What is a Disciple?

June 2, 2023 By Michael T. Cooper

Some years ago, I sat in the office of a pastor discussing discipleship. His perspective echoed what I hear from many pastors: discipleship occurs from the pulpit. I get it. Throughout their four to six year seminary education, the prevailing model placed the attention on the person in front of the classroom. In essence, pastors become “disciples” of professors. Yet, such a puzzling comment begged for further probing even though I knew where the discussion would end. Pastors, as they... Read more

Changing the Tracks of History

May 28, 2023 By Michael T. Cooper

The first Pentecost must have been an amazing experience. Before Jesus ascended to His Father, He commanded the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit Who had been promised. When He came, Luke tells us of the event: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as... Read more

How Much More Can We Take?

May 24, 2023 By Michael T. Cooper

One year ago, a gunman killed 19 children and 2 educators while 25 law enforcement officers stood on the margins of classrooms at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. In total, 2022 saw 646 mass shooting events in the US. Yesterday’s mass shootings in Texas and Indiana brought the number up to 241 already in the 141 days of this year (source: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/). Meanwhile, the debates among politicians and gun rights advocates have contributed little to ensuring peace of mind when... Read more

More on Words

May 22, 2023 By Michael T. Cooper

Words matter. And perhaps when considering theology, words form opinions that impact the trajectory of orthodoxy. Such theological statements ensured that the early development of Christianity continued on that trajectory. Today, they act in a similar way as the gospel spreads to different cultures. Words and the Development of Doctrine The meaning of a word profoundly impacted the development of doctrine in the early church. In the 200s, a doctrinal controversy surrounding the physical body of Christ enveloped debates among... Read more

No Shortcut to Missiological Research

May 17, 2023 By Michael T. Cooper

I do not remember when a book generated the vitriol that we see in contemporary missions like No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions. Authored by a seasoned missionary and published by 9Marks, Matt Rhodes lives in North Africa and works on a church planting team. Certainly there have been other theological volumes penned to defend or argue against a position. The debates surrounding Free Grace Theology in the 1990s come immediately to mind. In our current time,... Read more

Words Matter

May 16, 2023 By Michael T. Cooper

It’s a familiar 19th century refrain which doesn’t hold much meaning today, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” We’ve learned over the decades of reciting this proverb on the playground that it just isn’t true. In our day, the playground has extended to the blogosphere, social media, and beyond. Words do hurt and many of us have experienced the harm. This morning, I asked ChatGPT about the importance of words and I think... Read more

The Creativity of a Mother

May 14, 2023 By Michael T. Cooper

The early church boasted of many who saw the intersection of culture and theology. These early saints believed that all truth was God’s truth and that truth, wherever described, could very well point people to Christ. Augustine, for example, wrote, “For there were also pagan prophets in whom some things are found, which they sang about Christ, just as they had heard them, as it is said of the Sibyl” (Commentary on Romans 1.3). However, not everyone would agree. For... Read more

Theology and Culture? Seriously?

May 12, 2023 By Michael T. Cooper

Welcome to the Ephesiology blog! A blog focused on the intersection of theology and culture. There are those who might wonder if there is such an intersection between theology and culture. After all, some will insist that theology is opposed to culture. At times, it certainly seems that theology has nothing to say to contemporary issues. At least nothing constructive. It feels old, antiquated, and out of touch. Theology is, basically, irrelevant. It has gone the way of the past.... Read more