![Becoming God's Family by Carmen Joy Imes [REVIEW]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62432fcf146757356a34a5b9/1761675475156-0ZUIK0XIGFKBQODP84HO/Carmen+Joy+Imes+Becoming+God%E2%80%99s+Family+Why+the+Church+Still+Matters.jpg)
Becoming God's Family by Carmen Joy Imes [REVIEW]
Carmen Joy Imes’s Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters (IVP Academic, October 28, 2025) addresses contemporary disillusionment with the church by presenting a biblical theology of God’s presence among His people. Completing a trilogy that began with Bearing God’s Name (covenant and law) and Being God’s Image (creation and identity), this volume explores the church as God’s chosen family, intergenerational and global, called to embody His mission despite scandals, polarization, and deconstruction. With endorsements from leading scholars and pastors, a foreword by Esau McCaulley, and resources like discussion questions and BibleProject links, Imes provides scholarly depth and pastoral care. Drawing from the full sweep of Scripture—from Abraham’s household to the church as the Spirit’s temple—she argues that God’s presence has always been tied to a gathered community, not isolated individuals, and that remaining in the church is central to Christian life and God’s redemptive plan.
Are Protestants Evangelical? And are Evangelicals Protestant?
While Protestantism and Evangelicalism share historical and theological roots, they are not identical. Protestantism emerged from the sixteenth-century Reformation, characterized by the Five Solas—faith, grace, Scripture, Christ, and God’s glory alone—and emphasized the authority of Scripture, justification by faith, and continuity with historic orthodoxy. Evangelicalism later emerged as a movement within Protestantism, centered on Biblicism, Crucicentrism, Conversionism, and Activism. The two overlap in rejecting Roman Catholic dogma and affirming salvation by faith, yet diverge as Evangelicalism often prioritizes personal experience, revivalism, and innovation over historical theology and ecclesial order. Some Protestants reject the Evangelical label due to modern theological drift, while some Evangelicals dismiss the Protestant title as outdated, favoring renewal and cultural adaptability. Evangelicalism is at its healthiest when it is consciously Protestant—rooted in Reformation convictions—while Protestantism remains vital when it is truly Evangelical in its gospel mission.
Why do people think the rapture is happening today?
This article examines the current viral prediction of a September 2025 rapture by South African preacher Joshua Mhlakela, placing it within a long history of failed forecasts like those of Harold Camping. It argues that while the Bible clearly teaches Christ’s return will be sudden, visible, and unknowable in timing, the modern doctrine of a secret rapture is a 19th-century invention of dispensationalism, spread through conferences, radio, and popular media rather than Scripture itself. Instead of anxious speculation or escapist hopes, Christians are called to readiness through faithfulness, holiness, and active discipleship—raising families in the Lord, practicing justice and mercy, persevering in suffering, and serving within the church. The true biblical hope is not escape from tribulation but the transformation of creation at Christ’s visible return, when the dead will be raised, evil judged, and God’s kingdom fully established in a new heaven and new earth.
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[Review] EXPANDED: THE UNSEEN REALM
The expanded edition of The Unseen Realm adds over 17,000 words, twenty-four expanded chapters, a new appendix, and more, making it about 175 pages longer than the original. Released by Lexham Press in a deluxe hardcover with striking artwork, it serves as a worthy tribute to Michael Heiser’s legacy. The book challenges Western Christianity’s flat, naturalistic view of Scripture by recovering the biblical authors’ supernatural worldview. Some readers may find its depth demanding, especially those new to biblical theology, but many will welcome its insights and clarity on passages often called “weird” or confusing. The expansion integrates material once only online, weaving it into the book to present Heiser’s broader reflections. For these reasons, I give the expanded edition a full ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, recommending it both to long-time students of Heiser’s work and to thoughtful readers eager to engage the Bible on its supernatural terms.
What Happened to the Divine Council?
The Biblical authors portray God as ruling from his throne in heaven, surrounded by a council of heavenly beings. This ‘divine council’ appears in multiple Old Testament passages, functioning as God’s heavenly court intended to mediate his governance to all the nations. But by the time of the New Testament, this council was removed from power due to rebellion against God and was replaced by the sole authority of Christ. To ask what happened to the divine council is to trace the story from creation to the consummation of God’s kingdom in the end.
God’s Omnipresence and Sovereignty in Creation and Salvation
God is omnipresent, an attribute that converges with his sovereignty over creation and salvation. In the following article, the analogy of a carpenter making a chair is used to explain how different theological traditions—Semi-Pelagianism, Arminianism, and Calvinism—understand the relationship between God’s role and human responsibility in salvation, arguing that while each tradition captures some essence of truth, how God’s omnipresence and timeless sovereignty hold all things—creation, history, and salvation—within himself and without contradiction. The aim of the article is not to settle any disagreements between classical soteriological perspectives, but to inspire deeper thinking on the matter.
Is Christianity Making a Comeback Among Young Adults? (Pew Data vs. Media Narratives)
Recent data indicates that after decades of steady decline, Christianity's presence in the United States has stabilized, particularly among younger adults. While overall religiosity remains lowest among those aged 18–24, the generational drop in Christian affiliation appears to have halted, with the youngest Gen Z cohort showing similar religious identification and practices to their slightly older peers. Young men, once expected to lead the exodus from religion, are retaining faith at slightly higher rates than young women, narrowing the historic gender gap. Though anecdotal reports highlight a growing interest in traditional expressions of Christianity, such as Eastern Orthodoxy and Latin Mass Catholicism, and cultural influencers have sparked renewed spiritual curiosity among some, these trends remain statistically small and highly concentrated. The data suggest not a resurgence, but a pause in religious decline; the dominant pattern remains one of widespread secularization, with only subtle signs of potential revival emerging at the margins.
A Biblical Symbology of Clowns: The Clown on My Wall
Clowns embody contradiction and inversion, acting as cultural symbols that expose the boundaries and hypocrisies of human systems through humor, discomfort, and absurdity. Though often feared, their purpose is not malevolence but revelatory: clowns function as sacred fools or prophetic tricksters who disrupt social order to reveal truth. Historically rooted in the role of the jester, the clown occupies the space between order and chaos, revealing hidden realities and confronting tyranny by returning overextended structures to a state of potential. The clown’s unsettling presence reminds us of the wilderness beyond the city—unformed but filled with potential—where God's dominion is meant to extend. Unlike the Nephilim, who represent fallen power structures rooted in underworld tyranny, clowns challenge tyrannical structures by embodying disorder in the hopes of divine renewal. They are not evil but disruptive, meant to provoke discomfort that leads to growth in wisdom, endurance, and insight. In a world of inverted values, the clown is the only archetype meant to turn things right-side up.
A Brief Introduction to Protestant Sacramentalism
Churches take many different forms. Some of the differences between churches arise from a cultural expression of biblical teachings, while others reflect theological convictions shaped by particular traditions, congregations, or teachers. Sacramentalism, as will be further explained, is a theological position that emphasizes ordinances established by God’s word, followed by faithful obedience through sacrament, resulting in divine activity. In contrast, churches that follow a Normative Principle of Worship (to be defined further) may, through well-meaning human creativity, inadvertently drift from God’s design for his church as revealed in Scripture. Sacramentalism guards against this by emphasizing a degree of regulation in Christian worship and practice, rooted in God’s revealed will. This article will explore some of the biblical, theological, and historical foundations of sacramentalism and argue that a return to a historically Protestant sacramental theology offers the most faithful vision for the life and worship of the church.
Papal Succession: What Protestants Can Learn from the 2025 Conclave
Some Protestants are fascinated by the Pope, while others—understandably, given church history—want nothing to do with him. While I don’t think fascination with the Pope is healthy for Protestant Christians, I do believe that meaningful dialogue between Catholics and Protestants is increasingly necessary. The reasons behind the Protestant Reformation remain essential, but they do not mean there is nothing we can learn from one another. With that in mind, I would like to consider three lessons that Protestants can take away from the 2025 conclave—lessons that will hopefully bolster our understanding of leadership and succession within our own traditions.
REVIEW—Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds: Rediscovering the Dead Sea Scrolls
Andrew B. Perrin aims to reconnect readers with the ancient yet continuously evolving narrative of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), clarifying misconceptions and emphasizing the scrolls’ enduring significance for biblical interpretation and textual criticism. The book challenges traditional assumptions and highlights how recent research, including technological advancements and exposure of forgeries, reshapes our understanding of biblical texts in their historical contexts. Perrin encourages readers to engage with the scrolls not merely as artifacts but as windows into Second Temple Judaism, demonstrating the diverse religious environment that birthed the New Testament and early Christianity. His approach reflects the ongoing, dynamic conversation between ancient findings and contemporary scholarship, advocating for a thoughtful reassessment of biblical tradition through the lens of this extraordinary archaeological discovery.
Should AI Be Used for Theological Research?
Small variations in prompt wording can significantly change the course of AI-generated theological research, as exemplified in the debate between Arminianism and Calvinism. Shifts in phrasing shape the model’s assumptions, research patterns, source selection, and final conclusions in ways that often go unnoticed, revealing how easily bias can be loaded into the process without realizing it. AI models tend to prioritize systematic theological structures, emphasize textual coherence over narrative development, and reinforce the framing presented to them, making truly objective theological analysis difficult to achieve through artificial intelligence.
What is the Atonement in the Bible? (Thoughts on Atonement from Dr. Michael S. Heiser)
Michael Heiser understood Christ’s atonement as a multifaceted reality best described as a kaleidoscope, where various theories—Penal Substitution, Ransom, Moral Influence, Governmental, Recapitulation, Christus Victor, and potentially others—each offer legitimate insights into the work of Christ without needing to be synthesized into a single system. He affirmed substitution as biblically essential while rejecting the notion that God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus in a punitive sense. Heiser emphasized biblical theology over systematic formulations, preferring to let the text speak in its own diversity. Among the models, he notably favored Christus Victor, seeing Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension as the defeat of spiritual powers and the beginning of cosmic restoration.
Are demons real? (Where do they come from? And what do they do?)
Demons are real, and their origin traces back to the Nephilim—the giant offspring of rebellious divine beings and human women—whose disembodied spirits now roam the earth in defiance of God. These unclean spirits emerge from ancient cosmic rebellion and continue to corrupt, deceive, and oppose God’s purposes in the world. They promote false teachings, exploit human institutions, and wage spiritual war against humanity. Yet their influence is not ultimate; through Jesus, the Kingdom of God has broken in to confront and overcome their power.
Response to TGC re: Matthew Bates, Beyond the Salvation Wars
A recent article posted on the TGC website by Harrison Perkins claims to be a review of Matthew Bates’ recent book, Beyond the Salvation Wars, but only succeeds as a ‘hit piece’ intended to highlight the specific theological camp encouraged in the TGC community. Perkins claims that “Bates’s gospel and his arguments for it have several significant flaws.” Perkins does not list the flaws by number, but I’d like to address five specific criticisms he makes of Bates before providing some concluding thoughts. I’ll pose these as questions to be answered as I do not believe the claims accurately represent Bates’ positions.
“Do You Not Know That We Will Judge Angels?” What Paul Assumes about a Common Eschatology
In 1 Corinthians 6:3, Paul asks, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” When read from the Divine Council worldview (DCW) perspective, the question tugs at several biblical-theological threads that influence the view of Christ’s people in the eschaton and their participation in divine governance. As Paul’s rhetorical question indicates, followers of Christ will, in some way, participate in the final judgment of angels, understood under the DCW as fallen spiritual beings (the consummation of the Psalm 82 judgment as revisited in Revelation 20:11-15). Scripture presents the saints as co-rulers with Christ, as seen in Revelation 2:26-27, where Jesus declares, “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” Likewise, Revelation 5:10 affirms that those belonging to Christ will be made “a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Paul assumes a seemingly general knowledge of the day, that “believers, having been exalted with Christ who rules over all powers, will play a role in the final judgment of those powers.”
7 Reasons Everyone Should Read Revelation
Dragons, beasts rising from the sea, armies of locusts, and rivers of blood–the Book of Revelation contains some of the Bible’s most terrifying imagery. I had been a pastor for many years when it occurred to me that many Christians avoid reading Revelation because they fear its apocalyptic visions and are confused by its complex symbolism. But despite its challenging content, Revelation has always offered Christians hope and truth, essential for the Christian life. What follows are seven reasons why I think everyone should carefully read this fantastic book.
What is the Nicene Creed?
The Nicene Creed is a foundational statement of Christian faith that emerged from the early church’s need to address theological controversies, particularly Arianism–a heresy that denied the full deity of Christ by claiming He was a created being. Also known as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, it holds a unique place in Christian history as the only creed universally accepted by Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant churches. While earlier creeds like the Old Roman Symbol existed, the Nicene Creed provides the first detailed affirmation of Christ’s divinity and the Holy Spirit’s deity that gained ecumenical acceptance. The creed systematically addresses key doctrinal issues, carefully articulating orthodox beliefs about the Trinity and the nature of Christ (Christology) in response to various heresies that threatened the church’s understanding of these essential doctrines.
Gospel Meaning and Definition
The definition and meaning of the Gospel are examined through the perspectives of the Apostle Paul, Jesus himself, and contemporary theological understanding. While Paul emphasizes Christ's death, resurrection, and lordship, and Jesus focused on announcing God's Kingdom, the full Gospel encompasses both perspectives; it is fundamentally the good news that Jesus is King, bringing God's rule to earth through his incarnation, death, resurrection, and eventual return. The Gospel extends beyond mere historical events to represent God's comprehensive plan to restore all creation through Christ, offering hope of redemption, adoption into God's family, and the promise of cosmic renewal when Christ returns to fully establish his Kingdom.
What is the Gospel?
It’s bigger than you think. The Gospel isn’t merely a message that Jesus died for your sins so you can go to heaven. Indeed, that’s part of it, but the Gospel encompasses the entire biblical narrative from creation to consummation. The Gospel proper is that Jesus is King. From this foundational truth flow various Gospel effects that shape how we understand salvation, transformation, and our place in God's Kingdom.