Theology – L. J. Anderson – Author and Blogger

Book Review: Salvation by Allegiance Alone by Matthew W. Bates

Summary

Salvation by Allegiance Alone by Matthew W. Bates can be summed up with one of his early questions: “When the Apostle Paul says, ‘for it is by grace you have been saved through faith’ (Eph. 2:8), what if Paul’s idea of ‘faith’ (pistis) differs from typical contemporary understandings?” (p. 3). The book revolves around that single question, arguing that the Greek word pistis (typically translated as “faith”) ought instead to be rendered “allegiance” or “fidelity.” The title makes this clear. In fact, that sort of blunt clarity is one of the book’s strengths. Whether you agree with him or not, you can’t miss what he’s trying to say.

Chris Tilling. “Paul’s Divine Christology.” Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans, 2012. 322 pp. $35.00 (paperback).

Reviewed by L. J. Anderson, PhD Student, Liberty Theological Seminary

In Paul’s Divine Christology, Chris Tilling offers a critical and ambitious exploration of Pauline Christology, specifically asking whether Paul’s writings support the idea of a divine-Christology. At the heart of Tilling’s argument is the claim that Paul’s unwavering “Christ-devotion” reveals a theological framework wherein Jesus is accorded a status and role reserved for God alone. This devotion, Tilling argues, functions as the clearest signal of Paul’s divine-Christology, as opposed to being merely a reflection of Christ’s work or function (177).

New Release: The Moral Argument

Why Universal Morals Still Matter in Apologetics

I’m excited to announce the release of a new short book from Lamad Press: The Moral Argument. This work is an expanded, standalone version of a chapter originally published in Contending for the Truth, but it quickly became clear that the argument needed to breathe on its own. Why? Because most Christians (and most search engines) aren’t looking for apologetics content buried in a book titled Contending for the Truth. They’re looking for answers to specific questions. And this book addresses one of the most common and neglected ones: Can morality point to God?

Why the Nicene Creed Focuses on Jesus: A Look at the Creed’s 1700th Anniversary

The year 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. This foundational Christian document was first written in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea, and it still plays a vital role in how we understand Christian doctrine today.

In this post, I want to take a few minutes to walk through the original creed, read it aloud, and explore why it places so much emphasis on the Son, Jesus Christ, and not as much on the Father or the Holy Spirit.

Christian Higher Education: Faith, Teaching, and Learning in the Evangelical Tradition. David S. Dockery and Christopher W. Morgan, eds. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018. 576 pp. $50.00. paper.

Review by Logan Anderson, Ph.D. Student, Theological Studies, Liberty Theological Seminary, Lynchburg, VA.

Dockery and Morgan have edited an excellent foundational work for new or prospective higher education teachers. It is sufficiently broad as to be applicable in any discipline within higher education and specific enough that it gives very pointed help to a Christian educator in the evangelical tradition. Christian Higher Education is a “multiauthored, symphonic, and theologically shaped vision for the distinctive work of Christian higher education” (13). One important thing to note regarding this book is that the editors acknowledge differences of opinion and methodology between the authors. They specifically left many of these differences as they hoped it would give a glimpse into academic and student life from a variety of angles within the evangelical tradition (13). Each author brings a unique perspective to the discussion and the editors sought to preserve that in many instances. Despite the fact the chapters are written by different authors and address different topics, this review will primarily address the major sections of the book rather than individual chapters for the sake of brevity since this book is twenty-seven chapters long.

Kingdom’s Dawn. The Kindom Series Book One. Chuck Black. New York: Multnomah Books, 2006: Book Review by L. J. Anderson

Kingdom’s Dawn by Chuck Black is a book that I grew up with as a high schooler. As a kid, I was only sort of interested in following God and reading the Bible, but I was very much interested in knights, swords, and the battle of good versus evil. This made the Kingdom Series an excellent series for me as it engaged my mind with Scriptural ideas while being entertaining. Below is my review of the book and an engagement with its theology now that I have read it again as an adult.

John Wesley on Christian Perfection

One can learn a lot regarding faith and practice by studying some of the great theologians of the past. This is even, maybe especially, true regarding those that one tends to disagree with. John Wesley’s view of Christian perfection is certainly one such case of this. Most contemporary Christians who engage with it find John Wesley’s view of Christian perfection to be wrong, and perhaps rightly so, but does that mean it is not worth looking into? This paper seeks to discuss Christian perfection according to John Wesley, engage with it theologically, and demonstrate that, though there is a ton of value in it, Wesley’s view is slightly extreme.

What Makes a Theologian?

Theologian. This term is primarily used only of those who have a PhD (or three) and have published many research articles on various theological topics. Because of its reputation as being only in academia, I have heard Christians speak of the term in a derogatory manner as though theology isn’t beneficial or practical. But is that an accurate description of theologian?

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