By Dr. Scott Manor

The love of the world is incompatible with the love of the Father, John insists. Specifically, the desires of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are signs of those who love the world (I John 2:15). These temptations, hallmarks of major cities, easily lure believers into sin. That is why some people think Christianity is purer and more devout the further away it is from metropolitan areas. But our Christian heritage challenges this perspective. In fact, early Christians targeted the largest cities of their time and became the first urban Christians.

The earliest record of church history is found in Acts. Its author, Luke, time and again emphasizes the urban focus of Paul’s mission. He preached the gospel in major cities like Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Phillipi, Athens and Rome. He followed that up by writing to many of these churches in metropolitan centers. Comprising a significant portion of the New Testament, these letters, rich in theology are also encouragement and instruction for Christians who were living and ministering in these cities. As Paul reminded believers in Rome, the power of the gospel sets us free from sin and transforms our hearts and minds away from a love of this world towards a love of God.

Acts ends with Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. Yet he continued to preach the gospel, planting new seeds of faith in the heart of the Roman Empire. Subsequent generations of Christians followed in Paul’s footsteps, discovering cities as opportunities for the power of the gospel to radically influence and change the world. Ignatius of Antioch, a contemporary of Paul, wrote several letters to urban churches as he was led to Rome to face martyrdom. In one such letter to believers in Rome, Ignatius does not tell them to flee from the perils they faced in the city; rather, he encourages them to remain steadfast in their faith so that together they may not just “claim the name Christian” but also prove themselves to be Christians.

Paul and Ignatius typify the early Christian awareness of both the struggles and opportunities that come when the Christian faith intersects the secular world. It is remarkable that Christian martyrdom, intense intellectual opposition, slander, and social ridicule did not deter others from belief; nor did it cause fellow believers to retreat underground or move to rural quarters. In fact, just the opposite occurred. Christianity was emboldened and spread even more rapidly as believers and unbelievers alike witnessed a sincerity of faith in the midst of adversity.

What compelled believers to be faithful witnesses in hostile cities? In fact, it was simply their unshakeable belief in the faithful promises of God. As Hebrews 11 tells us, great men and women of faith hoped for a heavenly city that God has prepared for them. As Christians we anticipate the city that is to come (Hebrews 13:12), and we know that God promises restoration for the world in which we now live.

The growth of Christianity was certainly not because early believers feared the truth of the gospel to be too fragile for a hostile world. Rather, they embraced the opportunity for countercultural demonstration of their faith to others. They followed Jesus’ command to care for the poor, the widows and the orphans. In the midst of calamities like famine, war, and disease, Christians protected and supported those in need. Christian service, to the poor and destitute within cities, sets believers apart from a society that deemed such people unclean or worthless. These believers understood that the gospel could bring real, redemptive change to the broken world around them and it did.

What might we learn from these testimonies? Here at Knox, we emphasize the centrality of being Christ centered, gospel driven, and mission focused. Our purpose is the same today as it was then, and yet we should not forget the persevering witness of our Christian predecessors. They understood that a spirit of fear and separatism is incompatible with the transforming work of the gospel in cities and throughout the world. Just like them, we are not promised comfort and ease in our ministry; but thankfully we have excellent examples of believers who show us that the power of the gospel is strong enough to overcome our struggles and transform a broken and fallen world.

Dr. Scott Manor, Historical Perspective

*This article was in the winter 2013 issue of Knox Now. See the full magazine here:

by Ivey Rose Smith

“Absolute in Truth…Unrelenting in Grace…Universal in Outreach”

NOT YOUR TYPICAL CHURCH

A towering sanctuary rests in the heart of the bustling Westchester area in Miami, a largely Cuban community, and it’s home to Christ the King Anglican Church at Olympia Heights Methodist Church. Yes, you read that right.

The pastoral staff at Christ the King features several Knox alumni. The Senior Priest, Rev. Jorge Finlay, has a broadly evangelical background spanning largely Baptist and Reformed theological training and time spent as a youth minister in a Methodist church. While at Knox, he was heavily influenced by reformed thinking and the works of Robert E. Webber, author of such works as Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail: Why Evangelicals Are Attracted to the Liturgical Church. Almost five years ago, he and his wife Jeanine felt God shifting them toward the Anglican tradition and a deeper, more authentic, and liturgical style of worship that includes the Book of Common Prayer.

Burning with a heart for God’s people and a desire to see this style of worship lived out in Miami, they planted Christ the King Anglican Church while Rev. Finlay was completing seminary. As new church planters they faced what so many preceding them faced—no money, a bi-vocational workload, a young family, and a post-Christian culture. When asked about testing and trials he says, “My prayer life was never stronger!” Perseverance and God’s faithfulness to provide carried them through those initial years of church planting.

CHURCH PLANT

Christ the King was started in a backyard with four couples present. As the numbers at their weekly gatherings increased, they transitioned to meeting in an upstairs room of an old municipal building in Miami that was being used for a variety of associations. A city worker showed favor on them and said that he couldn’t charge for the Lord’s work. Their “rent” then became paying the building’s water bill.

Christ the King met and their vibrant Hispanic congregation grew there for over four years. In the fall of 2012, Rev. Finlay faced a growing congregation and severely limited space. Olympia Heights Methodist Church had a sprawling facility but faced declining membership and an empty pulpit. Christ the King needed a more permanent residence and Olympia Heights needed a pastor. In July of 2012, the churches came together and made the merger official.

A BLENDED CHURCH

Rev. Finlay describes the church as largely evangelical with the Methodist influence, but when describing the worship he says, “We have the beauty of the tradition but we also have the gospel.” The blended services are vibrant and that is elegantly balanced by the sublime nature of liturgical worship.

Not new to the Methodist tradition, Rev. Finlay has combined the strengths of both denominational traditions. This blended congregation demonstrates that churches can come together and work simultaneously for the good of their local community. The church currently holds two services on Sunday mornings—an English service and a Spanish service that serves as an outreach to their largely Hispanic community.

Such a significant merger hasn’t come without a few stretches for both churches; Olympia Heights members had to get used to the increased frequency of the Lord’s Supper and a more formal worship service. Christ the King was pushed by having to manage a large facility, a staff, and run a multitude of ministry organizations as part of their outreach at the church.

In a testament though to God’s hand in this merger, Olympia Heights members say that they believe their church identity has been retained and not marginalized since the two churches became one. They find full expression in their tradition and the kind of “arms and feet of Christ” community outreach that Methodists are known for demonstrating.

OUTREACH

The idea of “outreach” comes in all forms. Beyond the building is the presence of the church that you don’t necessarily see in the community but that touches another sense and is heard. An Olympia Heights member gave a touching testimony to the importance of the church bells and what they mean to her. In a deeply meaningful way, she articulates the church bells as echoes of the church in the local community. Even as people go through a drive-through window at a local fast food restaurant, they hear the church bells and the presence of the church resonates in the minds, hearts, and foundation of the neighborhood.

The impressive facility is home to many ministry organizations. In the back of the church complex is a thriving preschool setup. In addition to the preschool operation that brings in lots of traffic and people daily, ministry meetings and Bible studies are held during the week along with prayer services. Multiple churches meet in the upstairs portion of the ministry wing. An Evangelical Free Church and a Hispanic church plant meet and gather on the second floor. A friend to other churches, Rev. Finlay says, “I know what it’s like to have a church without a building” so he opens the doors for other churches to plant the seeds of their ministries at Olympia Heights.

Having spent time studying at Knox, Rev. Finlay credits Dr. Bruce Waltke and Dr. Warren Gage with opening his eyes to the beauty of biblical typology and the classics studied in the Master of Arts (Christian and Classical Studies) and describes them as being truly unique for ministry. One familiar with the teachings of Dr. Gage could certainly hear shades of his teaching in what was a Sunday morning sermon on the second coming of Christ. Rev. Finlay talks about the teaching at Knox as being Christ centered and that all students are taught how the entirety of Scripture, Old and New Testaments, points to Christ. This is a universal message that can be agreed upon by any denomination.

WHAT’S NEXT

As a true pastor, Rev. Finlay enjoys shepherding aspirants to the priesthood and mentoring them as they come up in the faith and life of the church, as they are the future of the church. When asked what is next for Christ the King at Olympia Heights and his heart for South Florida he says, “I want to be a church-planting church that will, with God’s help, plant at least four more churches just in Miami.” One knows that when talking to him, he firmly believes that regional growth and ministry impact in South Florida comes with collaboration and working across ministry lines and denominations, and that is evident when one visits Christ the King Anglican Church at Olympia Heights Methodist Church.

A FAMILY BUSINESS

Rev. Jorge Finlay is joined in ministering to God’s people with his brother and Knox Master of Divinity graduate, the Rev. Juan Finlay. He was ordained to the diaconate in 2012 in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) and will be ordained as a presbyter in 2013. While gaining valuable pastoral and ministry experience at Christ the King, he is also pursuing a master’s degree in Christian counseling and plans to sit for the state boards to become a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC).

Brother Robert Finlay has been on the worship team since the church was founded. His wife Traci also sings on the worship team and the two of them together lead the youth/college group.

MORE KNOX FAMILY

The Rev. Greg Llerena is a Doctor of Ministry student at Knox and an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church. He currently serves at Christ the King as the church evangelist in the local community.

To view a photo album of pictures from Christ the King Church at Olympia Heights, please click here. *Photography by Howard Lewis.

*This article was in the spring 2013 issue of Knox Now. See the full article and magazine here:

The New City Catechism Project: Video Series from Knox Theological Seminary

In our cities people are trained to be consumers and competitors. Our culture forms our children to be individualistic and anxiety ridden. Modern Americans tend to bounce back and forth between being outright nihilists and cocky optimists. How do churches mold and form men and women, adults and children in this time and place to live and die like Christians? How do Christian communities instill the virtues of faith and hope, and live in these kinds of contexts? Most of all, how can we constantly shape our lives such that Christ is the center of ourselves and our societies? Throughout the centuries, churches have turned to catechisms as tools for formation in the face of habits and practices contrary to the gospel. In the time of the Protestant Reformation, when there were so many challenges to faithful Christian living, catechisms were a potent tool in the hands of pastors and parents. Catechisms employ a question and answer format where Christians and their children may study and even memorize the great, glorious truths of the gospel. In so doing catechisms help to shape not only our minds and worldviews but–by God’s grace–our imaginations and passions.

The New City Catechism was developed last year by Redeemer Presbyterian Church of Manhattan, pastored by Dr. Tim Keller. They drew from and adapted questions from four great catechisms of the Reformation tradition: Calvin’s Geneva Catechism, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The New City Catechism employs 52 questions and answers to survey the great truths of the Christian faith. It includes three parts: God, creation and fall, law (part one); Christ, redemption, grace (part two); and Spirit, restoration, growing in grace (part three). It draws on the catholic heritage affirmed by all Christians and exemplified in the three-part structure of the great ecumenical creeds. It focuses on the Reformational emphases upon salvation and life being found in Christ alone, by grace alone, and through faith alone. It communicates this catholic and Reformational teaching in an accessible key, so that adults and children can use it. It has been circulated widely on the web.

Knox Theological Seminary desires to provide theological resources for Christians and churches. To that end, we have launched The New City Catechism Project. Dr. Michael Allen, Kennedy Professor of Systematic Theology and Dean of Faculty at Knox Theological Seminary, will offer video reflections on each question and answer of the New City Catechism. In each video Dr. Allen points back to the biblical teaching regarding each question and its answer, explains its significance, and unpacks its application to Christian faith and practice in contemporary life. In an introductory video, Dr. Allen explains the reason for the Reformational use of catechisms to bring about missional change in the beliefs and practices of men and women, adults and children. He also explains the specific shape of the New City Catechism and its usefulness for Christian discipleship in twenty-first century culture.

The first question addressed by the New City Catechism is “What is our only hope in life and death?” Dr. Allen has also offered an explanation of this profound question that cuts to the very heart of our existence and the only hope for our life and our death.

Over the course of the next year we will be posting Dr. Allen’s reflections on each of the 52 questions to the New City Catechism. These videos will appear every Wednesday on the Knox blog so be sure to check back weekly for new additions. We invite you to watch, share the links, and make use of them in the spiritual rhythms of your own Christian life and that of your church.

The second question addressed by the New City Catechism is “What is God?” God is the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything.

The third question addresses the doctrine of the Trinity.

The fourth question: “How and why did God create us?”

The fifth question: “What else did God create?”

The sixth question: “How can we glorify God?”

The seventh question: “What does the law of God require?”

The eighth question: “What is the law of God stated in the Ten Commandments?”

The ninth question: “What does God require in the first, second, and third commandments?”

The tenth question: “What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?”

Q&A Interview with Dr. Terry Gyger

Dr. Gyger has planted churches in numerous metropolitan areas. We recently sat down to ask his thoughts on urban church planting and Redeemer City to City.

Q: Why is urban church planting important?  

A: The world is moving at an unprecedented pace toward large urban areas.  At least 50 percent of the world’s populations now live in cities.  But why concentrate church planting in these strategic centers?  Two reasons. One, they are the cultural-shaping centers of regions, nations and the world. If we are concerned about the influence of the gospel in all areas of life, we must pay attention to these mega population centers.  The urban areas are also highly connected to each other, especially in the digital age.  In many respects our present world reality is like the interconnectedness of the Roman Empire.  Two, these growing metro areas also need many more churches and different kinds of churches.  As these areas grow, the number of churches to effectively reach and influence these cities is actually declining in relative numbers. But we also need churches that are doctrinally orthodox, city friendly, culturally relevant, and ministry balanced. What brings these foci together is the gospel seen in its fullness and relevancy.

Q: What does City to City do? 

A: City to City is a relatively small organization with a single-minded focus:  plant gospel-centered churches in the influential centers of urban areas that reach young professionals.  Our ultimate goal is to foster church-planting movements that will plant churches in all areas of the city and establish networks of congregations and agencies that concentrate on renewing the city spiritually, socially and culturally.

Q: What does a City to City church look like?

A: These new congregations in different cities, and therefore in different cultures, will not all look alike.  What we hope distinguishes these churches will be the DNA, and values-enriched attitudes and ministries.  Above all, our prayer is that each new congregation will be gospel centered and enriched in every aspect of ministry.

Q: Why did you start City to City?

A: This relates to two aspects of the work in New York City: (1) Tim Keller’s original call to be a church planter in New York was to start a church that would have a multiplying catalytic influence on the city.  He knew that to have this kind of influence, Redeemer Presbyterian Church must concentrate on planting and multiplying congregations in every part of the city.  (2) Later, I was called to bring this vision to reality in a more concentrated effort of church planting and to expand the scope of city-center church planting in other global population centers of the world.  Though Redeemer City to City is a separate organization that can function internationally and be related to the wider church, it remains highly connected to Redeemer itself.

Q: What distinguishes a Redeemer City to City Church?

A: First of all, Redeemer City to City doesn’t actually start churches.  To be more clear on this, we facilitate, encourage and train local leaders to launch these new congregations.  We do not seek to replicate Redeemer Church in these other countries. Our goal is to communicate a certain gospel-centered DNA or value-rich structure that can be applied in different circumstances and cultures in which ministries of evangelism, discipleship, mercy, justice and cultural renewal can be harmonized into a unified effort.  Examples of this DNA would be (a) gospel centered in message and practice, (b) city friendly, and (c) ministry balanced.

Q: Why should Christians care about cities?

A: Christians should care about cities because they are the influence centers, cultural-shaping centers, and communication centers of our world.  They are also some of the most unreached areas of our world.  When Tim started Redeemer Church in New York, Manhattan, the most important area of New York culturally speaking, had less than one half of one percent evangelicals. Yet its influence in our western culture is so vast and deep it is hard to overestimate its influence.

Q: What does being “city positive” mean in a missional context?

A: We use this language to communicate that our effectiveness in the city will in many ways be measured by our attitude toward the city.  If we have a positive attitude toward the city, seeing city-centered realities of the positives as well as the negatives, we will shape our work, lives and ministry to bring peace, prosperity and hope to the city.  This “city-positive posture” will affect our attitudes as to how we personally relate to the city and ministry approaches, and how we function and serve in the city.  We can stand above the city in a critical and condemning posture, or use the city for our advantage, or we can love the city and seek to serve the city with love and humility.

Q: Why is being “city positive” important to the gospel?

A: The gospel has to do with God’s love and grace applied all across the city in all kinds of groups and neighborhoods. It is the ultimate “good news” for a city in conflict and turmoil.  The gospel also is hopeful about present and future reality.  The city can be a place of justice, of shalom, of service and of love. But as we serve the city we are painting small pictures of a future reality–the reality of restoration of all things.

Q: How can Christians contribute to the social renewal of cities?

A: As Christians we must live, work and serve the city with its vast and deep needs with humility and boldness.  This can be done on the large stage of social issues and challenges as well as on the small stages of neighborhood needs and opportunities. All large cities are combinations of “local neighborhoods,” where we can meet and relate to our “close-by” neighbors, where we can see small pieces of ministries that can really be accomplished as we work with other Christians and work as well with people in the city who also have a concern for the common good.  Small touches taken together amount to broad and deep impact.

Q: What are some of the challenges to pastors today trying to do ministry in an urban setting?

A: Some of these have to do with financial challenges. Cities are areas of high cost, especially in relationship to housing and other basic living costs. They are places of challenge for families in terms of both living space and education.  There are also challenges related to the modern, secular mindset of young professionals or the difficulty of adapting to the different cultures that make up the great cities of the world.

Q: Has Redeemer in its network of churches made an impact on the socio-cultural and spiritual life of New York City? 

A: This is not easy to measure.  However, we can look at the following aspects: (1) We know there are now more than 100, possibly as many as 150 new churches in New York that God has raised up over the past 10 years. (2) We know in 2000 there were approximately one half of one percent evangelicals in Manhattan. Today 6% of evangelicals worshipping on Sunday and 3.5 percentage of the population who are evangelical live in Manhattan.  We see the possibilities of a “tipping” point on the horizon. (3) We see a city movement of evangelical ministries being accomplished by a coalition of like-minded churches, agencies and individuals working together to see city change in New York

Q: You recently stepped down from City to City.  Can you share with us what the next phase of your ministry looks like? 

A: I am super enthused about the new leadership of John Hutchinson and the future of Redeemer City to City as it continues to facilitate church planting in New York and the large cities of the world.  I will remain tied to the ministry and vision of Redeemer City to City as a consultant.  In the meantime, a few friends and ministry partners will seek to serve specific functions in different organizations and ministries through a small training and consulting ministry called LinX.

*Dr. Gyger will be teaching a course “Church Planting” in the Doctor of Ministry program this fall. For more details, please click here.

*This article was in the spring 2013 issue of Knox Now. See the full magazine here:

Congratulations, Demetrius Walton—you won last fall’s John Piper Scholarship!

Demetrius is an army chaplain serving in the Middle East. His focuses are family ministry and marital counseling, and he trains other chaplains to be better counselors. Demetrius grew up in a New Age household, but thanks to New Life, he started to move toward God; in 2000, with the help of The Navigators’ ministry, he became a Christian. He went on to teach at Bible college and serve as a missionary in Cambodia.

Demetrius’ comprehensive John Piper Scholarship will give him the financial means to grow as a teacher and a preacher. In the month of June, he plans to resume his associate pastor duties at Steamtown Church in Scranton, PA.

Ultimately, he plans to return to Asia—to China, to train and equip young pastors in the underground church.

What would you do with the flexibility afforded by a comprehensive scholarship, a curriculum that lets you keep your job and church while you study, and a terminal degree? Serve abroad, like Demetrius? Step up in your local church? Support your family with answers from the Word? Whatever your goals, Knox’s Gospel-centered education can help you achieve them.

New: Win the $18,000 Leith Anderson Scholarship!

Earn your Knox DMin free with a brand-new scholarship: the $18,000 Leith Anderson Scholarship! Enter to win below before March 1.

You’ll attend onsite classes in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and complete the rest of your studies from home, on your own schedule. And you’ll use Logos 5’s enormous Portfolio library: a cutting-edge academic tool that’s yours for life.

Earn your doctorate at no cost—enter to win the Leith Anderson Scholarship before March 1!

This could be you!

We’re pleased to congratulate Steve Langella, of Brooklyn, NY, on winning the previous Billy Graham Scholarship. Steve was born again in 1987; at the time, he was 24 and a bartender. He “began to feel restless and empty,” and one day he wanted nothing more than to go to church. He prayed, “Lord, I know that I am a sinner and that I have disobeyed you my whole life. Please save me and change my life.” God did, and Steve joined a church in Brooklyn, where he came to realize that preaching and teaching were his spiritual gifts. In 2006, at 43, he decided to earn his BA in religion, where he became fascinated with Reformed theology.

He says, “This scholarship will help me become better equipped to fulfill God’s calling in my life. It affords me the opportunity to continue my biblical education and not incur further debt . . . I believe that this scholarship will enable me to do what I could otherwise not do, which is sit at the feet of Gospel-centered men . . . and learn from their experience.”

This could be you!

The $25,000 Billy Graham Scholarship Is Back!

Enter to win below before March 1. If you win, you’ll earn your MA (Biblical & Theological Studies) at no cost. You’ll learn sound theology, church history, ethics, apologetics, and much more.

You’ll get:

• Logos 5’s vast Portfolio library, an academic advantage that’s yours for life
• A $1,000 Logos.com credit for additional books
• Logos’ deep academic discounts, so your $1,000 will go even further

What’s more, if you get your application in for classes beginning this spring, you’re guaranteed at least a $2,520 scholarship! If you have any admissions questions, please contact one of our Knox Admissions Team members at 954-771-0376.

Congratulations, Steve Langella!

Earn your master’s for free

Entry closes March 1. Don’t wait—enter to win below:

Pamelia, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, is the executive director at Mount Bethel Baptist Church. She’s involved with the New Visions Community Development Corporation, which, using HUD guidelines, has helped more than 2,500 low- to moderate-income homeowners save money and rebuild credit. She’s active in her church’s food pantry, she’s helped start a women’s ministry, and she’s helped write curricula for women’s Bible studies. Pamelia mentors girls and young women through the Delta Academy. She wants to be used by the Lord to “help single mothers become women of God and raise successful children.”

Pamelia wasn’t sure if she could afford seminary, and now that’s not a problem. She says, “The MA (Christian and Classical Studies) program will help me in every area of my life and ministry and give me more confidence in the Word when counseling women.”

In short: “I’m over the top!” Congrats, Pamelia!

$18,000 more—the Francis Schaeffer Scholarship returns

Starting today, the Francis Schaeffer Scholarship is back! Enter to win below—entry closes March 1st.

You’ll get:

• Ministry training grounded in the West’s literary and cultural traditions
• Logos 5 Platinum, worth over $28,000 in print
• A $400 Logos credit for additional books, and Logos’ deep academic discount for the duration of your enrollment

And if you’re among the first 100 students to enroll in the MACCS spring semester, you’re guaranteed a partial scholarship of over $2,000.

P.S. Today is Francis Schaeffer’s birthday—explore his writings.

Earn your master’s for free—enter to win below:

Dr. Jonathan Linebaugh, Assistant Professor of New Testament, teaches one of the required courses in the newly-launched theological exegesis concentration of the Doctor of Ministry at Knox Theological Seminary.

Dr. Linebaugh’s teaching and writing ministry focuses largely on reading the epistles of the apostle Paul with the benefit of the witness of the Protestant Reformers. In his doctoral dissertation, published articles, and in forthcoming work, he tries to take Martin Luther seriously as a biblical interpreter before anything else and to listen attentively to Luther’s witness as a vibrant resource for reading the text of Scripture itself.

Dr. Linebaugh, along with Dr. Michael Allen, is currently editing a volume entitled Reformation Readings of Paul. This book will provide an introduction to the way the Protestant Reformers read some of the most influential Pauline texts, and it will then offer guidance in how to faithfully and critically appropriate their work in our own context. This kind of approach – renewing the church by retrieving her vital tradition of biblical exegesis – marks the way that the theological exegesis concentration seeks to shape men and women for contemporary biblical study.

One of the required classes in the concentration is called “Scripture and Doctrine,” and it is taught by Dr. Linebaugh. There he hopes to show students how doctrine is teased out from the Scriptures, yet it is also meant to lead back to and aid further reading of the Bible. Doctrine is not a surrogate for or supplement to the Bible; rather it is an aid and help in better engaging the Bible. By looking at various case studies, Dr. Linebaugh will help students grow in their facility to move from Bible to doctrine and back again.

You may find more resources about this exciting new program at Knox Theological Seminary here. If you are interested in the theological exegesis track with Logos Bible Software, please visit dmin.me.

Dr. Bray has devoted many years to making the writings of the early church fathers and the Reformers accessible to us. He was the most prolific translator and editor in the acclaimed Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series, for which he edited the volumes on Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude. More recently, he edited the inaugural volume in the new Reformation Commentary on Scripture series on Galatians and Ephesians. He has also recently published English translations of Ambrosiaster’s commentaries on the Pauline Epistles. In addition to his editorial work, Dr. Bray wrote the first full-scale book on the history of biblical interpretation from an evangelical perspective. His Biblical Interpretation: Past and Present provided a baseline for the bustling activity that has followed in the last two decades.

In the theological exegesis track, Dr. Bray teaches a core course called “Reading the Bible with the Dead: Using the History of Exegesis.” There he familiarizes students with the biblical interpretation of the patristic, medieval, and Reformation writers, enabling them to faithfully and critically use those resources in their interpretive and pastoral work. Armed with resources from Logos Bible Software, students will be prepared to employ the best of the Christian tradition for their ongoing work in exegesis and teaching.

You may find more resources about this exciting new program at Knox Theological Seminary here. If you are interested in the theological exegesis track with Logos Bible Software, please visit dmin.me.