Tag Archives: Cross

Can We Cooperate with Christian Groups?

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Can We Cooperate with Christian Groups? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 7:34pm QUESTION #1 – “Some parachurch organizations use the 1974 Lausanne Covenant to describe what they believe. What are your thoughts about this?” QUESTION #2 – “What do you think of the Manhattan Declaration? Have you signed it? How can we cooperate with those whose doctrine is different from ours?” ANSWER: The former question came today; the latter came some months ago. Each involves the same two issues: (1) Can we endorse the doctrine expressed in these documents? And, (2) can we in good … Continue reading →

Is Substitutionary Atonement a Calvinist Doctrine?

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Is Substitutionary Atonement a Calvinist Doctrine? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 11:50am QUESTION: There are some who say that Jesus was in no way a substitute for our sins because this is Calvinism. I have your book, God the Redeemer, and have read your chapter dealing with the atonement. I believe that Jesus in some way “took our place” as in Gal. 3:13 (substitution does not have to be used), but I am not a Calvinist and would fight Calvinism rigorously. Can you offer any more help especially in locating materials that would support Jesus … Continue reading →

GRACE IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES

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GRACE IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 3:40pm QUESTION: Did Adam and Eve, in spite of disobeying the divine law, enter heaven? ANSWER: Let’s take this question a step at a time. First, what heaven are we talking about here? There are at least four kinds mentioned in the Bible. One is the “heavens above,” into which astronauts have entered; but this is probably not the one the inquirer means. Another is the divine heaven, equivalent to the very transcendent essence of God; but no one can enter this “unapproachable light” (1 … Continue reading →

LOVE WINS, by Rob Bell: A Synopsis of Cottrell’s Review

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LOVE WINS, by Rob Bell: A Synopsis of Cottrell’s Review by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 11:04am QUESTION: What do you think about Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins? ANSWER: I have just completed writing an analysis of his book. The full analysis is too long to post here on FaceBook, but it can be accessed at http://www.ccuniversity.edu/seminary/academics/faculty-publications/ . What follows here is a brief synopsis of this more complete analysis and critique, without any page references. See the full version for quotes and references. Two general conclusions: (1) I found not one single redeeming quality in … Continue reading →

INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE, PART THREE: EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DENIED

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INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE, PART THREE: EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DENIED by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 4:03pm THE INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE: DOES IT STILL MATTER? JACK COTTRELL – CINCINNATI CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY – APRIL 2011 PART III. AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS TO THEOLOGY WHEN INERRANCY IS DENIED I have said that a denial of inerrancy leaves us at the mercy of subjectivism and relativism. I.e., in the end each of us as individuals will ultimately decide, based on our own subjective inclinations and preferences, what aspects of the Bible we will accept and what we … Continue reading →

ARE BABIES BORN IN ORIGINAL SIN?

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ARE BABIES BORN IN ORIGINAL SIN? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, May 6, 2011 at 10:01am QUESTION: A friend of mine argues that babies are born in sin. She uses some specific Bible verses for this: Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23, and Romans 5:12-19. She especially emphasizes Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned . . . .” Since it says “all,” she says it must include babies. Do these texts really teach that babies are born sinful? ANSWER: I have written quite a bit on this. For Romans 5:12-19, see my commentary on Romans, published by College Press. See also … Continue reading →

WAS JOHN’S BAPTISM “FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS”?

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WAS JOHN’S BAPTISM “FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS”? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, May 2, 2011 at 6:48pm QUESTION: Mark 1:4 says that John’s baptism was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Now, if those baptized by John had their sins forgiven there, how can John’s baptism be any different from the Christian baptism that began on the Day of Pentecost? Also, if people could receive forgiveness through John’s baptism, then why did Jesus have to die on the cross? ANSWER: There are two questions here; we will take the second one first. Let’s grant for … Continue reading →

Books By Jack Cottrell

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BOOKS BY JACK COTTRELL by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 1:35pm Someone asked me recently to make a list of my available books. I thought some of you may be interested in the list, so I am publishing it here, mostly as written for another purpose. I, Jack Cottrell (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary), have taught theology at Cincinnati Christian University for 43 years. During this time I have written 20 books, 16 of which are still in print. The following is a list of these available books. The first seven are available from College Press Publishing … Continue reading →

Is Genesis One a Poem?

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Is Genesis One a Poem? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 3:13pm QUESTION: I showed a video by Rob Bell to my youth group. In the video Bell says that Genesis 1 is a poem written to set up the Sabbath. Some parents objected to my showing the video. They assume that since Bell says Genesis 1 is a poem, he must be saying that it is not an actual historical account of creation. What do you think? Could this crucial passage be poetry? And if it is, how does this affect our interpretation of it? … Continue reading →

Is Everything “the Will of God”?

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Is Everything “the Will of God”? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 7:05pm QUESTION: Our pastor says that everything is God’s will. Is this true? How can we understand “God’s will”? ANSWER: To know what your “pastor” means when he says that “everything is God’s will,” I would have to know if he is a Calvinist or not. Let me explain. The NT words for “will,” as used in the context of “God’s will,” can mean one of three things: desire, purpose, or permission. In view of this variety of connotations, it is indeed correct to … Continue reading →