I am grateful that our book, Adam and the Genome, was selected by the Creation Project for this discussion. This is a timely issue for the church that affects both our witness to those outside our communities whom we long to reach with the gospel, and for those among us who have come to accept…

A popular Franciscan preacher at the Mainz Cathedral, Johann Wild (1495-1554) was known for his irenic spirit and ability to accommodate his teaching to the needs of common people. While Paul’s greetings at the end of Romans are often passed over, Wild pauses to find their pastoral significance, and carefully notes the prospective benefits they…

John Calvin’s (1509-1564) enthusiasm for the word of God is clear as his interpretation of this passage meditates on the value of Scripture and its role in the Christian life. He defends the value of both Old and New Testaments for the edification of believers, arguing that as the same Spirit of Christ oversaw the…

Known for his uncompromising views on church discipline and the assertion of obedience as a mark of the church, Lutheran theologian Tilemann Hesshus (1527-1588) was often embroiled in controversies and was asked to leave numerous cities during the course of his pastoral career. In his interpretation of Romans 14:23, he follows Augustine and many of…

In his interpretation of Romans 14, German Reformed theologian Wolfgang Musculus (1497-1563), like many of his contemporaries, frames his discussion around the distinction between primary, indisputable matters of faith, and those things that are adiaphora, or indifferent to faith. Christian freedom, he argues, should not result in controversy and division on account of these secondary…

In beginning his discussion of the thorny questions that surround the relationship between the church and the state, Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560), Martin Luther’s successor as the leader of the reform of Germany, sets forth a logical rationale for the need of civil government. Many aspects of life, he argues, are not immediately related to the…

While Martin Luther (1483-1546) has often rightly been castigated for his harsh words against the Jews, there is no question that he desired their salvation. In hoping that the Jews saw the riches of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, it is clear that he saw no distinction under the Gospel between Gentile and Jew and…

In his exegesis of Romans 10:14, German Reformed theologian David Paraeus (1548-1622) identifies a gradation in the ministry of the Word that leads to salvation, beginning with God’s calling of his preachers and climaxing in the hearing of the elect, who are guided by the Lord to call on Him in faith. Romans 10:14 How,…

An accomplished philosopher, the Dominican Domingo de Soto (1494-1560) was chair of theology at the University of Salamanca and an imperial theologian during the Council of Trent. In this interpretation of Romans 9:6-13, the Catholic theologian affirms his Augustinian credentials, asserting the priority of divine grace in salvation and the faithfulness of God to His…

John Colet (1467–1519) was an English Catholic priest and humanist, who was close to Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536). Colet promoted catechesis as the key to reforming the church. In this comment, Colet weaves together several passages where Paul cries out in astonishment that while we were still sinners, in God’s wisdom, Christ became incarnate, died and…

Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575), Zwingli’s successor in Zurich, was a linchpin of Protestant communication ranging from England to Italy, Hungary to France. His correspondence may have consisted of twenty-thousand letters, of which only twelve-thousand are extant. His Second Helvetic Confession (1566) became the definitive Reformed statement of faith, adopted by the Reformed churches of Scotland, Hungary,…

It’s one thing to complain about problems within church culture (see last week, “Achievement and Church Culture”), but it’s another thing to address such problems. If we need to do better at encouraging achievement in all areas of life, how can this be done in a way that makes sense within the church? I think…