The Shepherd As Theologian

Handling God's Truth Accurately— Know What You Believe and Teach How you interpret and teach the doctrines of the faith truly matters. This requires diligent study and "accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). The Shepherd as Theologian presents a collection of invaluable messages from the internationally recognized Shepherds' Conference held at Grace Community Church. Pastor John MacArthur and other respected teachers, including R.C. Sproul and Ligon Duncan, delve into key theological issues on... justification by faith alone the great commission a literal six-day creation the inerrancy of Scripture premillennialism Knowing what you believe and why you believe it is absolutely critical to teaching well. Study the central doctrines of Christianity, and get equipped to accurately proclaim God's Word.

Handling God's Truth Accurately— Know What You Believe and Teach How you interpret and teach the doctrines of the faith truly matters. This requires diligent study and "accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). The Shepherd as Theologian presents a collection of invaluable messages from the internationally recognized Shepherds' Conference held at Grace Community Church. Pastor John MacArthur and other respected teachers, including R.C. Sproul and Ligon Duncan, delve into key theological issues on... justification by faith alone the great commission a literal six-day creation the inerrancy of Scripture premillennialism Knowing what you believe and why you believe it is absolutely critical to teaching well. Study the central doctrines of Christianity, and get equipped to accurately proclaim God's Word.

How does God manage his entire creation? Has he had a plan, a theme, a metanarrative or something else which he follows that gives a unity to all of his efforts? Shepherds describes the relationship between the Creator and his creation, a relationship that is structurally integrated by the very core of who God is. There is a design within creation that radiates from his personal, unique being. What God created and how he manages it is a marvelous extension of who he is and how he acts. This relationship between God and his creation is not patterned only on his essence or being, but on his powerful and loving will and acts. Rather than a literary grid to which "theme" and "metanarrative" attempt to subject God's relationship with humanity, Shepherds recognizes that all of creation bears the eternal design emanating from God's very nature. Scripture is not a "story" about Israel or the church; it is not simply a story of redemption; it is a window into the eternal design by which God created reality and will eternally sustain that creation.

This study explores the Shepherd Controversy (1975-1982) and the contemporary debate on covenant and justification by faith from the perspectives of historical, systematic, and biblical theology. The distinctive contribution lies in the identification that the Shepherd Controversy as a logical outcome of rejecting the distinction between Law and Gospel at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia. The larger problem is that Norman Shepherd and other associated theologians reject the distinction between Law and Gospel, injecting their monocovenantalism into the theologies of Calvin, the Westminster Standards, and Murray. The result has been hermeneutical and theological confusion among some of the followers of the Union with Christ School scholars. Reformed theonomists (led by Greg Bahnsen), Auburn Avenue theologians, and pastors are also monocovenantalists and have been influenced by the Union with Christ School scholars directly and indirectly. Their common denominator is the rejection of the distinction between Law and Gospel in their analysis and understanding of covenant and justification by faith. Having been influenced by the Union with Christ School scholars at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, some scholars began to adopt the hermeneutics and theology of the New Perspective on Paul, which is anti-Reformational and anti-Pauline. The adaptation of the New Perspective on Paul among some of the followers of the Union with Christ School is a logical step because both of them reject the distinction between Law and Gospel, which was a key hermeneutical and theological tool during the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation against the background of the medieval legalistic religion.

Brings new light and life to our understanding of one of the most beloved and central images of the Christian faith. The Lord is my shepherd. Thus begins the most beloved of all Psalms - and thus begins a thousand-year journey through the Bible. Prophets, apostles and Jesus himself took up this image from David, reshaping it, developing it and applying it to their own situations and needs. Kenneth Bailey uses his celebrated insights into Middle Eastern culture and especially his familiarity with Middle Eastern shepherding customs to bring new light and life to our understanding of this central image of the Christian faith. With each of nine major Old and New Testament passages, Bailey reveals the literary artistry of the biblical writers and summarizes their key theological features. His work is also enriched by his unique access to very early Middle Eastern commentaries on these passages, bringing fresh understanding from within the mindset of these ancient worlds. The Good Shepherd invites us to experience a rich, biblical feast of ethical, theological and artistic delights.

Pastoral ministry today is often ruled by an emphasis on short-sighted goals, pragmatic results, and shallow thinking. Unfortunately, those in the academy tend to have the opposite problem, failing to connect theological study to the pressing issues facing the church today. Contemporary evangelicalism has lost sight of the inherent connection between pastoral leadership and theology. This results in theologically anemic churches, and ecclesial anemic theologies. Todd Wilson and Gerald Hiestand contend that among a younger generation of evangelical pastors and theologians, there is a growing appreciation for the native connection between theology and pastoral ministry. At the heart of this recovery of a theological vision for ministry is the re-emergence of the role of the "pastor theologian." The Pastor Theologian presents a taxonomy of the pastor-theologian and shows how individual pastors—given their unique calling and gift-set—can best embody this age-old vocation in the 21st century. They present three models that combine theological study and practical ministry to the church: The Local Theologian—a pastor theologian who ably services the theological needs of a local congregation. The Popular Theologian—a pastor theologian who writes theology to a wider lay audience. The Ecclesial Theologian—a pastor theologian who writes theology to other theologians and scholars. Raising the banner for the pastor as theologian, this book invites the emerging generation of theologians and pastors to reimagine the pastoral vocation along theological lines, and to identify with one of the above models of the pastor theologian.

Jonathon Lookadoo guides readers through the early Christian apocalypse known as the Shepherd of Hermas, providing a clear overview of the numerous literary, historical, and theological insights that this text contains for those researching early Christianity. Dividing his exploration into two sections, Lookadoo first introduces the Shepherd by providing an overview of the text to those with limited familiarity, while also focusing on critical issues such as authorship, date, and the Shepherd's complex manuscript tradition and reception history. He then moves to examine the interpretation of particular passages in detail, and by close exploration of theological and literary features he is able to contextualize the Shepherd alongside contemporary contexts. This volume covers the important thematic issues in the Shepherd, and also provides a fresh perspective that arises from a thoroughly textual focus; in so doing, Lookadoo enables readers to engage both with the Shepherd itself and the scholarship that surrounds the text.

The very best training a pastor can receive comes from proven leaders with proven track records—leaders like John MacArthur, John Piper, Steven Lawson, RC Sproul, and Al Mohler. You'll find all of them and more in The Shepherd as Leader, a collection of the all-time best-ever messages on spiritual leadership from the popular Shepherds' Conference held annually at Grace Community Church in Southern California. With longtime bestselling author John MacArthur as general editor and contributor, church leaders will find an abundance of guidance on... the key essentials of effective ministry the urgency of purity and integrity in a leader's life the value of prayer, both personal and public the biblical responses to suffering and opposition the necessity of complete reliance upon God's grace and empowerment The Shepherd as Leader is the second volume in our popular Shepherds' Library series, a new line of resources designed to help pastors fulfill their calling with excellence. Also available is The Shepherd as Preacher.