Category Archives: Worldview

CHRIST AND OUR CALENDAR

History, Worldview August 1, 2025 Leave a comment

PMW 2025-063 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Gentry note:
These few paragraphs are taken from Oscar Cullman’s book, Christ and Time. His book is arguing that God controls time and that history is properly divided by the birth of Christ as the key event in history. In other words, he is presenting ancient Christianity’s Christo-centric view of history. These few sentences below are important to understand.

Cullmann:
Our system of reckoning time does not number the years in a continuous forward-moving series that begins at a fixed initial point. That method is followed, for example, in the calendar which Sextus Julius Africanus created at the opening of the third century A.D., and in the Jewish calendar, which thinks it possible to fix the date of the creation of the world, and hence designates that event by the year 1 and simply numbers forward from that point. Our system, however, does not proceed from an initial point, but from a center; it takes as the mid-point an event which is open to historical investigation and can be chronologically fixed, if not with complete accuracy, at least within a space of a few years. This event is the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Thence proceed in opposite directions two enumerations, one forward, the other backward: “after Christ,” “before Christ.” Continue reading →

THE GOSPEL’S LAST DAY VERDICT

salvation, Two-age Structure, Worldview March 25, 2025 Comments: 2

PMW 2025-024 by Dr. Ardel B. Caneday (from All Things Christian blogsite)Judgment day

Gentry note: Below is an insightful article that comports with the evangelical and Reformed understanding of the Already/Not Yet principle of biblical interpretation. An excellent read! For 28 years Dr. Caneday served as Professor of New Testament & Greek at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. He recently retired from full-time teaching and now serves as an adjunct professor at UNW.

Dr. Caneday’s article:

In December 2021, I published four articles responding to Harrison Perkins’s criticism of my chapter, “Covenantal Life with God from Eden to Holy City” in Progressive Covenantalism: Charting a Course between Dispensational and Covenantal Theologies. R. Scott Clark published the article on The Heidelblog. There, Perkins blatantly claimed, “In the end, Caneday does promote a salvation by works.” So outrageous was his accusation that I patiently responded with four articles demonstrating that his assessment and accusation were wrong and thus slanderous. Those accusations by Perkins, Clark, and others derive from their common failure to account for the New Testament’s presentation of the salvation of the Last Day brought forward in the person of Christ Jesus, consequently the already but not-yet character of salvation, including justification and forgiveness of sins, featured in this article.

Despite being available for more than four years, neither Perkins nor Clark have ever acknowledged their error of judgment nor repented of their published defamation. Though I did not write my recently published article at Christ Over All to counter Perkins’s false accusation published by Clark, it nonetheless does just that. Thus, though I rarely repost articles I have published elsewhere on this blog, I repost this article as a capstone to the earlier four-part series to expose the slanderous accusation written by Harrison Perkins and published on The Heidelblog.
Continue reading →

ESCHATOLOGY & CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW

Worldview January 26, 2023 Comments: 5

By Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Worldview 3

Before one actually begins considering eschatology per se, he must understand its significance for the Christian worldview. Though there are many things that could be said (and have been!), I believe we should at least reflect on three important observations regarding Christ’s second coming (which ends temporal history).

FIRST, THE SECOND COMING EXALTS CHRIST’S VICTORY IN REDEMPTION

When the Lord came to earth in the first-century, he came in a state of humility in order to suffer and die. Paul expresses this as follows: “being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8; cp. Matt 1:21; Luke 19:10).

But Scripture does not leave him suffering on the cross or lying in the tomb. Rather, it presents his ultimate glorification in heaven through three steps: resurrection, ascension, and session (being seated at the right hand of God). Ultimately his mediatorial rule over temporal history will end at his return, when he will resurrect and judge all men and establish the final order. As Paul puts it: “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9–11). Continue reading →

GOD’S WILL AND MAN’S GENDER

Culture, Ethics, Interpretation, Worldview September 16, 2022 1 Comment

bible-thumperPMW 2022-070 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In my last article I introduced the problem of cultural collapse as indicated by the transgender phenomenon as a social and political movement. In this article I will briefly highlight the biblical argument against transgender ideology. In that postmillennialism is biblically-rooted eschatological system which seeks a God’s-law governed moral system, postmillennialists need to understand the issues. So now let us consider transgenderism and:

The Divine Prohibition

For Christians the most important observations on trans-gender issues, though, come from God’s Word itself. Scripture speaks expressly against transgender behavior. It presents it as a sin that cries out for release through redemption and counseling. Continue reading →

GENDER CONFUSION & POSTMILLENNIALISM

Culture, Ethics, Uncategorized, Worldview September 13, 2022 1 Comment

collapsing-buildingPMW 2022-069 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Th.D.

The postmillennial hope is rooted in God’s word, not man’s world. Postmillennialism expects ups-and-downs as history unfolds. Though eventually the advances will far outweigh the declines. However, currently we are witnessing a downward trend in our cultural situation.

Our culture is now in such a state of rebellion against God that it cannot even tell the difference between male and female, such is the blindness of unbelief. The postmillennial hope involves a deep and abiding commitment to God’s word and his law to shine a light on our path forward. Unfortunately, so many Christian churches have become so invested in fun and entertainment instead of worship and study that Christians are confused in how to respond to our collapsing culture. Continue reading →

WHY STUDY ESCHATOLOGY

Theology, Worldview September 17, 2021 Leave a comment

PMW  2021-068 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Why studyDoctrines revolving around the end of the world and the return of Christ are extremely popular today. And since his return is a foundational doctrine of the historic Christian faith, it well deserves our notice. Unfortunately though, the second advent is more deeply loved and firmly believed than biblically understood and accurately proclaimed. Evangelicals too often tend to have a “zeal without knowledge” when approaching this great biblical theme. This is especially tragic in that properly comprehending it is vitally important for framing in a Christian worldview. After all, it exalts the consummate glory of his redemptive victory, completes God’s sovereign plan for history, and balances a full-orbed theology of Scripture. In this regard I would note: Continue reading →

GOD VS. GOVERNMENT

Worldview October 30, 2020 Comments: 2

PMW 2020-095 by Jason Lisle (Biblical Science Institute)

Many people have the impression that the Church is God’s institution and that the government is not. Consequently, the Church must abide by the Bible in all matters, but the government must stay away from religious matters. After all, isn’t there a separation of Church and state? In reality, both the Church and the state are God’s institutions and both are morally obligated to abide by biblical principles. When a government functions in the way God has specified, it is a blessing to all the people. But a government that will not follow biblical principles inevitably becomes a tyrannical “beast” that oppresses its own citizens.

The Biblical Purpose of Government

In Romans 13:1 the Apostle Paul states, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Since government is God’s idea, it is inherently good and right in principle. Paul continues, “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” Continue reading →