Here is a video presentation of my Chair inaugural lecture: "Rediscovering the Catholic-Reformed Tradition for Today: A Biblical, Christ-Centered Vision for Church Renewal." James K. A. Smith and Matthew Levering provided responses to the event as well -- click here for all of the videos from the event. ...
What if our mission is not to 'be Jesus' to other cultures, but to join with the Holy Spirit? By J. Todd Billings In recent decades, scores of books, manuals, and websites advocating "incarnational ministry" have encouraged Christians to move beyond ministry at a distance and to "incarnate" and immerse themselves into local cultures. Some give a step-by-step "incarnation process" for Christians crossing cultures. Some call us to become incarnate by "being Jesus" to those around us. Indeed, many of these resources display valuable insights into relational and cross-cultural ministry. But there are serious problems at the core of most approaches to "incarnational ministry"—problems with biblical, theological, and practical implications. I encountered these problems myself as a practitioner of "incarnational ministry." At a Christian college, I was told that just as God became flesh in a particular culture 2,000 years ago, my job was to become "incarnate" in another culture. Eight months later,...
In this episode of "Christ the Center" on the Reformed Forum podcast, I discuss my book Union with Christ with Camden Bucey, Jared Oliphint, and Nick Batzig....
In this interview by Matthew Barrett on Jan 17, 2012 J.Todd Billings addresses difficult questions related to the theology of salvation as adoption and total depravity using themes from his book Union with Christ. For a link to the article, click here....
In what way is "union with Christ" a sum of the gospel? For an exploration of that and related questions, check out this interview posted December 15, 2011 with Trevin Wax about Union with Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church. For a link to the article click here....
New strategies for interpreting Scripture turn out to be not so new—and deepen our life in Christ. J. Todd Billings, Christianity Today, October 2011 Awide range of voices claims that a crisis of biblical interpretation is taking place. But contrary to many pundits, the crisis does not simply involve a decline in the Bible's authority. Even when the Bible is turned to as the authority, it's not necessarily interpreted Christianly. Consider, for example, a recent Christian bestseller that offers a "Bible diet." The book claims to enable better concentration, improve appearance, increase energy, and reverse the process of "accelerated aging." To want to improve your appearance and energy level, do you have to be interested in knowing God or Jesus? Of course not. There is nothing intrinsically Christian about the advice. Similar trends appear in Christian books that promise biblical solutions for success in finances, relationships, and family. These books can help Christians see implications...
In this article, I explore the implications of recent historiography on how to relate Calvin to the broader catholic tradition. I argue that, although anti-Roman Catholic in many ways, there are important ways in which Calvin maintained broad continuity with the broader catholic tradition. While many modern Reformed theologians seek to use Calvin in their own efforts to marginalize the exegesis and theology of pre-modern catholic theology, these efforts rely upon a decontextualized account of Calvin's theological writings. From the article: "In the end, the catholic Calvin is one which disrupts the "either/ or" dichotomies that dominate much in contemporary theological discourse. It is a portrait of Calvin that is inconvenient for many of his Reformed followers and for his non-Reformed detractors as well. While there is no doubt that Calvin and his followers in Reformed orthodoxy were antagonistic to their Roman Catholic contemporaries, their theological vision was not formed by building...
On Feb. 11, 2011, I lectured at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA: "Ministry in Union with Christ." In the lecture, I present an appreciative critique and alternative to "incarnational ministry" as a model for Christian ministry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfVWMegzBOI...
“Calvin's Comeback? The Irresistible Reformer” by J. Todd Billings According to a Time magazine article earlier this year, the "New Calvinism" is one of "ten ideas changing the world right now" (March 23). The New Calvinists cited include megachurch pastor and author John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis; R. Albert Mohler Jr., head of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, who has remade the seminary according to a Calvinist agenda; and raw, hip pastor-author Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. The New Calvinism is found in the doctrinal commentary on Web sites like Between Two Worlds, in the notes to the ESV (English Standard Version) Study Bible (World Magazine's 2009 Book of the Year) and in the popular "Passion" conferences featuring the tunes of the David Crowder Band. The New Calvinism movement has reclaimed Puritans like John Owen and Jonathan Edwards. Indeed, in New Calvinist circles, you may...
This article explores John Calvin's soteriology through examining his multivalent and yet succinct 'sum' of the gospel: the double grace of justification and sanctification received in union with Christ. The essay begins with a description of the scope and range of this teaching in Calvin, its biblical, patristic and Reformational sources, and its application to a wide range of doctrinal loci. After this, particular features of Calvin's account are highlighted as promising for contemporary retrieval. The essay concludes with historiographic reflections that intersect with ongoing disputes in interpreting Calvin's teaching on union with Christ and the double grace. Click here: J. Todd Billings, "John Calvin's Soteriology: On the Multifaceted 'Sum' of the Gospel," International Journal of Systematic Theology, Volume 11, Number 4 October 2009, 428-447. ...