Answering a false interpretation of Acts 2:38

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Answering a false interpretation of Acts 2:38 by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 12:56pm I am adapting my “Tyranny of the Paradigm” essay for a Christian Standard article (next year); this is one small part of it: Finally, an absolute, a priori commitment to the sola fidei paradigm leads to an irrational distortion of NT texts that relate baptism to salvation. One example is a rather common twisting of Acts 2:38. It is an argument that attempts to separate baptism from forgiveness through a blatantly faulty analysis of the Greek forms in this verse. E.g., Cal … Continue reading →

Faith and Reason

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Faith and Reason by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 9:21am Someone asked in a post, “Do you believe faith is independent of reason?” I answered thus: NO — the separation of faith and reason is a myth. You exercise faith EVERY TIME you accept someone else’s word about something, whether it be your doctor, your friend, the newspaper, a politician, or apostles. That is the ESSENCE of faith. But we must always ask, WHY should I accept another person’s word about anything? This is where reason enters. We should never accept someone’s word without adequate evidence–even … Continue reading →

Acts 2:38 in the NIV

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Acts 2:38 in the NIV by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, August 14, 2009 at 2:01pm In the original version of the NIV (1973), Acts 2:38a was translated thus: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that [eis] your sins may be forgiven.’” Here the Greek word “eis” is given its natural meaning, “so that, in order that, for the purpose of.” In the next edition of the NIV (1978) this was changed without notice: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus … Continue reading →

Another question about baptism

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Another question about baptism by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 7:51pm Someone asked another question about baptism: “What about someone baptizing you that is not a Christian? Or they call themselves a Christian, but they are living in the world everyday but Sunday?” Here is my brief answer: Thanks for the question. My understanding is that baptism is an encounter between the baptized person and God. The baptizer is merely an instrument. There is no power in the baptizer; the baptizer lends no authenticity to the baptism. If the person being baptized is trusting to meet … Continue reading →

Can women perform baptisms?

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Can women perform baptisms? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 8:27am Someone asked me if it is OK for a woman to baptize a new convert in the church service. In defense of the practice, one person says the great commission is for everyone. Against this another person says that the great commission was given before the church began. Here is my response: (1) Yes, the great commission was given before the church began, but it was given FOR the church. The Lord’s Supper was given before the church began, too. Should we then not practice … Continue reading →

SOME THOUGHTS ON 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14 – 7:1

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SOME THOUGHTS ON 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14 – 7:1 by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 8:58pm Recently a friend wrote me asking about the meaning of 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1. This was my reply: The background for this text is God’s permanent standard and rule that his people should always remain distinct from the world, which is “the domain of darkness,” Col. 1:13. God applied this principle to Israel under the Old Covenant by separating them geographically from the world; this is why he gave them the “promised land,” the land of Canaan. He commanded them to be … Continue reading →

“The Shack” critique available

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“The Shack” critique available by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 7:08pm Hey everybody — if you are interested, my critique of “The Shack” is now available online by going here: http://www.ccuniversity.edu/seminary/academics/faculty I have several items posted there, including this one: “The Shack: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” Some other items include: 1. “God and Time” — a rather philosophical study of how God is related to time, in such a way that he exists along a time-line but still has foreknowledge of the entire future of this universe. 2. “Pharaoh as a Paradigm for … Continue reading →

“The Shack” presentation

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“The Shack” presentation by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, March 23, 2009 at 2:19pm Well, I just finished putting the final touches on my review of Young’s novel, “The Shack.” I will present this review at the Theological Forum (part of a weekly series) on the campus of Cincinnati Christian University at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, March 24) in Foster Hall in the Library-Grad School building. My original title for this review was “Big Mack Attack, Hack-a-Shack, Jack-a-Shack: An Analysis of the Best-Selling novel, ‘The Shack.’” That seemed burdensome, though, and many non-NBA fans probably would not get the connection … Continue reading →