Posts by Kenneth Berding

Kenneth Berding

Kenneth Berding is a professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology. He is an author of various books, some academic (such as Polycarp and Paul), some semi-academic (such as What Are Spiritual Gifts? Rethinking the Conventional View), others for-the-classroom (such as Sing and Learn New Testament Greek or The Apostolic Fathers: A Narrative Introduction), and still others for-the-church (such as Walking in the Spirit or Bible Revival: Recommitting Ourselves to One Book). He has published articles in such journals as the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vigiliae Christianae, New Testament Studies, and Journal of Early Christian Studies. He is the director of . Before coming to Talbot, Berding was a church planter in the Middle East and taught at Nyack College just north of New York City. He has a heart for God and ministry, has written many worship songs, and has served as a worship pastor in local church ministry.

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The Good Book Blog
12 Awkward Metaphors in Worship Songs
Kenneth Berding — August 29, 2021
I’m writing these comments as someone who has great appreciation for the modern worship movement. Still…. Am I the only one who has noticed a spate...
The Good Book Blog
"Let Go and Let God"?
Kenneth Berding — August 25, 2021
I grew up in a church setting that was really into “higher life” teaching. This teaching goes by many different names, including “victorious...
The Good Book Blog
Christian Virtues for Civil Disobedience
Kenneth Berding — August 13, 2021
What attitudes should Christians display when compelled by conscience to disobey the government? Before addressing that question, let’s review one...
The Good Book Blog
How Wide is the Sphere of Ministry God has Given You?
Kenneth Berding — August 04, 2021
After an extended time of prayer in the mountains last year, I left with one perspective that has proven extremely helpful to me. Here is that...
The Good Book Blog
A Different Kind of Bucket List
Kenneth Berding — July 19, 2021
This morning I talked with someone who was describing some items on their bucket list. A “bucket list,” if you don’t know the term, is “a list of...
The Good Book Blog
Are You a People Pleaser?
Kenneth Berding — June 23, 2021
Are you a people pleaser? Do you do things for others so they will like you, thank you or just not get upset at you? The Urban Dictionary...
The Good Book Blog
Warning: Don’t Drink the Water in the Sea of Galilee. You Might Start Allegorizing
Kenneth Berding — June 03, 2021
There must be something in the water of the Sea of Galilee. Otherwise, how can you explain why so many people allegorize stories from the life of...
The Good Book Blog
Strength in Weakness: When God Showed Up in my Classroom
Kenneth Berding — May 21, 2021
Have you ever been present when God’s manifest presence breaks into a prayer time, a sermon, a worship service or a Bible study? This happened...
The Good Book Blog
Was there One John or Two in the Early Church? What Did Papias Think?
Kenneth Berding — May 14, 2021
Early in the second century A.D., Papias, one of the Apostolic Fathers, penned an interesting paragraph about which my students sometimes ask. In...
The Good Book Blog
The Love of Christ Controls Us: But What is “The Love of Christ”?
Kenneth Berding — May 05, 2021
Paul boldly and famously asserts: “the love of Christ controls us” (2 Cor. 5:14). But what does he mean by “the love of Christ”? If you’re willing...
The Good Book Blog
Muslim Insider Movements and the Church: An Interview
Kenneth Berding — April 12, 2021
Muslims are coming to Christ all around the world. But what should a church composed of Muslim-background believers in Jesus look like? How...
The Good Book Blog
I Abandoned My Lord: A Good Friday Reflection
Kenneth Berding — April 01, 2021
Last year, I was at home with my family on Good Friday because of the Covid-19 crisis. My home church streamed a somber and beautiful online...
The Good Book Blog
The Fragrance of Christ
Kenneth Berding — March 22, 2021
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death,...
The Good Book Blog
Why Romans 7:18 Needs a Translation Update
Kenneth Berding — March 03, 2021
I recently led a class session on how to interpret the second half of Romans 7. During the early part of the discussion, I presented four...
The Good Book Blog
Why Michael Heiser is Probably Wrong about Satan in the Book of Job
Kenneth Berding — February 24, 2021
Michael Heiser has done some good academic work during his career as an Old Testament scholar, and I will not hesitate to draw upon his insights in...
The Good Book Blog
Dying Daily
Kenneth Berding — February 17, 2021
I recently read John Piper’s little book, Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ. In this book, Piper wrote three short biographies of Christian...
The Good Book Blog
What is the Unforgiveable Sin? What is Blasphemy against the Spirit?
Kenneth Berding — February 03, 2021
Some years ago, I counseled with a student who was paralyzed by a fear that she had committed the unforgiveable sin because of some terrible words...
The Good Book Blog
“Your Life is Hidden with Christ in God”
A Devotional Reading of Colossians 3:3
Kenneth Berding — January 21, 2021
A hymn I learned as a child was running through my mind. I was perched on the side of a mountain overlooking the town of Idyllwild, California—one...
The Good Book Blog
The Longest Greek Word
Kenneth Berding — January 13, 2021
What is the longest Greek word ever to appear in written form? Here it is:λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεοκρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμματοσιλφιολιπαρομε...
The Good Book Blog
Seven Favorite Christian Books of 2020
Kenneth Berding — January 04, 2021
Following are seven books I read in 2020 that I found beneficial in my Christian life. This year I read quite a few biographies, so three of my...
The Good Book Blog
Four Lessons for Christmas from Mary’s Song of Praise
The Magnificat: Luke 2:46-55
Kenneth Berding — December 23, 2020
God broke into history by bringing a surprise announcement to a peasant girl in Nazareth. Mary’s response to this astonishing—and scandalous…even...
The Good Book Blog
The Most Important “Therefore” in the Bible: Romans 12:1
Kenneth Berding — December 16, 2020
One of my earliest college teachers taught me to ask a certain question every time I encountered the word “therefore” in the Bible. He told me to...
Biola Magazine
Let’s Just Get Through This
Kenneth Berding — December 14, 2020
Here’s a thought experiment. Suppose that you possessed a magic ball from which dangled a tiny magic thread. Furthermore, suppose that when you...
Talbot Magazine
Shelf Life: Fall 2020
Recent publications from our very own Talbot faculty.
Kenneth Berding, Rick Langer, Karen Quek, Karin Stetina — December 08, 2020
How to Live an 'In Christ' Life: 100 Devotional Readings on Union with Christ Ken Berding(M.A. ’96) Professor of New Testament Christian Focus,...
Talbot Magazine
Book Excerpt: InChristness
Kenneth Berding — December 08, 2020
“Excuse me, where’s the canyon?” This may be the most embarrassing question I have ever asked. I had been serving as a student leader at a camp for...