is also a model for pastors today. 10. J. Brittain Brewer | Atonement by Union: Probing Crisp’s Union Account with John Owen Oliver Crisp has recently suggested a novel “union account” that takes into consideration many of the classic atonement views while arguing for a basic coherence in terms of realistic solidarity with Christ. Brewer’s article appraises the strengths and weaknesses of Crisp’s account, suggesting the Reformed tradition, especially John Owen, provides a stronger atonement model that incorporates union and doesn’t fall prey to the problems of a realist solidarity. 11. Dennis M. Sullivan | Contraception and the Church: Making Sense of the Debate and Some Pastoral Advice Sullivan reviews the ethical and theological issues surrounding birth control, with an emphasis on hormonal methods. He evaluates emergency contraception, intrauterine devices, natural family planning, and sterilization. The article concludes with practical implications for local-church ministry. 12. Robert P. Menzies | Simultaneous Prayer: A Pentecostal Perspective Menzies responds to Scott D. MacDonald’s Themelios article that questions the practice of simultaneous prayer in Acts 4:23–31. Menzies argues that this passage describes the corporate practice of praying different prayers at the same time. The Acts 4 prayer, when viewed against the backdrop of Luke’s literary style and his emphasis on prayer, is neither preplanned nor liturgical. 13. J. David Willoughby | The Spirit of God and the Religions of the World: A Response to Amos Yong’s Claims Amos Yong, an acclaimed Pentecostal scholar, argues for what he calls a pneumatological theology of religions. Such a viewpoint allows him to “bracket the soteriological question” and bypass the constraints of a narrow Christology, opening the possibility of salvation to those outside the Christian faith. Yong goes on to suggest the Holy Spirit sustains non-Christian religions and that they are, in fact, his instruments in the world today. Willoughby surveys Yong’s view on the Spirit and world religions, evaluates it in light of biblical data, and then proposes a more biblical way of speaking of the Spirit’s interaction among those of other faiths. 14. Cody Wilbanks | “We Do Not Lose Heart”: Theological Encouragement for Endurance and Opportunities for Reflection from 2 Corinthians 4:1–16 Pastors often experience great hardship in ministry and are prone to burnout and discouragement. Wilbanks explores Paul’s theological encouragement for endurance in 2 Corinthians 4:1–16 and offers opportunities for personal reflection for those in the throes of gospel ministry. Featured Book Reviews: Carmen Joy Imes, Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters. Reviewed by Steven W. Guest. Peter J. Leithart, Creator: A Theological Interpretation of Genesis 1. Reviewed by Thomas Haviland-Pabst. Ellen Vaughn, Being Elisabeth Elliot. Reviewed by Karin Spiecker Stetina. Jonathan Leeman, Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing. Reviewed by Blake Johnson.. Andrew J. Spencer, Hope for God’s Creation: Stewardship in an Age of Futility. Reviewed by Lionel J. Windsor. Vance Christie, David Livingstone: Missionary, Explorer, Abolitionist. Reviewed by Kevin Rodgers.

Some parts of church leadership are exciting, deeply spiritual, and clearly worthwhile. Others, well, not so much. This, of course, varies from person to person. Around five years ago when I was serving at a Californian church, the task of putting together the annual budget fell to me. Amid weekly preaching, worship leading, and shepherding responsibilities, preparing the budget definitely felt like drudgery. I now serve as an executive pastor in Wisconsin, and I’m still in charge of drafting the budget each year. But I no longer view it as drudgery. Instead, I see it as an opportunity for discipleship. What changed? I began to understand the annual budget as a tool for leaders to model biblical priorities and faithful generosity for the sake of gospel. But like any tool, it’s only helpful if wielded properly. Model Wisdom and Priorities You’ve heard it said that “money talks”—that how you spend your money communicates your priorities. Your home budget shows what your family values, which can be encouraging or, at times, convicting. Similarly, a local church’s budget communicates her priorities. It broadcasts what’s important to the church (especially her leadership) and, therefore, what should be important to individual members. It models values, goals, and habits of spending that others can follow in their personal or business finances. This modeling is basic discipleship. The church budget models values, goals, and habits of spending that others can follow in their personal or business finances. What percentage is allocated for community outreach, international missions, staff, children, and facilities? These are important questions for leaders to work through, because our priorities matter. At the risk of sounding obvious, wisdom is required. For example, the amount of money we invest into maintaining or updating our facility versus the amount we give toward international missions says something to everyone watching. Leaders need to guide their congregations through these decisions so members understand the reasoning behind the budgetary choices. This, too, is discipleship, as it equips people to employ similar wisdom in their lives. They’ll learn to apply biblical principles and consider how to meet various needs with limited resources. Model Trust and Generosity Often, our planning and praying over the budget doesn’t go beyond answering the questions “How much here?” and “How much there?” But we can take it a step further. Our budget line items, giving percentages, and spending allocations can disciple our people at a deeper “heart” level. This comes through our general attitude toward the church’s funds and ultimately in the faith we demonstrate with our resources. For a local church to survive, she relies on, among other things, the Lord’s faithful financial provision through the giving of believers who call that church home. The church depends on others’ generosity. This is biblical and right. However, in my experience, churches can struggle to show that same kind of generosity. Instead, they can operate with a self-protective instinct and a scarcity mentality. This stinginess and selfishness can take various forms. Churches might maintain a large, untouchable savings account for a “rainy day.” Or they may fill their facilities with unnecessary upgrades and high-end accoutrements. Even more subtly, they can keep a needlessly large staff who do what otherwise could be done by volunteers utilizing their spiritual gifts. Sometimes churches appear generous by giving to a lot of different ministries—but they do so in relatively small amounts. For example, it’s common to support multiple missionaries with minuscule amounts. Or to hire mostly part-time staff then expect full-time work. Whatever the particulars, this lack of generosity in a budget contributes to poor discipleship and stifles the church’s mission. Generous for Mission When churches aren’t generous with their resources, the congregation is inevitably discouraged from generosity. This is a common problem that contributes to individuals giving less to the church budget and instead giving directly to missionaries and other causes. When members direct their giving away from the church, it can also result in situations where pastors are unable to pay their bills, and to rising bivocationalism among those in ministry. Unfortunately, this individualized giving can sometimes create that scarcity mentality when budgeting for the church. Church leaders may make decisions out of fear rather than trust, which starts a vicious and stagnating cycle. Furthermore, this self-protection goes beyond money. Often, it leads to declining partnerships with other churches and declining community engagement, all in the name of survival. Ironically, the scarcity mentality that’s adopted to keep the church alive can lead to its death. By contrast, modeling generosity with our budgets sends a message to both our congregants and the community. When we’re reasonably generous with our staff salaries, missionary support, community outreach events, and local mercy ministries, it creates a culture of generosity among our people and among like-minded churches. Lead in Faith Generosity shows a deep faith in the Lord’s provision that our people can, and should, imitate. In a time when the church at large is losing money, I understand it can be scary to be generous with the resources we’ve received. But generosity with wisdom is good stewardship. Generosity shows a deep faith in the Lord’s provision. If our congregation isn’t generous, we could blame them or the culture. We could assume they need to change. That may be true, in part. But discipleship always starts from the top and trickles down. As leaders, we need to look at ourselves first—at our faith in God’s provision and at our budget practices. Do we trust that the Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10)? And does that truth inform both our individual faith and how we use our church finances? Let’s not waste the opportunity created in our annual budget to model generosity and facilitate discipleship. By God’s grace and power, let’s reverse the vicious cycle created by our scarcity mentality and foster a culture of generosity among our churches.

The 17th-century “Prince of Puritans,” John Owen (1616–83), committed his life to the work of ministry as a pastor, theologian, vice chancellor, chaplain, and statesman. He desired to worship the triune God freely—without any external regulations not explicitly found in Scripture. What was Owen’s theology of public worship, and how should it be practiced in a worship service? Behold the Glory of God for Worship Owen regularly taught that worship, private or public, is beholding God’s glory. This glory motivates and creates worship, and for Owen, this all centers on the person of Christ. “Some men speak much of the imitation of Christ, and following his example,” Owen explains. “But no man shall ever become ‘like unto him’ by bare imitation of his actions, without that view or intuition of his glory which alone is accompanied with a transforming power to change them into the same image.” Through this “view or intuition of [Christ’s] glory,” Christians begin to be conformed to the Son’s image (Rom. 8:29). This is why the nature of worship is connected not to the external works one does but to the heart’s affections. The inevitable result is worshipful action—a life of holiness. Owen wants people to truly see Christ’s beauty as the theological foundation and motivation for worship. Worship on the Lord’s Day For Owen, the Lord’s Day is a continuation of the fourth commandment in the Old Testament—to keep the Sabbath—making Owen a Sabbatarian. He argues in his Hebrews commentary that the fourth commandment continues into the new covenant predominantly in his treatise Exercitations Concerning the Name, Original, Nature, Use, and Continuance of a Day of Sacred Rest. God created the Sabbath to ensure worship of him is holy and pure, and Christians must not distort the glory that belongs to the Lord. Owen wants people to truly see Christ’s beauty as the theological foundation and motivation for worship. According to Owen, the Sabbath is sanctified, because the Lord authoritatively declares it holy, and his church responds by keeping it holy. The day wouldn’t be holy if the Lord didn’t authoritatively proclaim it holy through his revealed Word, with the church rightly responding to his authority by expressing appropriate worship. Scripture Alone as the Liturgical Criterion The doctrine of Sola Scriptura, according to Owen, determines how the church is to worship. Horton Davies picks up on this idea when he explains, “The Puritans were the champions of the authority of the ‘pure Word of God’ as the criterion not only for church doctrine, but also for church worship and church government.” This Puritan legacy rested on their conviction that Scripture alone is authoritative, infallible, and sufficient in all matters of life, including worship. The Sabbath is sanctified, because the Lord authoritatively declares it holy, and his church responds by keeping it holy. Throughout his treatise Communion with God, Owen regularly points Christians to the necessity of knowing Christ for communion with God, and this knowledge is revealed, declared, and delivered in Scripture alone. Owen further explains, “Without the knowledge of the person of Christ . . . as revealed and declared in the Scripture, there is no true, useful, saving knowledge of any other mysteries or truths of the gospel to be attained.” Owen cared about worshiping the triune God properly. His theology of public worship is established on the triune God and beholding him by faith now. It’s practiced in a church’s worship service by actively communing with Christ—by looking at him—through the prescribed ordinances of worship found in God’s Word. Expressing spiritual affections by faith in God is the way to abide in Christ, to have communion with him. When our affections are received and expressed by the Spirit, through the Son, to the Father, God receives acceptable worship.

An Anatomy of a Harris Campaign Stop Shows There Is No There, There

Today, Facebook chairman Mark Zuckerberg made a series of startling but not unexpected admissions to the House Judiciary Committee. A series of bombshells contained in a single letter, really. But none of these admissions warranted any coverage on the network evening news or other Regime Media outlets.  The Zuckerberg letter, published on X by the Committee, contains three fundamental items. First, the admission that the Biden-Harris Administration coerced Meta into censoring certain Covid-related posts. Second, an admission of suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story. Third, a promise of no further election interference via “Zuckerbucks”. Mark Zuckerberg just admitted three things: 1. Biden-Harris Admin "pressured" Facebook to censor Americans. 2. Facebook censored Americans. 3. Facebook throttled the Hunter Biden laptop story. Big win for free speech. pic.twitter.com/ALlbZd9l6K — House Judiciary GOP ?????? (@JudiciaryGOP) August 26, 2024 Here is how the letter was covered on Newsnation: NEWSNATION ON BALANCE WITH LELAND VITTERT 8/26/24 7:47 PM LELAND VITTERT: Some of the very best lines in American politics do not come from real politicians, but from our favorite movie presidents. One of mine is Andrew Shepherd. ANDREW SHEPHERD (AS PORTRAYED BY MICHAEL DOUGLAS IN THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT): You want to claim this land is a land of the free, then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that. Defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free. VITTERT: The land of the free. With free speech. But both here and around the world, we've lost that concept of free speech. France just arrested the founder of Telegram. It’s an encrypted phone app that allows dissidents and political opposition figures to communicate secretly. You might remember an official from the European Union threatened Elon Musk over his interview with Donald Trump. The United Kingdom now promises jail time for those spreading misinformation, otherwise known as information that the ruling party in the United Kingdom doesn't like. The list goes on. Here in America, the most liberal among us want to ban speech they don't like. Hunter Biden's laptop, of course, comes to mind. In fact, within the past 20 minutes, the House Judiciary Committee just released a bombshell letter from Mark Zuckerberg. This is not the House Judiciary Committee's letter. This is Meta. Facebook's letter. Chairman Jim Jordan says the letter proves the Biden-Harris Administration pressured Facebook to censor Americans and the company jid- did just that by hiding the Hunter Biden laptop story from users. Of course, not since the Civil War have Americans faced more attempts to regulate our free speech.  The story broke in the middle of the evening news. However, none of the streaming services or cable news shows have picked the story up since it broke. By any reasonable standard, an admission of censorship in the name of public safety would be a huge story. Likewise, the suppression of a major story in service of election interference. Ditto the end of Zuckerbucks. All three at the same time should be a monumental story on their own. And this is precisely why the Regime Media must suppress this bombshell of a story. To report it now, at this juncture, is tantamount to an admission of corruption.  Consider the Regime Media’s reaction to news of the Trump Administration coercing social media companies into censoring posts that question the government’s covid response. Consider how the Regime Media might have reported the laptop story had its owner (with its underlying shadiness) not been Hunter Biden but Donald Trump, Jr. This would be a wholly different ballgame.  We all know it. The Regime Media’s non-coverage of the Zuckerberg letter proves it.  

ABC News, the most Regime-servile of the news organizations, performed a presidential campaign roundup that only reported on one of two presidential endorsements offered today. Of course, the endorsement reported on is the one most favorable to the Regime. Watch as ABC’s Terry Moran enthusiastically chronicles the endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris by over 200 Romney, Bush, McCain alumni:     TERRY MORAN: And some good news for Harris, more than 200 former staffers of the previous three Republican presidential nominees, that’s Mitt Romney, the late John McCain, and George W. Bush, have come out and endorsed Kamala Harris, saying that for them, quote, “the alternative is untenable”. “Good news”, says Moran of the endorsement of these 200 former staffers. Not mentioned in the story: some of these endorsers were already in the tank for Democrats. Per USA Today, which initially reported on the letter: Others who signed the letters include: Reed Galen, McCain's deputy campaign manager and co-founder of the Lincoln Project; Jim Swift, a former Republican operative who is now senior editor of The Bulwark, an anti-Trump news and opinion site; and former McCain campaign strategist Mike Murphy. This is in addition to those former Republicans who addressed Kamala Harris’s coronation at the Democratic National Convention. Mostly folks already swimming on the Democrat side of the pool. And of course, that’s only half the story on endorsements. Because former President Donald Trump landed a significant endorsement that went unreported by Moran. Per Fox News:  Democrat-turned Independent Tulsi Gabbard, the former congresswoman from Hawaii, has endorsed former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race against Vice President Kamala Harris. "We as Americans must stand together to reject this anti-freedom culture of political retaliation and abuse of power. We can't allow our country to be destroyed by politicians who will put their own power ahead of the interests of the American people, our freedom, and our future," Gabbard said at the National Guard conference in Detroit on Monday. Gabbard's endorsement came on the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members following the chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal. Moran fails to mention this endorsement, even though it happened at the National Guard Association’s convention, where Trump gave earlier remarks reported on by Moran. But the “good news” for Trump did not warrant a mention on ABC. Par for the course for the Regime Media.  Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Monday, August 26th, 2024: ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT 8/26/24 6:35 PM DAVID MUIR: Now to the race for The White House. 71 days to go. Donald Trump blaming Vice President Kamala Harris for the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. He's in the battleground of Michigan tonight, speaking to the National Guard Association's convention in Detroit. Meanwhile tonight, the major endorsement for Kamala Harris. More than 200 advisers and alums of George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney now endorsing the vice president, saying while they might have some policy differences, that they're arguing this is about much more than that. ABC's Terry Moran in Detroit. TERRY MORAN: At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery today, Donald Trump laid a wreath in honor of three Marines who were among the 13 service members killed three years ago today during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. And later, speaking at the National Guard Association's convention in Detroit, Trump made that botched operation and the Taliban's swift takeover a centerpiece of his argument against Vice President Kamala Harris. DONALD TRUMP: …caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world. MORAN: Trump declared that if he's re-elected, there will be accountability. TRUMP: We'll get the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day. You know, you have to fire people. You have to fire people when they do a bad job. We never fire anybody. MORAN: At the Democratic National Convention, Harris made it clear she is ready to fend off attacks on her toughness on national security. KAMALA HARRIS: As Commander-in-Chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. MORAN: Harris has been off the campaign trail since the convention wrapped up, but Trump has been revving up the pace of his campaign. Later this week, he'll travel to Wisconsin, before returning here to Michigan on Thursday, telling some of his campaign's volunteers here late today that this critical battleground state could decide the entire election. TRUMP: If we can win this state, we win the whole thing. We win the whole thing. And we're going to win the whole thing. MORAN: Kamala Harris is hitting these battleground states, too. She was in Wisconsin last week during the Democratic convention, and later this week, she and Tim Walz will go on a bus tour of southern Georgia. And some good news for Harris, more than 200 former staffers of the previous three Republican presidential nominees, that’s Mitt Romney, the late John McCain, and George W. Bush, have come out and endorsed Kamala Harris, saying that for them, quote, “the alternative is untenable”. David. MUIR: Terry Moran, covering the race for president tonight. Terry, thank you.  

Before Al Capone took control of the infamous Chicago Outfit, his mentor Johnny Torrio grew it into a sprawling criminal empire. The post The Story Of Johnny Torrio, The Ruthless Chicago Gangster Who Showed Al Capone The Ropes appeared first on All That's Interesting.

A carved animal figurine believed to be a child’s toy has been unearthed at the Fjörður farm mound in Seyðisfjörður, eastern Iceland. The animal looks like a pig to me but archaeologists hypothesize it might also represent a wild boar, a bear or a dog. It was found in the floor layer of a 9th century Viking longhouse. The Fjörður farm site contains the remains of the first settlement of Norwegians in Iceland. Founded at the end of the 8th century or beginning of the 9th, the settlement encountered repeated mudslides and avalanches until it was buried under a major landslide in 1150. The thick soil layer protected the earliest settlement from later construction. Over five years of excavations, archaeologists have unearthed a weaving room, a barn and four pre-Christian graves as well as the longhouse. The dogbearpig was carved from palagonite tuff, a yellow volcanic stone, and is 5 cm (2 inches) long and 2.7 cm (1 inch) high. One ear has broken off, but the rest of it is intact and in good condition. It can still stand on its four feet. Here is a 3D scan of the affable fellow: The excavation of the floor layer this year has uncovered a wealth of more than 600 objects from the first settlers of Seyðisfjörður who built the longhouse. Some of the objects found are almost 100 pieces used in the game of Hnefatalf, spinning whorls, beads, crucibles and molds for metal casting, lamps, pots and one silver coin. The coin is still encrusted with soil and therefore unrecognizable, but will be examined and hopefully identified by coin experts after cleaning and conservation.

Researchers at Texas A&M University are utilizing satellite technology to continuously monitor and maintain infrastructure conditions. As infrastructure ages, its risk of failure increases, leading to safety and mobility concerns for drivers and pedestrians, as well as economic challenges for taxpayers. A recent study published in the Transportation Research Record reveals that high-resolution synthetic aperture [...]

Donald Trump paid tribute to the U.S. military victims of the Kabul terrorist attack who died during the disastrous 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. This comes after he rightly blamed Joe Biden and Kamala…