What About Those Who Haven’t Heard?

Maybe you’ve agonized over the question yourself. Surely you’ve heard it from someone probing for vulnerabilities in Christianity, In a world with constant awareness of our global neighbors, the question, “What about those those who haven’t heard the gospel of Jesus Christ?” demands an answer from Christians. But as we’ve been reminded in recent days, not everyone who claims the name of Christ answers the same way.

Once again we turn for help to Christopher Morgan, who previously guided us into a deeper understanding of hell and counseled us on relating to other religions. His nuanced explanations will help you understand the historical, biblical, and theological context of our current disputes over what happens to those who persist in their sin and do not trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Be sure to read through to the end where Morgan, a theology professor at California Baptist University, explains how he teaches the Bible’s difficult doctrines to skeptical audiences today. Keep Reading>>>

J. I. Packer and the Evangelical Future

D. Bruce Hindmarsh describes Packer’s habit of retrieving riches from the past for the purpose of renewing the present as “the Robin Hood character of [his] public ministry.” Following the example of C. S. Lewis, who made an impression upon Packer during his days as a student at Oxford, this “retrieval and renewal” model rejects chronological snobbery in favor of timeless wisdom. Thus, during the same years that Catholic ressourcement theologians were digging into their past, Packer began raiding the castles of seventeenth-century Puritans, redistributing their riches to the impoverished masses of evangelicals. The wealth of Packer’s redistribution is fully on display in an appendix containing a comprehensive bibliography of his written works, beginning in July of 1952.
Reformed Theology. The doctrines of grace are central to Packer’s mind, beginning with his exegetical method, which is particularly sensitive to covenantal impulses in the canon. Accordingly, in Packer’s view, “the Old Testament should be read through the hermeneutical spectacles that Paul (Romans and Galatians), Luke (Gospel and Acts), Matthew, and the writer to the Hebrews provide.” Read the rest HERE