Bill Berends | Australian College of Theology (original) (raw)
Papers by Bill Berends
Christian Higher Education, Nov 1, 2012
Missiology: An International Review, 1993
The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices... more The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices, and asks whether African churches and modern medical programs can continue simply to denounce or to ignore such practices. The need for a further appraisal becomes apparent when it is shown that the purposes of these healing practices fulfill certain functions not met by modern medicine. When a comparison shows that the healing practices recorded in the Old and New Testaments often have more in common with African traditional practices than with modern medicine, the question whether the African Christian community should re-evaluate the traditional healing practices becomes unavoidable.
Christian Higher Education, 2012
Australia has no Christian universities or Christian liberal arts colleges other than Australian ... more Australia has no Christian universities or Christian liberal arts colleges other than Australian Catholic University, which has six campuses in five cities. This paper examines one long-term attempt to set up such an institution, which ended in the project being abandoned for lack of progress. Some likely reasons for failure are identified in the hope that any future endeavors might avoid such hindrances.
As an examiner for colleges participating in the Australian College of Theology I set a question ... more As an examiner for colleges participating in the Australian College of Theology I set a question asking students to explain the importance of the distinction between the active and passive obedience of Christ. To my surprise of the eighty or so students who sat the exam only one tried to answer the question, and he or she had misunderstood it completely. Why would this be the case among students whose colleges for the larger part proclaim to teach the Reformed faith? Is this distinction not a part of the Protestant understanding of the doctrine of justification, shared by Reformed and Lutherans alike? Moreover, is it not a key doctrine of the distinctive Reformed understanding of the divine covenants?
Kuyper Centre, 2013
Evaluates the current interest in animal rights on biblical grounds.
Compares the traditional Christian view of marriage to the contemporary practice of marriage in w... more Compares the traditional Christian view of marriage to the contemporary practice of marriage in western society
Kuyper Centre for Christian Worldview Studies, 2015
A defence of the Christian perspective on marriage using a general revelation approach
This paper examines the concept of multiculturalism from a creation-fall-redemption perspective.
This paper examines the teleological approach found in the Book of Proverbs and distinguishes thi... more This paper examines the teleological approach found in the Book of Proverbs and distinguishes this from approaches where the end justifies the means.
This paper examines prophecies in Isaiah and Revelation about a time of universal blessing with r... more This paper examines prophecies in Isaiah and Revelation about a time of universal blessing with respect to different positions on the millennium
The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices... more The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices, and asks whether African churches and modern medical programs can continue simply to denounce or to ignore such practices. The need for a further appraisal becomes apparent when it is shown that the purposes of these healing practices fulfill certain functions not met by modern medicine. When a comparison shows that the healing practices recorded in the Old and New Testaments often have more in common with African traditional practices than with modern medicine, the question whether the African Christian community should re-evaluate the traditional healing practices becomes unavoidable.
This paper shows how humankind's creation in the image of God is expressed in three relationships... more This paper shows how humankind's creation in the image of God is expressed in three relationships: Worship, Fellowship and Stewardship. Together these three relationships provide the context and content for all of human culture.
This paper examines various positions on the Millennium and shows how the positions favoured tend... more This paper examines various positions on the Millennium and shows how the positions favoured tended to reflect the situation of the church and the expectations of the people.
This paper examines the gift or prophecy as understood in the Reformed tradition following the Re... more This paper examines the gift or prophecy as understood in the Reformed tradition following the Reformation. It identifies different uses of the word, and shows that there was a full acceptance of prophecy as preaching, wide acceptance of occasional predictions, but a general rejection of post-biblical prophecies that claimed to reveal God's will for his people.
This paper looks at different positions on the continuation of spiritual gifts and defends a posi... more This paper looks at different positions on the continuation of spiritual gifts and defends a position of "soft cessationism": the view that miracles continue but as a gift to the church, not individuals.
The paper seeks to show that worldviews can be categorized by whether they are Deistic (Naturalis... more The paper seeks to show that worldviews can be categorized by whether they are Deistic (Naturalist), Pantheistic or Theistic. These three worldviews are then compared and the relationship between them is illustrated by means of a diagrammatic "worldview circle".
The article begins with an examination of the biblical origin of Christ's church at Mt. Sinai. I... more The article begins with an examination of the biblical origin of Christ's church at Mt. Sinai. It then compares what happened here to the beginnings of the NT Church at Pentecost in terms of the way contemporary Judaism understood the signs of God's presence at Sinai.
This paper looks at the development of the doctrine of Christ's active and passive obedience and ... more This paper looks at the development of the doctrine of Christ's active and passive obedience and examines some Scripture passages that give support to the doctrine.
The active and passive obedience of Christ , as taught in the Westminster Confession, is an area ... more The active and passive obedience of Christ , as taught in the Westminster Confession, is an area of theology that is much neglected today. This article examines why this doctrine is an important aspect of Reformed, biblical theology.
This article looks at the sealing of the 144,000 with respect to the doctrine of the assurance of... more This article looks at the sealing of the 144,000 with respect to the doctrine of the assurance of salvation.
Christian Higher Education, Nov 1, 2012
Missiology: An International Review, 1993
The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices... more The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices, and asks whether African churches and modern medical programs can continue simply to denounce or to ignore such practices. The need for a further appraisal becomes apparent when it is shown that the purposes of these healing practices fulfill certain functions not met by modern medicine. When a comparison shows that the healing practices recorded in the Old and New Testaments often have more in common with African traditional practices than with modern medicine, the question whether the African Christian community should re-evaluate the traditional healing practices becomes unavoidable.
Christian Higher Education, 2012
Australia has no Christian universities or Christian liberal arts colleges other than Australian ... more Australia has no Christian universities or Christian liberal arts colleges other than Australian Catholic University, which has six campuses in five cities. This paper examines one long-term attempt to set up such an institution, which ended in the project being abandoned for lack of progress. Some likely reasons for failure are identified in the hope that any future endeavors might avoid such hindrances.
As an examiner for colleges participating in the Australian College of Theology I set a question ... more As an examiner for colleges participating in the Australian College of Theology I set a question asking students to explain the importance of the distinction between the active and passive obedience of Christ. To my surprise of the eighty or so students who sat the exam only one tried to answer the question, and he or she had misunderstood it completely. Why would this be the case among students whose colleges for the larger part proclaim to teach the Reformed faith? Is this distinction not a part of the Protestant understanding of the doctrine of justification, shared by Reformed and Lutherans alike? Moreover, is it not a key doctrine of the distinctive Reformed understanding of the divine covenants?
Kuyper Centre, 2013
Evaluates the current interest in animal rights on biblical grounds.
Compares the traditional Christian view of marriage to the contemporary practice of marriage in w... more Compares the traditional Christian view of marriage to the contemporary practice of marriage in western society
Kuyper Centre for Christian Worldview Studies, 2015
A defence of the Christian perspective on marriage using a general revelation approach
This paper examines the concept of multiculturalism from a creation-fall-redemption perspective.
This paper examines the teleological approach found in the Book of Proverbs and distinguishes thi... more This paper examines the teleological approach found in the Book of Proverbs and distinguishes this from approaches where the end justifies the means.
This paper examines prophecies in Isaiah and Revelation about a time of universal blessing with r... more This paper examines prophecies in Isaiah and Revelation about a time of universal blessing with respect to different positions on the millennium
The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices... more The article draws attention to the continuing popularity of African traditional healing practices, and asks whether African churches and modern medical programs can continue simply to denounce or to ignore such practices. The need for a further appraisal becomes apparent when it is shown that the purposes of these healing practices fulfill certain functions not met by modern medicine. When a comparison shows that the healing practices recorded in the Old and New Testaments often have more in common with African traditional practices than with modern medicine, the question whether the African Christian community should re-evaluate the traditional healing practices becomes unavoidable.
This paper shows how humankind's creation in the image of God is expressed in three relationships... more This paper shows how humankind's creation in the image of God is expressed in three relationships: Worship, Fellowship and Stewardship. Together these three relationships provide the context and content for all of human culture.
This paper examines various positions on the Millennium and shows how the positions favoured tend... more This paper examines various positions on the Millennium and shows how the positions favoured tended to reflect the situation of the church and the expectations of the people.
This paper examines the gift or prophecy as understood in the Reformed tradition following the Re... more This paper examines the gift or prophecy as understood in the Reformed tradition following the Reformation. It identifies different uses of the word, and shows that there was a full acceptance of prophecy as preaching, wide acceptance of occasional predictions, but a general rejection of post-biblical prophecies that claimed to reveal God's will for his people.
This paper looks at different positions on the continuation of spiritual gifts and defends a posi... more This paper looks at different positions on the continuation of spiritual gifts and defends a position of "soft cessationism": the view that miracles continue but as a gift to the church, not individuals.
The paper seeks to show that worldviews can be categorized by whether they are Deistic (Naturalis... more The paper seeks to show that worldviews can be categorized by whether they are Deistic (Naturalist), Pantheistic or Theistic. These three worldviews are then compared and the relationship between them is illustrated by means of a diagrammatic "worldview circle".
The article begins with an examination of the biblical origin of Christ's church at Mt. Sinai. I... more The article begins with an examination of the biblical origin of Christ's church at Mt. Sinai. It then compares what happened here to the beginnings of the NT Church at Pentecost in terms of the way contemporary Judaism understood the signs of God's presence at Sinai.
This paper looks at the development of the doctrine of Christ's active and passive obedience and ... more This paper looks at the development of the doctrine of Christ's active and passive obedience and examines some Scripture passages that give support to the doctrine.
The active and passive obedience of Christ , as taught in the Westminster Confession, is an area ... more The active and passive obedience of Christ , as taught in the Westminster Confession, is an area of theology that is much neglected today. This article examines why this doctrine is an important aspect of Reformed, biblical theology.
This article looks at the sealing of the 144,000 with respect to the doctrine of the assurance of... more This article looks at the sealing of the 144,000 with respect to the doctrine of the assurance of salvation.