Recently I ran across an article by Dr. Anthony Bradley, reflecting on the closure of another evangelical college—diagnosing root issues and offering ways forward. [1] Articles like this continue to multiply as more and more Christian schools of higher education either shut their doors or make significant pivots for any number of reasons. I have been close to this myself—as the Christian college where I attended and gladly taught as an adjunct closed its doors, and the notable seminary I attended and where I gladly teach as a part-time instructor has made its own pivots as it navigates the the cultural/economic/institutional/ecclesial/whatever-else waters we’re in.

I appreciated how Bradley framed his suggestions regarding a way forward for institutions of higher education as “Ten Recommendations” for what Christian colleges must do in light of current realities.

​What I’d like to do here is piggy-back on that idea of “Ten Recommendations”—but instead of recommendations for Christian colleges I’d like to offer Ten Recommendations for churches that want to be part of the solution for theological education and theological formation moving forward. As a pastor of 20+ years who cares deeply about the local church, and an adjunct professor for 6+ years who cares deeply about theological formation and higher education, I want to humbly step into the conversation.

“Barna reports that today, only one in seven pastors is under 40, with 25 percent of current pastors planning to retire by 2030. This trend poses a significant threat to the continuity of leadership within the church.” [1] And there’s not a lot of backfill. Trends indicate that fewer young people are pursuing vocational ministry. [2] In a recent Substack article, one Evangelical professor reflects on the reality that we’re failing to form ministry leaders and says we “have a broken pipeline at every stage.” [3] For this pipeline to be reimagined and restored, any path forward must involve the church and it will demand intentional effort. [4] 

However you look at it, there is a pressing issue that demands attention. 

"Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be in peril." This famous quote from Sun Tzu's Art of War carries qualified application for the Christian disciple: there is value in knowing something about our enemy, Satan. Biblical authors speak of Satan's schemes and knowing something about how he operates so we are not left defenseless or unaware (e.g. 2 Cor 2:11; Eph 6:11). 

To be sure, this "knowing something about" must happen within a larger context of Christian theology. This larger context of Christian theology reveals that a spiritual world exists that interacts with our world, yet cannot always be seen. Christian theology affirms that Satan is a created being; God is greater than Satan. (And it's not nor ever will be even close.) In fact, Christ has already defeated Satan through His death and resurrection (e.g. Col 2:15; Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8). While the war has been decided, battles rage on (see 1 Pet 5:8). 

In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul clearly tells believers in Jesus Christ that we are to stand against Satan's schemes (v. 11). Knowing that Satan is real and his battle against God and His ways wages on, how does Satan try and come at us? What are his "schemes" that we're to stand against?

Here are four of Satan's schemes to stand against, in the power of the gospel.

Fall 2024 Theology Training begins late August! Woo hoo! 

This Theology Training is a great opportunity, and one that helps build & reinforce theological foundations for people in a way that will serve local churches. This page serves as sort of "collecting point" for info and promo regarding the upcoming class. (Follow the headings as you scroll.) You can also find out more at this Theology Training page, where you can also find registration links. 

Below, you'll find (1) a quick orientation to some of the features of this class, (2) a small series of short videos providing further explanation and excitement, and (3) a draft of the Fall 2024 syllabus. 

Got an any questions? Drop me an email at [email protected]. 

Earlier this month I preached on Daniel 1 in Brookside Church's short series on Daniel. To see that fuller series, click here. A number of people have asked that I make this sermon accessible a bit more broadly (beyond Brookside's website and YouTube channel — both great places by the way!) With that request in mind, see below for my sermon on Daniel 1 preached on June 9, 2024. I have included the following formats below: 

• Video 
• Audio
• PDF of manuscript (unedited, but it'll give you a close approximation of what I say)
• Skeleton outline of sermon

I.     Introduction

II.    Body

       A.  The realities of exile (Daniel 1:1-7)

       B.  The response in exile (Daniel 1:8-14)

            1. Conviction

            2. Character

       C. The triumph over exile (Daniel 1:15-21)

            1. Daniel and friends pass the test and grow in influence

            2. The presence of God "behind the scenes" (some form of "God gave..." in vv. 2, 9, 17)

            3. Nebuchadnezzars disappears. Daniel remains. (v. 21)

            4. Jesus' triumph over exile 

III.   Conclusion 

In January 2024, I published ​What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus? A Clear, Biblical Picture of Discipleship. A few people have asked for a bit more info on the book, so I'm creating this post as a sort of "landing page" for book info, any video(s) I create related to it, etc. Scroll through the headings below and check it out. (And help spread the word!) 

One of our core values at Brookside Church is Biblical Authority — looking to the Bible for truth, direction, and inspiration. On Sunday mornings we preach from the Bible. Our small groups (all ages) are tethered to God's Word. We have been encouraging personal Bible reading for YEARS through our 365 Bible Reading Plan. The bottom line? We believe the Bible is uniquely authoritative as God's Word, and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training for right living (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

But we don't only care THAT people read God's Word. (Though of course we never want to minimize this either!) We also care HOW people read God's Word. Or stated another way, we want to help people get into the Bible in such a way that they get the most out of the Bible (in a way that is consistent with how the Bible itself wants to be read!).

Our goal is that our teaching models this and certain classes we offer facilitate this (think: Bible Basics). And we also want to point people toward helpful resources that contribute to this goal as well.

With that in mind, here are six resources I encourage others toward, when I hear they want help with understanding how to read the Bible on their own, or with interpreting certain kinds of Scripture, etc. I hope these help you get into God's Word, in such a way that God's Word gets into you! 

(Note: These are listed in no particular order. [Other than the Study Bibles at the beginning — start there if you don't have a study Bible yet.] Choose the one or two of these that you find more interesting, and dig in!)

Graduate-level theological training is coming to Omaha! This training is local and it’s live — so this about more than just consuming content. You can participate in a way that forms you, builds community, and serves others. 
​
Oh yeah — and you’ll see that this training is SO AFFORDABLE. (Which is of course always good!)
​
Below you'll find a few brief videos orienting you to what's coming: 

• an overview video introducing this training and the subsequent videos
• a tutorial video explaining the accredited, graduate-level certificates that are offered through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 
• a video explaining the unaccredited track that's available, if for whatever reason the accredited option isn't a fit for you
• a video where I share my heart for this training, and the goals that I hope this serves

One more thing before you scroll to the videos: I've included the links here that I mention in the videos, so you have easy access to them: 

• The Theology Training page overview and FAQs
• The certificates page of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (the Systematic Theology classes that we'll teach live pair well with the Certificate of Christian Tradition or the Certificate of Theological Studies)
• A link to the registration page that we ask everyone who's participating to fill out — both accredited and unaccredited students. (And remember that accredited students also need to apply and be accepted into Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. You can access that application page here.) 

​Now, on to the videos: 

I'm a big fan of discipleship pathways. It's good for churches to have intentional ways forward (e.g. programs, resources, etc.), helping people grow as disciples (and disciple-makers). I'm encouraged that I anecdotally hear more and more churches uses the language of "discipleship pathway." 

But I also want to paint the picture of a discipleship pathway as a four-lane road, rather than a one-lane bridge. Allow me to explain what I mean: 

A one-lane bridge is narrow and rigid. There's only one way forward, and it usually slows down traffic. There's only one way to get to your destination, whether you like bridges or not. When some people see a one-lane bridge, they do a U-turn and head the other direction. For "one-lane bridge" discipleship pathways, every next step along the path of discipleship (and every tool that's part of that next step) is planned out and mandated. I'm concerned that it can feel too rigid, and may even impede progress.

But gladly, there's another way. 

In the past I've written a couple of short posts advocating the idea of building a biblical and theological "library" of books — a shelf (or shelves) with trusted books that can relied on to guide you in reading the Bible and navigating theological topics. (Click here and here to see the first two posts in what is now apparently a series!)

Some of these are books to read straight through; others are books to keep handy as reference books and turn to on an as-needed basis. All of them are worthwhile.

I'm still a fan of the books I recommended in the earlier posts — even as I now figure it's time to add a few more books to the list. If you're looking to slowly start building (or adding) to a biblical and theological library yourself, here are four books to add to the shelf: