Cornfield Theology

In this podcast, we discuss God's design for man and woman, and what marriage tells us about redemption.

The fight against abortion is spiritual warfare. And because the battle for life is spiritual warfare, the tools with which Christians fight are spiritual and physical.

The Scottish Presbyterian, John Knox, influenced the 16th century Reformation more than people realize. Take a listen to learn about his influence and why John Knox still matters in the 21st century.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

In this podcast, we discuss the importance of celebrating the Lord's Table, some disagreements on this sacrament, and guidance for parents trying to discern if their kids should take communion.

What should Christians do when 21st-century pastors and teachers teach contrary to orthodox, historic Christianity? We have a few thoughts. Also, what is up with Asbury Theological Seminary? More thoughts.

2022 was another interesting year and my guest, Jacob Young, joins me to reflect on the year that was.

It is Christmas, and it seems appropriate to take a deep dive into talking about the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Plus, Shawn has a rock in his shoe because of what Andy Stanley said about the birth of Jesus.

I want to offer a thesis that is bound to rankle some feathers. Christians should prioritize church this advent, especially on Christmas Sunday.

The word ritual is not commonly used in Evangelical circles. The word sounds archaic, and thoughts of lighting candles and incense come to mind. But perhaps evangelical churches should not be too quick to abandon the importance of rituals.

Leaving a church should not be done lightly. The bar is high when it comes to leaving a church. Sometimes people will leave a church for the wrong reasons. Sometimes people will leave for legit reasons. On this podcast, Brooks and I talk about the various reasons for leaving - the good and the bad.

What does it mean to be a man? In our culture, masculinity is frowned upon. Paternity is a swear word. In this episode of Cornfield Theology I chat with my friend Erik about a biblical view of men and masculinity.

How do you know if you will be saved? Is it possible to know that your salvation is sure? Take a listen to the latest podcast as we discuss one of the most misunderstood doctrines of the Christian faith.

Let's make no mistake; biblical principles of orthodox Christianity are being challenged right now. The most recent example is from the Southern Baptist Convention. At the convention meeting in June of 2022, we saw a theological drift disguised in church politics.

The church must make every effort to avoid the exclusive nature of a country club. Therefore, the church must reject "country club Christianity."

In this podcast, we talk about God's design for marriage between a man and a woman. We begin in Genesis 1 and work our way to Ephesians 5. Take a listen to learn more.

What can a person know about God by observing creation? The controversy about natural theology rages on, so I invited my friend Kenny Ortiz on the podcast to help Christians think through the question. Extra Resources: www.cornfieldtheology.com www.theologyfortherestofus.com/natural-theology-definition-viewpoints-critics-why-it-matters/ www.theologyfortherestofus.com/natural-law-definition-history-and-examples

n April 17th, churches from across the world celebrated the most important event in history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith, and if it were false, then the whole of Christianity would crumble.

There are a lot of Bible translations. We are here to help you choose the right one.

One of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith is justification. Why does the doctrine of justification matter, and what does it mean for you?

Maundy Thursday is about the humility of Christ exemplified by the washing of the disciple's feet. Maundy Thursday should cause us to love our friends and our enemies. After washing feet, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal, knowing that ultimate deliverance would come through his sacrificial death. 

In Covenant Theology, God's conditional covenant with Adam is called the covenant of works. But notice who has not been created yet. Eve. Is this a design flaw on the part of God, or is God's design coming to fruition with reason and purpose? Indeed, there is no design flaw, but God works his plan to perfection. 

Every week at Redemption Hill Church, we celebrate the Lord's Table. We celebrate the Lord's Table to remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. When a person remembers, they look back at an event. But remembering also means looking forward.

Christian liberalism has thrown off the clothes of Christianity and is parading around in a mardi gras outfit. The outfit looks neat for a moment, but underneath the outfit is a false gospel.

How should Christians think about art? In this episode, Shelby Anderson joins me in a conversation about the intersection of the Christian faith and art. And stay tuned to the very end to listen to a reading from Andrew Peterson's Adorning the Dark.

The word "defense" in greek is ἀπολογίαν (apologian) which is where we derive the term apologetics. Therefore, the basic definition of apologetics is a reasoned defense of the faith. This defense could be a public and formal debate. However, apologetics will happen on a personal and individual level for the average Christian.

Imago Dei means image of God. Every human being is made in God's image. No exceptions. The Greek term is ἐν Χριστῷ which means in Christ. Not all people are in Christ. But the latter is essential to understand Christian onology. Taken together, we see a beautiful picture of the nature and essence of a Christian.

How can you engage Mormons? We talk about our experiences with Mormons in the podcast and practical tips to engage Mormons. This podcast is part two or two.

What do Mormons believe, and are Mormons a part of Christianity? In this podcast, we compare Mormon theology with historical and orthodox Christianity. This podcast is part one of two.

Opening Salvo One of my joys as a pastor and preacher is to help the church read the Bible. My methods of teaching and preaching are an attempt to model what I want others to practice in their Bible reading. Before getting into the nitty-gritty I want to offer a few opening thoughts. First, as a general practice, Redemption Hill Church is encouraged to stand when the Word of God is read before the sermon. There is nothing magical in the act of standing, but standing is a sign of reverence before God’s Word. I do not know many churches that remain standing, but the practice helps place a focus on what God has said instead of what the preacher is about to say. Standing is not a principle for reading the Bible, but reverence is a disposition of the heart that every Christian should have when reading the Bible.  Second, because I preach expositional sermons, the church is learning to have its nose in the Bible at all times. I do not attempt to tell many stories. I do not use props. I do not “co-preach.” I do not tell jokes for effect. I will admit that my preaching is vanilla. I am not looking to become a celebrity pastor or star preacher. If I share a story, it supplements a point from the Bible. A goal I have every Sunday morning is not to be a distraction from the Word of God. But I want hearts and minds to be focused on God’s Word. My approach to preaching the Bible is to trace the logic or thought process from the primary passage on Sunday. I do not want to invent a point or take away from what is emphasized. God is always the focus. Hermeneutics Principles of biblical interpretation are called hermeneutics. In academia, the field is called hermeneutics. It’s a large field in academia. For example, when you approach a painting, you attempt to interpret the meaning of the painting. When there is a major cultural event, the goal is to interpret the event to understand its meaning. In this sense, all people are engaged in hermeneutics. When a person reads the Bible the goal is to interpret what is written. The goal is to learn the meaning of the text. The question becomes how do you interpret a passage in the Bible? What any reader of the Bible needs to do is employ several interpretive principles to discover the meaning of the text. The following are six basic principles for interpreting the Bible. There are additional principles but if you use these I am confident you will understand what God is saying through his Word. Principle #1: Literary Context The surrounding literary context is key. Context is king! When I took a hermeneutics class in Bible college, my professor used real estate as an analogy. A real estate agent knows that location is the most critical factor for selling a home. You will hear Location! Location! Location! The same principle is true for reading the Bible. Context! Context! Context! A good Bible reader is aware of the surrounding literary context. For example, you will see this verse hanging on the wall in some Christian homes.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13 Good Christian people quote this verse for various reasons. Yes, it’s a verse that can bring comfort for the person going through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4). However, this verse is often used out of context. Ask yourself this question. Can you do anything because of the strength that comes from Christ? Can you bench press 400lbs? Most likely, you cannot, no matter how many times you quote Philippians 4:13. So, you can’t do all things. What is this verse about? When you read Philippians 4:13 with the lit

It is good to ask questions. It is good to think well about what you believe. In this podcast, Logan and I take on common objections to Christianity. Joining us is producer Cory.

Every Sunday, Redemption Hill Church participates in the Lord’s Table. There are theological convictions for this pattern. One reason is that the Lord’s Table is an ongoing remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 11:23-26). And a question I often receive from parents is, when should I allow my child to participate in communion? It’s a great question, and I appreciate it when parents take the time to attend to the spiritual development of their children. The role of parents (especially fathers) in the spiritual development of their children can be summed up with one word: discipleship. – Shawn Powers In what follows, I attempt to show the relationship between the discipleship of a child/youth and the sacraments of the church – baptism and the Lord’s Table. My desire is for parents to see the opportunities that lie in front of them to attend to the spiritual needs of their children. Laying the Foundation Redemption Hill is baptistic and confessional. The combination of baptistic and confessional allows for a biblical and logical way to think about when a child should participate in baptism and the Lord’s Table. However, before getting into the process, I need to explain a few foundational convictions about both sacraments. Creadobaptism There is a difference between paedobaptism and credobaptism. If a church holds to paedobaptism, that means they baptize infants. If a church is credobaptist, only those who profess faith in Christ are baptized. Redemption Hill is a credobaptist church. The theological position on baptism in a local church will inform the approach of communion. The credobaptist will point to various passages in the New Testament to affirm their position. They will also point out that there are no passages in the Bible affirming paedobaptism. In contrast, the paedobaptist believes that New Testament baptism corresponds with Old Testament circumcision. The link between the two is from how a paedobaptist understands the nature of covenants. If you want to learn more about the rationale of paedobaptism, locate your favorite presbyterian friend. Open Communion Redemption Hill Church practices Open Communion. Open Communion means that members and nonmembers may participate in the Lord’s Table. The only qualification for partaking is to be a professing follower of Jesus Christ. I know many pastors who take umbrage with this approach. However, I am hesitant to make a requirement not explicitly stated in Holy Scripture. For example, if my Presbyterian friend attends Redemption Hill and is a professing follower of Jesus Christ, they are welcome to participate in the Lord’s Table. The uniting factor between another Christian and me is not denominational status. It’s not what we believe about eschatology. It is not our view of Covenant Theology. But we are both in Christ. A person’s standing before the Lord Jesus as a justified sinner is preeminent. It says in 29.1 of Redemption Hill’s Confession of Faith, All saints are united to Jesus Christ, their head, by his Spirit, and faith, although they are not made one person with him, but do have fellowship in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory. They are united to one another in love. They have communion in each other’s gifts and graces and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, in an orderly way, as to bring about to their mutual good, both

The hard truth is that suffering is a part of life. But how does a person manage the grief that comes with hardship? In this episode, I sit down with Aaron and Jocelyn Reichart as they open up about the loss of two children.

Series Intro Every month in 2022, I will be writing a blog post about anthropology, humanity, and sexuality. This series of blog posts will be used to foster discussion and to drive the reader back to Holy Scripture to learn about God’s grand design for men and women. I pray that these blog posts will offer greater clarity about God’s design for men and women. And I also pray that learning about God’s design for men and women will result in worship. This blog post builds off another blog post entitled Anthropology 101. The Imago Dei In a previous blog post on anthropology, I touched on what it means for man and woman to be made in God’s image, also known as the imago Dei. Tomes and dissertations have been written about the imago Dei. Unfortunately, space and time do not allow for an extensive treatment, but a few more words about this essential theological concept need to be stated. Creature and Creator Reformed theologian Anthony A. Hoekema develops the distinction between the creature and the Creator. God created man as a person and also a creature. A reason for drawing out the distinction is to acknowledge that God is sovereign over his creation/creature while at the same time not absolving man from personal responsibility. He states, Keeping in mind the paradox that man is both a creature and a person will help us do full justice to both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.– Anthony A. Hoekema, Created in God’s Image (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994), 10. The distinction between Creator and creature helps us remember man is not God but made in the likeness and image of God (Genesis 1:26). Man made in the image of God comes with tremendous responsibility, but our responsibility is given by God and under the sovereign jurisdiction of God. What is the imago Dei? So what is a baseline definition of the image of God? Gerald Bray offers us a great place to start. The image of God is the special status that all human beings have as those made to reflect our Creator’s character and commissioned to carry out his purposes in the world. The “image and likeness of God” (Gen 1:26) describes the special status of the human race, male and female, as God’s representatives in the created order.– Gerald Bray, “The Image of God,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018). The special responsibility of men and women includes making babies, subduing the earth, and having dominion over God’s created world. While other creatures reproduce, only men and women create other image-bears. There are other creatures that can subdue and have dominion, but God entrusts humanity to have ultimate power over the earth. In other words, the Creator has entrusted responsibilities to his image-bearing

In an attempt to be fair and balanced, we take on several objections to Calvinism. Listen to part 2 to learn more about the great debate between Calvinism and Arminianism.

Calvinism is hotly debated. What is Calvinism and is it biblical? In this podcast, Lagan and I talk about my favorite flower, a TULIP.

Series Intro Every month in 2022 I will be writing a blog post about anthropology, humanity, and sexuality. This series of blog posts will be used to foster discussion and to drive the reader back to Holy Scripture to learn about God’s grand design for men and women. I hope and pray these blog posts will offer greater clarity about God’s design for men and women. And I also pray that learning about God’s design for men and women will result in praise. Anthropology 101 There is mounting pressure on the church to conform. The pressure is coming from every angle. The questions faced by the church are: What does it mean to be a man or woman? Can a woman become a man, and can a man become a woman? What are the implications of how a person understands the self? All these questions are fundamentally anthropological. Anthropology is the science of human beings. From a theological perspective, anthropology deals with the origin, nature, and destiny of human beings (per Merriam-Webster). If a Christian wants to know what it means for a man to be a man and a woman to be a woman, then the origin, nature, and destiny need to be found in Holy Scripture. When a Christian searches the scriptures for their origin, nature, and destiny, the world of anthropology is intersecting with theology and, suddenly, the doctrine of humanity. Here is a insightful quote about the doctrine of humanity. The doctrine of humanity is one in which we would expect ourselves to be naturally interested, because we are humans. But there’s more to the importance of the category of the theology of humanity than just that we happen to be interested in it. It’s actually objectively an important part of God’s ways with the world: of all the things God is doing with all creation, he has a special eye on the part of creation that is created in his image—that is, humanity.– Fred Sanders, “The Doctrine of Humanity,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018). The path toward having a solid understanding of humanity begins with a foundation of biblical anthropology. Thorny questions can only receive answers after the foundation is laid. So Many Questions I want to argue that discerning proper anthropology is one of the essential conversations that needs to take place in the local church. At present, we are not having a conversation. However, if you’re going to understand yourself, you need good anthropology. Further, your anthropology affects how you understand others. If anthropology reveals the nature of a human being, then how did the nature of a human being come to fruition? Is the nature of a human being malleable, or is it fixed? A bevy of questions can be asked when delving into the deep end of anthropology. The cultural conversation about sex and gender is anthropological. Since the dawn of time, sex and gender have been inseparable. Some would even use the words synonymously. But in the 21st century, because of philosophical hocus pocus that makes transubstantiation look like a fact, sex and gender are two different malleable concepts. Here is another question. What roles, if any, are there for men and women? Until recent church history, the church has made clear distinctions between men and women in the home, church, and society. Your anthropological foundation will inform how you answer the question about the roles of men and wome

Together for Good creates pathways for the church to come alongside vulnerable families in Christ-centered ministry. When parents face a crisis with no support system, they become vulnerable. When a parent becomes vulnerable, their children are at increased risk of trauma. Together we work to ensure that vulnerable families and children never walk alone.

Series Introduction Recently, I have been posting why Redemption Hill Church is confessional. The term confessional has lost its luster over the last 100 years, but prior, most churches held to a Confession of Faith. I attempt to show in these blog posts the value of confessions and why a local church should be confessional. This blog is part 3 of 4. These four blogs on confessionalism are about: The Nature of ConfessionalismThe Parameters of ConfessionalismA Vision of ConfessionalismSubscription to a Confession If you are new to confessionalism, or the term is foreign, that’s ok. The purpose of cornfieldtheology.com is to introduce people to new concepts, terms, and theological ideas. These four blogs on confessionalism have been adapted from a paper I submitted to the elders of Trinity Fellowship Churches in preparation for Theology Day before our General Assembly. This fourth blog post is on subscription to a confession of faith. If a local church pastor is a part of a denomination that holds to a Confession of Faith, then to what degree is the confession affirmed, taught, and defended? Subscription to our Confession In confessional denominations, one of the most debated issues is about subscription. But what is subscription? Merriam-Webster offers a helpful definition. Subscription is the “act of signing one’s name (as in attesting or witnessing a document).” And it is “the acceptance (as of ecclesiastical articles of faith) attested by the signing of one’s name.” Here is the question at hand: To what degree should an elder or eldership subscribe to a denomination’s Confession of Faith? A too loose subscription will result in a confession being rendered useless. What is the point of ascribing to a confession or statement of faith if you are unwilling to affirm, teach, and defend it? There will not be unity but pragmatism in a local church and across a denomination. But, the aim of a collection of churches is to be united on doctrine. As I have said in previous blogs on confessionalism, uniting around a person is unstainable. Trying to unite around a methodology will not last. Uniting around a vision is great until the vision changes, and not everyone is on board with the change. Uniting around culture has the potential to be toxic. But uniting around truth can last generations.  Uniting with truth means churches in a denomination should strive for a subscription where an exc

Taking the gospel to the ends of the earth has always been the goal of evangelicalism. But what is a missionary, and what is the end goal of missions? I take up this topic with my good friend, Brooks Szewczyk. I think you will appreciate his insight.

Recently, I have been posting why Redemption Hill Church is confessional. The term confessional has lost its luster over the last 100 years, but prior, most churches held to a Confession of Faith. I attempt to show in these blog posts the value of confessions and why a local church should be confessional. This blog is part 3 of 4. These four blogs on confessionalism are about: The Nature of ConfessionalismThe Parameters of ConfessionalismA Vision of ConfessionalismSubscription to a Confession (forthcoming) If you are new to confessionalism, or the term is foreign, that’s ok. The purpose of cornfieldtheology.com is to introduce people to new concepts, terms, and theological ideas. These four blogs on confessionalism have been adapted from a paper I submitted to the elders of Trinity Fellowship Churches in preparation for Theology Day before our General Assembly. This third blog post is on a vision for confessionalism. How should a local church use its Confession of Faith? Again, the question comes down to utility and function. In The Local Church Your church might have a statement of faith. You know, the 8-10 points on the church website that outlines the trinity, salvation through Jesus, and eschatological. But, unfortunately, there is a high probability that church A copied and pasted their statement of faith from church B. Church B gave their statement of faith to church C. There might be slight tweets to give the appearance of originality, but the pattern is the same. Now, on the one hand, good theology should not change. Good theology is good theology. But, on the other hand, copying and pasting a statement of faith is lazy. Pastors need to know what they believe, even if it’s the same as the church down the street. It’s only when the church leaders know what they believe that they can teach the local church the fundamentals of the Christian faith. When it comes to teaching, a Confession of Faith offers maximum opportunity. Here are a few ways pastors can teach and train using a Confession of Faith. Discipleship A Confession of Faith serves as a tool for discipleship. Because of its robust theology – unlike most statements of faith – a confession can help a Christian understand the depth of Holy Scripture in great detail. A confession is a tool for a new believer, allows for discipleship in the home, and an ongoing catechism for older believers. Because of the theological depth of a confession, there is a sense that there is always more to discover. Here is an example of how a Confession of Faith can be an excellent teaching tool for discipleship. Here is 9.2 of our Confession of Faith. The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, is the true and eternal God, the brightness of the Father’s glory, of one substance and equal with him who made the world, who upholds and governs all things he has made. When the fullness of time had come, he took upon himself man’s nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities of it, yet without sin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary when the Holy Spirit came down upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. So he was born of a woman of the tribe of Judah,

Presents. Trees. And Christmas Lights. All these traditions are great, but what is Christmas really all about? Logan and I get into the weeds and discuss the true meaning of Christmas.

How Far? How far will a person travel for love? What is a person willing to do for love? These types of questions are asked and displayed in movies, songs, and TV programs. I could spend 90,000 words tracing themes of love in songs, movies, books, etc. And frankly, humanity is obsessed with understanding and obtaining love.  I mean, we have an entire day – Valentine’s Day – built around the idea of love. I think humanity has continuously pursued love, even with the proliferation of information in our internet age. Everyone is looking around for love and to be loved, but people often look in the wrong places.  One of my concerns with Christians when discussing love is that culture has polluted the mind. Culture has created radical and unrealistic expectations of love. The culture has inoculated the Christian mind to define love as something it is not. There needs to be a course correction in the church, when it comes to understanding love, and Advent seems like a good time to provide a biblical perspective. Don’t Reduce Love The profundity of love has been reduced in multiple ways. I love my dog, Winston. He’s been a faithful dog, and when I am traveling, he becomes the man of the house, trolling and protecting the property like a good guard dog. When he dies, I’ll cry like a baby. I love my wife. My love for her is unlike anything I have experienced with any other person. My love for her is different than my love for my dog. These examples of love are familiar and perhaps healthy. But there are examples of love that are degrading and quite the opposite of the covenantal love we read in the Bible.  A ten-minute stroll through a social media feed or going up and down the television dial shows us that love has been sexualized. I am not talking about the intimacy between a husband and wife. I am talking about the soft-core porn that attempts to invade every home through technology. Here is the bottom line. Humanity has taken something good and ruined it through sinful and selfish desires.  So what is the way back to understanding and embracing love the way God designed it? And what does love have to do with the incarnation of Jesus Christ? Let me take you back to a time that was not time – before the creation of the world.  Love and Creation I think it’s fair to say the love offered by the culture is wildly confusing, and a definition of love changes with the wind. But what if we could know a love that is consistent, true, and pure? I think Holy Scripture provides a way for us to think about love that edifies and endures.  Before the Creation of the World The profundity of love is found with Godhead before the creation of the universe. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have loved each other with perfect purity and goodness. 1 John 4:7-8 tells us about the connection between love and God. We read,  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.– 1 John 4:7–8 If you have never memorized a passage in the Bible, begin with God is love. David Jakeman hits the proverbial nail on the head. He says, John is not identifying a quality which God possesses; he is making a statement about the essence of God’s being. It is not simply that God loves, but that he is love. We are helped to understand this when we remember that God is revealed in Scripture as the holy Trinity, three persons in one God. We shall never be able to comprehend the full meaning of this with our finite minds, but at least we can grasp that at the

Making Disciples I always look forward to engaging guests at Redemption Hill. Recently, I connected with a husband and a wife after church. I noticed they were engaged while I was preaching. Their Bibles were in their laps, and they were tracking what I was preaching. So after the morning service, I made a point to connect with them. First, I thanked them for coming. And then I asked what they thought of our church. They shared charitable comments. And then I said, “We are a church that will always choose substance over style.” The moment I said those words, their faces lit up as if I had given my wife’s homemade apple pie for the first time. They were delighted and intrigued. I did not press on their church background, but common sense and a general understanding of Christian culture helped deduce a common trend. Within Christan churches, pragmatism is the preference over principle. You will hear in the sermon life stories, see movie clips, and the Bible is peppered in along the way. Feelings matter more than God’s truth. The smoke machine during worship is substituted for quality theology in the songs. How about this statement to make a point. COVID-19 is not a pandemic compared to the water-down theology in many local churches. God is being replaced to promote the self, causing people to spiritually die left and right because style is placed over substance. Within protestant circles, local churches are off mission. Here is a good reminder of why the local church exists. Our Lord said in Matthew 28, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.– Matthew 28:18–20 Ok. The church exists to make disciples. Got it. But Jesus did not stop at what the church is supposed to do. He told us what to do. When a person becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ, the church responds in two ways. First, the church is to baptize. Second, the church is to teach. In particular, elders teach (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1). And Jesus is specific about what is taught to disciples of Jesus Christ. What Jesus commanded his disciples, those disciples are to teach others. Now let me ask a question. Are the majority of churches teaching what Jesus taught? Or is a two-minute clip from the Toy Story being used to communicate a nice moral, and then a passage of the Bible is used to supplement the moral? Posters in the Cafeteria Allow me to elaborate on my point. One of the disadvantages of being a mobile church is that we are at the landlord’s mercy. In our case, it is a school district. Are there times when items are hung up in the halls, which I do not prefer? Absolutely. We are trying to facilitate church, not a 5th grade English class. But am I less concerned about the barely legible posters from a 2nd grader or the content of the songs and the sermon? I hope you get the point. Yes, every Sunday, the goal is to make the space look like a church then a school. But hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ is immensely more important than the orange poster hanging on the wall in the cafeteria. Don’t get me wrong. We want to continue to work toward creating a distraction-free environment. But the substance of what is taught will never be traded for style.  Christmas Lights at Church Here is an example of style over substance. What drives me bonkers is how gaudy some churches have become. Last week I drove by a large church in the Des Moine

Is it ok for a local church to be non-denominational or inter-denominational? Or, are there benefits for joining a denomination? In this podcast, we make a case for a local church to be a part of a larger denomination.

The Meaning of Advent The term advent is unfamiliar to many Protestants, especially if they are baptist or “non-denominational.” However, the term advent is used in churches that value a connection with history, in particular the Christian calendar. For some Protestants, a “Christian calendar” seems Catholic. Yes, the Catholic Church uses a liturgical calendar. Still, after the Reformation, Protestant Churches maintained a connection with a Christian calendar to help highlight important events in biblical and church history. Advent, which leads up to Christmas day, is one aspect of the Christian or liturgical calendar. The other familiar aspect of the Christian calendar is Lent, which leads up to Easter. Why Observe Advent Advent means the arrival of a noble person. Other than my parents, no one was talking about the advent of Shawn Powers. So, when I arrived in the world, my mom was just grateful to survive the arrival of another set of sons. (Yes, there are two sets of twins in my family.) But the birth of Christ is different. We observe advent because the arrival of Jesus changed the world. The 1st advent of Jesus changed the world because Jesus is the only hope for the world. Old Testament Premonitions, Prophesies, or Promises? How is Jesus the only hope for the world? There are several answers to the question but let’s look at the Old Testament to tease out an answer. The Old Testament is full of promises. These promises are more than premonitions but prophetic words speaking about what is to come. It is full of promises made by God to His people. Some of God’s promises are conditional, and some are unconditional. Here are two conditional promises in the Old Testament. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” – 1 Kings 3:11–14 And here is one more example. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.– 2 Chronicles 7:13–14 The word if is key. If my kids clean their room, then they can go outside and play. Their right to go outside and play is contingent upon their ability to clean their room. No clean room, no play. A similar dynamic is going on with God’s conditional promises in the Old Testament. But the Old Testament is full of unconditional promises, and it’s the unconditional promises where we see the reason to have hope in the birth of Christ. So let’s begin with Abraham. Beginning in Genesis 12:1-3 we read that God promises to make a great nation from the offspring of Abraham. And then in Genesis 17 we read,&nb

I’ve been posting on why Redemption Hill Church is confessional. The term confessional has lost its luster over the last 100 years, but prior, most churches held to a Confession of Faith. In this series of blog posts, I want to show the value of confessions and why a local church should be confessional. The series on confessionalism is about 1) The Nature of Confessionalism, 2) The Parameters of Confessionalism, 3) A Vision of Confessionalism 4) the Subscription to a Confession. If you are new to confessionalism, or the term is foreign, that’s ok. The purpose of cornfieldtheology.com is to introduce people to new concepts, terms, and theological ideas. These four blog posts on confessionalism have been adapted from a paper I submitted to the elders of Trinity Fellowship Churches in preparation for Theology Day before our General Assembly in November of 2021. In this second of four posts, I discuss the parameters of a Confession of Faith. I’ll state the purpose of this post with a question: how much theology should, or should not be, in a Confession of Faith? Somewhere In The Middle A Confession of Faith is not a systematic theology book. A systematic theology book has its place, but it is not a functional expression of faith for a local church. In 2020 I took several members of the church through a systematic theology book. The class enriched the students. It provoked good questions. But there was a sense that the breadth of a systematic theology book can be overwhelming. A person could study systematic theology for a lifetime and die realizing they have only scratched the surface. And there is the other end of the spectrum. A Confession of Faith cannot be summed up in a few statements on a church website. Try this for an exercise. Contact your local pastor and ask how he decided what ten theological points to put on the website? Did he copy and paste from another website? Is the statement of faith so vague that a Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist all agree? Far too many local churches, networks, and denominations refuse to be held accountable with “all that theology.” To take the words of Alexander Hamilton out of context, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” So, if a Confession of Faith is not taking a seminary class on systematic theology, and it’s not your garden variety 10 points found at a local church website, then what is the right balance for a Confession of Faith? A Confession of Faith aims for the middle. It is deep in its theology and wide in the various doctrines. A Confession of Faith cannot address everything, but it addresses much. A confession must have primary doctrine and secondary doctrines. Tertiary doctrines should be held with an open hand and often not included in a Confession of Faith. Primary doctrines include doctrines central to the gospel of Jesus Christ. For example, the incarnation, atonement, and justification must be affirmed, taught, and defended at all costs. Secondary doctrines are also essential and help to distinguish a church or denomination from other churches and denominations. Secondary doctrines might include baptism, the Lord’s Table, and the revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit. Tertiary doctrines are not a point of division and distinction but are no less worthy of time, study, reflection, and conviction. A tertiary doctrine might include the specifics of eschatology. There is no need to break fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ who holds to historic premillennialism when I hold to reformed amillennialism. The challenge lies in determining what is primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary doctrines are more obvious, but secondary and tertiary doctrines might be malleable d

Is it ok to go to church online? What about physically gathering with others and watching someone preach on a screen? We take up these questions on the latest edition of Cornfield Theology.

It’s been a while since I have posted on the blog or dropped a podcast. Throughout October and early November, I took a step back to focus on denominational responsibilities and lead Redemption Hill Church into a new Sunday morning location. By God’s grace, both responsibilities went well, but now I am back in the saddle! Over the next several weeks, I’ll be posting on why Redemption Hill Church is confessional. The term confessional has lost its luster over the last 100 years, but prior, most churches held to a confession of faith. I want to show in these blog posts the value of confessions and why a local church should be confessional. The next four blogs on confessionalism will be about 1) The Nature of Confessionalism, 2) The Parameters of Confessionalism, 3) A Vision of Confessionalism 4) the Subscription to a Confession. If you are new to confessionalism, or the term is foreign, that’s ok. The purpose of cornfieldtheology.com is to introduce people to new concepts, terms, and theological ideas. These four blogs on confessionalism have been adapted from a paper I submitted to the elders of Trinity Fellowship Churches in preparation for Theology Day before our General Assembly. In this first blog post on the nature of confessionalism, I focus on why confessions are written down, the historical aspect of confessions, and the uniting effect of confessions. Confessions are Written Down It has become fashionable for many non-mainline Protestant churches to be vague about theology and doctrine. And the traditional mainline protestant churches have jettisoned their historic creeds and confessions. If not on paper, then with function. The reasons for the ambiguity are numerous. However, what is trendy is not historical. For most of church history, denominations and churches had robust creeds and confessions. These creeds and confessions provided clarity, which helped guard against heresy and doctrinal confusion. Throughout history, creeds and confessions were polemical and divided denominations from each other, but they also united local churches to one another. Creeds and confessions could guard against heresy and join like-minded churches because creeds and confessions are written down. It is popular to hear a local pastor or church member say they do not need a confession or creed because they have the Bible. “No creed but the Bible!” is declared. However, the declaration falls on deft ears. Carl Trueman affirms, I do want to make the point here that Christians are not divided between those who have creeds and confessions and those who do not; rather, they are divided between those who have public creeds and confessions that are written down and exist as public documents, subject to public scrutiny, evaluation, and critique, and those who have private creeds and confessions that are often improvised, unwritten, and thus not open to public scrutiny, not susceptible to evaluation and, crucially and ironically, not, therefore, subject to testing by Scripture to see whether they are true.– Carl Trueman All Christians live by a Creed. The fundamental difference between confessional and non-confessional churches and Christians can be summed up in one question: How can you know what a pastor and church believe? Answer. Doctrine is written down. The benefits of holding to a Confession of Faith that is written down are outlined in these blog posts. Nevertheless, suffice it to say, part of the nature of being confessional is that a document explicitly states doctrine. Confessions are Rooted in Tradition The second aspect of confessions is their rootedness in tradition. As J.V. Fesko points out, the wor

Everyone has a line that can’t be crossed, and what happens if the government asks you to cross a line that is counter to your faith and God-given conscience? In this episode, we take up the contemporary debates and attempt to provide biblical clarity.

It’s easy to get caught up with what is right in front of you. Leading a church is no exception. The list of to-dos is endless. A sermon needs to be prepared and preached. There is always another meeting. All of this is good, and it’s a part of a call to ministry. I love it. But far too often, a focus on the here and now is at the expense of a greater mission taking place. God is at work in other churches as well. God, the Holy Spirit, is meeting the needs of a church down the street and across town. And it takes looking up and past the present circumstances to see the greater gospel mission.  One Message with One Mission Of course, there is a litany of churches in America, and some of them need to be closed down. There are churches where the gospel message is not being preached, and the Bible is collecting dust. I am referring to the churches that have made a bee-line to liberation theology or theological liberalism. Those churches are writing their own story, and the story includes a slow death. And the data backs it up. I’ll grant that church attendance is down across the board in America, but mainline (liberal) protestant churches are leading the way. When I think about the advancement of the gospel, I have in mind churches where the pastor preaches from the Bible. The good news of Jesus Christ is evident in word and deed. I am talking about churches consumed with being transformed into the image of Christ instead of being transformed into the image of culture. It’s with these churches where I want to lock arms with one message on one mission. I want to look past the tree to see the forest. While these churches might be few in number, it’s these churches where I am willing to find ways to partner. It’s these churches that must band together for the advancement of the gospel. COVID Consternation I was reminded of the value of gospel partnership during 2020 and into 2021. The church where I am a pastor, Redemption Hill Church, had to navigate remaining united and meet every Sunday, without a church building. The plans we made before the pandemic were squashed, and suddenly we needed to figure out where to gather for worship. So during 2020 and into 2021, we gathered at ten different locations. From parks to drive-in church on my front lawn, the church flexed and gathered. Now, I have to admit it was challenging to pivot week in and week out. Nonetheless, by the grace of God and the support from the saints of Redemption Hill, we still exist for the glory of God. However, we were not alone. Other churches in the area saw our unique situation and moved to help us. I want to tell you about three churches that understand the importance of the gospel and the local church. “A Little Help From My Friends” Frontier Church Before COVID and before the Powers family relocated to the Des Moines metro, several families from the Twin Cities arrived. They were a people without a church home. Even after the Powers set down roots in Des Moines, it would be several months before our official first church service. So I decided to connect with the lead pastor Cole Deike. I wanted him to know that there would be a small influx of visitors for a season. He received our team with joy. Frontier faithfully preaches from God’s Word, and they are on a mission to love the Des Moines