by Daniel Mann I did not have a good plan for preaching when I first became a pastor.[1] My first pastorate began on the first Sunday meeting of a church plant. I preached a few topical series that were foundational and useful for our church, but I had not thought carefully enough about how my […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Brandon K. Presley On May 11, 2023, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that many may have overlooked. It did not address abortion, sexuality and gender, gun rights, or any of the other “hot button” social issues that we are accustomed to seeing on our televisions or social media feeds; instead, this ruling deals […]| Helwys Society Forum
Much of the history of Free Will Baptists in the nineteenth century is limited to analyzing the events that occurred within the movement but fails to connect the hopes, dreams, pursuits, and fears of our movement fully to the broader cultural and political context. In this essay, I provide some context to the culture of […]| Helwys Society Forum
When reading the second half of Acts recently, I was struck by the commitment of Paul and his companions to press on in ministry no matter the opposition they faced. A good example of this point occurs in Acts 16–18. Just after the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), Paul and Silas set out for Paul’s second […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Joshua R. Colson & Brandon K. Presley Over the course of three previous articles (here, here, and here), we have covered the shifting nature of how Christians wrestled with sports throughout the first 1700 years of church history. Prior to the 16th century, the primary concerns with which Christians grappled were how closely sporting […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Joshua R. Colson and Brandon K. Presley In the preceding articles of this series, we explored the developing relationship between Christians and sports from the early church until the eve of the Reformation. While the New Testament is replete with sports metaphors and illustrations, the earliest Christians had an uneasy relationship with organized sports […]| Helwys Society Forum
Theology, Spirituality, Ministry and Culture| Helwys Society Forum
As public schools become less and less of a viable option for many Christian families, interest in alternative schooling options is increasing. Christian private schools remain financially unattainable for many (especially for larger families). Homeschooling, on the other hand, can be incredibly intimidating for those without direct experience or exposure to what homeschooling looks like […]| Helwys Society Forum
Christian Doctrines is one of my favorite courses to teach at Welch College. This course introduces students to the core doctrines of the Christian faith from a Reformed Arminian and Free Will Baptist perspective. One of my favorite lectures to give concerns the doctrines of foreknowledge, election, and predestination. Some (not all) of my Arminian […]| Helwys Society Forum
My previous article examined the language of “election” in the New Testament in relation to the believer’s salvation, arguing that God has elected individual believers in Christ from eternity past by His foreknowing their faith unto the end of eternal life. This article treats the language of election more broadly. The first portion of this […]| Helwys Society Forum
In a previous article, I examined the language of “foreknowledge” in the New Testament; that article introduced a series in which I am considering the Biblical language of “foreknowledge,” “election,” and “predestination” within a Reformed Arminian, Free Will Baptist framework. The following two posts turn to election. The language of election (or choosing) appears with […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Daniel Mann Is it possible for genuine believers in Jesus Christ to fall away from Him and be eternally lost? Of course, this theological question has occupied scholars for centuries, and it is far too broad of a topic to be covered thoroughly in a brief essay. Nevertheless, the issue is vital for us […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Anna Pinson In The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr argues that the Internet has physically changed the brains of human beings in a way that reflects the nature of the tool, causing extreme distraction, worsened memories, and shallower intelligence. To prove his point, Carr compares the modern computer- […]| Helwys Society Forum
For the past few years, I have been neck-deep in the writings of Francis Schaeffer. This research has included not only his Complete Works but also his pamphlets and articles. As I have read through his writings, I have kept finding references to “revolution.” Often these references relate to one’s Christian faith and spirituality. Schaeffer […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Ed Goode Applying the imagery in the Song of Solomon to the relationship between God and His church, it tells us that the Lord sees His church being as “beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners” (6:10, ESV). However, we are sometimes tempted to doubt this depiction […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Sarah Lovett In the pursuit of knowledge, Christians face the temptation of pride in their intellectual powers. However, a clear awareness of their depravity should lead believers to see that all of their knowledge is merely an extension of God’s grace. In fact, because of humankind’s fall into sin, men and women need the […]| Helwys Society Forum
Historian Ernest Gordon Rupp said of Thomas Monck’s Cure for the Cankering Error of the New Eutychians (1673), “No high churchman, no orthodox Anglican, not Daniel Waterland himself produced an abler defence of catholic doctrine.”[1] Monck’s Cure was a biblical and theological polemic against the rising tide of anti-Trinitarianism in England and the emergence of […]| Helwys Society Forum
The most significant intellectual relationship for Francis Schaeffer, outside of his wife, was easily his relationship with Hans Rookmaaker. The meeting of the two seemed providential. Edith Schaeffer records the event, Leaning against this historic wall, a young art critic for two Dutch newspapers, who was still taking his studies for his doctorate, chewed on […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Joshua R. Colson and Brandon K. Presley In the United States, and much of the world, sports are a major part of life. A 2023 survey found that the average American spends just over four hours per week watching sports-related content.[1] Extrapolated over one year, this average amounts to eight days of sports watching. […]| Helwys Society Forum
by Joshua R. Colson and Brandon K. Presley In the first article of this series, we explored the relationship between organized sport and the early church.[1] Throughout the first three centuries of the Church’s existence, Christians dealt with sports in the context of the Roman Empire. For Romans, sporting events were inextricably bound up with […]| Helwys Society Forum
Reflections from Life I remember the joy with which I consumed the Word of God as a teenager. It was new, it was exciting, and it was instructive. I also remember the important role that Bible reading plans played in helping me get through all sixty-six books and in teaching me about the importance of […]| Helwys Society Forum
One of the key doctrinal principles of the Protestant Reformation was sola Scriptura. This principle emphasized Scripture rather than tradition as the final authority in faith and practice. The Protestant Reformers and their immediate theological heirs affirmed sola Scriptura because they believed that the Bible, as God’s very Word, was sufficient for the doctrine and […]| Helwys Society Forum
In this episode of HSF Conversations, Matthew Steven Bracey and Phillip T. Morgan reflect on the 2024 presidential election. The best way to stay up-to-date with HSF SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!| Helwys Society Forum
Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic. Since the turn of the century and before, people have been enamored with the idea of AI. Movies ranging from I, Robot to Terminator to A.I. demonstrate equal parts fascination and anxiety. Yet individuals are often confused as to what AI is and how we should think about it. […]| Helwys Society Forum
