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On-Going Mini-Series

Bible Studies

Messages with tag - Culture

Sunday, August 07, 2022
Passage: Ephesians 4:17-21
Series: Ephesians (2018)
Duration: 58 mins 18 secs
Buckle up your seat belts and get ready for a lightning-speed ride through the Church Age. Find out how the 11 apostles, Paul, and a few believers began to spread the gospel in the pagan world. Understand the gradual transformation that took place as the New Testament Books were written and distributed and how it began to influence how people understood marriage, family, and government. See that the culture changed as Christianity spread through areas of the world and reached its pinnacle and the philosophies that dominated during those years. Be ready next week to hear how it began to decline and slide toward paganism again.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Passage: Psalm 30:4-5
Series: 1st and 2nd Samuel (2015)
Duration: 1 hr 6 mins 28 secs
Do you consider yourself to be cultured? Unlock the meaning of “culture” with this lucid and interesting message discussing how cultures and subcultures develop within groups. See that worldliness refers to a set of beliefs and actions that are not influenced by biblical truth. Find out how God declared His creation to be “tov” or good and what the standards are for that. Hear a number of principles that can help distinguish beauty in music, art, and literature. Understand that beauty is not a human-based standard, but that it comes from God.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Series: 2014 Chafer Theological Seminary Bible Conference
Duration: 1 hr 13 mins 21 secs

Readers of this paper should understand that it builds upon more extensive, previously published material that can only be briefly cited here. Christians today, particularly in the United States, are facing a rapidly-growing, comprehensive antagonism by pagan culture as that culture ever more consistently manifests itself through the public policies of all levels of civil government from local to federal. This antagonism challenges Christian family authority in education, Christian vocational freedom in public business and health care, Christian counseling in pastoral care (both civilian and military), Christian scholarship in academia and Christian political freedom in public policy decisions. Because it is the main tool involved, this paper explores the degenerate state of current public discourse in search of an effective overall strategy of response. It concludes that Christians must first become aware of how the suppression dynamic Paul spoke of in Romans 1:18-32 has worked out today in Western civilization. It further points out that simultaneously with the truncated ability of public discourse to handle fundamental truths of reality, truth, and conduct, there is a surreptitious and gradual establishment of a state secular religion that seeks to trump God's revelation. Two strategies to counter these threats are discussed, one aimed at challenging so-called "reasonable" public discussion and the other aimed at strengthening opposition to the state's expanding religious claims.

For Christians committed to a literal, grammatical, historical hermeneutic (and thereby a dispensational perspective) the growing pagan antagonism is accompanied by criticism from covenant, post-millennial, theonomic brethren that dispensational theology is largely responsible for Christian impotency in the face of such sociopolitical antagonism. Criticism from these fellow believers charges that our view necessarily leads to defeatism, a purposeless Church age, and irresponsible passivity toward the challenges of earthly life. This paper answers those criticisms by pointing out specific features of dispensational ecclesiology and eschatology that guard the primacy of evangelism and missions while simultaneously offering detailed sociopolitical wisdom for Christian citizens. Included is an example of applying this wisdom to the reformation of Christian wedding services in those states that have delegitimized Christian marriage.

Sunday, December 08, 2013
Series: Bible Study Methods (2013)
Duration: 38 mins 8 secs

Problems in Biblical Understanding

Hendricks, Living By the Book, chapters 27 through 29

Assignment:
Read Hendricks, Living By the Book, chapters 30-32.
Read Hendricks, Living By the Book Workbook, chapters 49-51. Work on the assignment in Chapter 49 pertaining to Habakkuk.

Dr. Dean also recommended the following books on Bible interpretation:
Protestant Biblical Interpretation: A Textbook of Hermeneutics by Bernard Ramm
Basic Bible Interpretation by Roy B. Zuck
Expository Hermeneutics: an Introduction by Elliot Johnson
Evangelical Hermeneutics: The New Versus the Old by Robert L. Thomas

Sunday, December 08, 2013
Series: Bible Study Methods (2013)
Duration: 45 mins 14 secs
Introduction to Interpretation

Hendricks, Living By the Book, chapters 27 through 29

Sunday, October 27, 2013
Passage: Romans 10:9-10 & James 1:2-8
Series: Bible Study Methods (2013)
Duration: 47 mins 58 secs
Hendricks, Living By the Book, chapters 9-11

Elements of Observations: Relation and Interrelation of Terms, Structure. Romans 10:9-10. James 1:2-4, 5-8

Handouts mentioned during the class:
The Cruciality of Structure
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Methodical Bible Study
Overall Scheme of Study

Assignment:
Read Hendricks, Living By the Book, chapters 12-14.
Make a list of all of the paragraphs in the Book of James. Write a few key words or summary statement for each paragraph.

Sunday, October 27, 2013
Passage: James 1:19
Series: Bible Study Methods (2013)
Duration: 46 mins 51 secs
Hendricks, Living By the Book, chapters 9-11

Elements of Observations: Words, Terms, Phrases, Clauses. James 1:19

Handouts mentioned during the class:
The Cruciality of Structure
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Methodical Bible Study
Overall Scheme of Study

Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Passage: Acts 19:17-41
Series: Acts (2010)
Duration: 1 hr 8 mins 43 secs
"Don't come preaching that and take away my business," was the strident cry of a frenzied, mindless mob in Ephesus. This ancient city was renowned for its pagan worship of the goddess Diana and the practice of the occult black arts. Listen to this lesson to learn that many Ephesians, however, listened to Paul and accepted the Lord Jesus. Hear how they brought their expensive books of magic and incantations to be burned. See how cultures can change for the better or worse depending on what people believe. Find out how Paul took the time to train young men such as Timothy and Erastus for the ministry.
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Series: Bible Study Methods (2013)
Duration: 45 mins 43 secs

Hendricks, Living By the Book, Chapters 5 and 6. Beginning to observe. Observation exercises

Assignment:

Read Hendricks, Living by the Book, chapters 7-8.

Read the entire book of James every day.

Around Saturday (after you've read the book of James every day), write 15-25 observations on James 1:19.

Sunday, October 06, 2013
Series: Bible Study Methods (2013)
Duration: 46 mins 18 secs
Beginning to Observe.

Hendricks, Living By the Book, Chapters 5 and 6

Understanding inductive Bible study methods vs. deductive Bible study methods.

Handout #1 - The Student, The Fish, and Agassiz

Handout #2 - The Cruciality of Structure