‘On the cross, when Jesus died’ was the ‘wrath of God satisfied’?

‘In Christ Alone’ by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty is one of the most popular ‘modern hymns’, and will no doubt be sung aplenty in this Easter season. I have been especially enjoying their continued output over the last couple of years; the musical interest combined with substantial, theological lyrics are just what many churches … Continue Reading

Exploring the New Testament—Third Edition

Exploring the New Testament was a two-volume introduction to the background, documents and interpretation of the New Testament first published in 2001. The first volume, on the gospels and Acts, was written by David Wenham and Steve Walton and it includes, in my view, the clearest and most helpful summary of the ‘Synoptic problem’ (the … Continue Reading

How do we make sense of the wrath of a loving God?

Kevin Kinghorn is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Asbury Theological Seminary. He has recently published But What About God’s Wrath? The compelling love story of divine anger with IVP in conjunction with Stephen Travis, and I asked him about the book and the subject. Why is wrath a subject that needs further exploration? In what ways … Continue Reading

Remembering Michael Green

Over the last few days, I have been reflecting on the life and ministry of Michael Green, as have many since his death was announced last Thursday, and I have been taken by surprise by realising how many times our paths crossed. The first was around the time that I came to personal faith myself, … Continue Reading

Did Jesus die to ‘satisfy God’s wrath’?

Four years ago I commented on the well-known hymn (which you might have sung yesterday), ‘In Christ Alone’ by Stuart Townend. This had been prompted by the decision in the Presbyterian Church (USA) to drop the  hymn because the song’s authors refused to change a phrase about the wrath of God. The original lyrics say that “on … Continue Reading

Tributes to Professor Howard Marshall

Many in the world of NT scholarship were saddened to hear of the death of I Howard Marshall (1934–2015) last Saturday after a short illness. Howard was professor emeritus of New Testament exegesis and honorary research professor at the University of Aberdeen, and he was widely recognized as one of the leaders of the second generation … Continue Reading

On the cross when Jesus died, was ‘the wrath of God satisfied’?

I recently posted on Facebook a link to the decision in the Presbyterian Church (USA) to drop the  hymn “In Christ Alone” because the song’s authors refused to change a phrase about the wrath of God. The original lyrics say that “on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.” The Presbyterian Committee … Continue Reading