ITS welcomed Dr. Brandon Crowe who spoke about the centrality of the resurrection in the Acts of the Apostles. He explored the theological implications of Jesus' resurrection in early Christianity and helped us more clearly understand the purpose of Acts in the context of the New Testament ..read more

Next month we will host Dr. Michael Morales for our spring symposium. His topic will be Israel’s encampment in the wilderness. He is truly a worldclass expert on the tabernacle’s significance both for the writings of Moses and the entire Bible. To prepare us for this, our blog this month focuses on the exodus event. I recently wrote the entry “The Exodus” in the new Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, edited by G. K. Beale, D. A. Carson, Benjamin L. Gladd, and Andrew David Naselli.   Below is a link to just the first part of that entry where I delineate how the exod ..read more

This address by Dr. Nicholas Piotrowski was given to new seminarians at the very first ITS Convocation held in September, 2023. Download the PDF here. “If You Have to be a Fool, Be the Wisest Fool” Dr. Nicholas Piotrowski 1 Corinthians 1:17–30 ITS Convocation, Indpls, IN September 8, 2023   1 Corinthians 1:17–25   17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of Go ..read more

Mark 13 is commonly called "The Olivet Discourse." In that chapter (also in Matthew 24 and Luke 21) Jesus sits on the Mount of Olives and tells his disciples of the coming destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (which then occurred almost 40 years later). Yet, it also seems that Jesus is speaking of his return at the end of the age (which of course has not happened yet). So which is it? What is the primary focus of Mark 13? Scholars have much debated this, and major theological implications have resulted. But is it possible that there is still something else Jesus is talking about? And is it poss ..read more

"If white parents adopt black children and they don't make very conscious decisions about incorporating, including, immersing, and valuing blackness, then the adoption and the parenting is deeply problematic."  Is that a Christian way to think?  In this chalkboard session, Pastor Gus Pritchard explores what the Bible says about ethnicity and race.  He demonstrates that ethnicity is a malleable concept, showing that (1) from one ancestor come many ethnic groups, (2) ethnicity is fundamentally a matter of custom, (3) ethnic divisions are primarily a matter of culture, (4 ..read more

Christ-centered living was normal for the apostles but radical to those around them. The Apostle Peter writes, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Peter, along with the rest of the New Testament, teaches that the believer’s earthly suffering precedes his glorification. It can be easy for churches that have historically stood in places of religious freedom (protected from persecution) to bypass the step of suffering to teach a direct route to glory. I live and pastor in rural Knox ..read more

Trying to state all that our Lord Jesus achieved in his glorious work is difficult given its multi-faceted aspects. John Calvin sought to grasp the comprehensive nature of Christ’s work by the munus triplex—Christ’s threefold office as our new covenant head and mediator—prophet, priest, and king. What Calvin sought to avoid was reductionism, the “cardinal” sin of theology. Yet, although there is a danger in prioritizing one aspect of our Lord’s work, Scripture does stress the centrality of Christ’s priestly office and his sacrificial death for our sins (Matt. 1:21; 1 Cor. 15:3–4). And given th ..read more

  This month the Journal of the Evangelical Society ran Dr. Piotrowski's latest peer-reviewed article, co-written with an ITS student, Ryan Johnson. In this piece Piotrowski and Johnson argue that in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Paul is making his appeal for holiness based on the idea that the church is the temple of the living God (not individual bodies). The verses read: "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." The implications of this reading bear ..read more

My friend and I made a famous archaeological discovery. I was on a study tour of Israel with the Institute of Holy Land Studies (now Jerusalem University College), after my sophomore year of college. This was followed by an excavation at Tell Qasile, in Tel Aviv, under the direction of Amihai Mazar of Hebrew University. It was my first dig. The excavation served as a field school in archaeology, in which students were introduced to the methodology of the discipline through hands-on excavation, lectures, pottery analysis, and more. I was placed in an excavation square with Bob Mullins (who now ..read more

“Why the Exodus?” a skeptic asks. Our first answer may be, “Because He wanted to redeem His people"(Exod. 3:8–10). “Okay, but why redeem a people?” To answer this question, we must look at the heart of the Exodus account in Exodus 3–14. First, however, we must fly over the Exodus account to get the lay of the land, then we will look at a few verses that reveal the heart of God’s primary purpose in the Exodus from which flow all other purposes. A Summary of the Exodus The Exodus account was preceded by a problem that presented the need for rescue: “A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know ..read more