Being a disciple isn’t convenient.  But for those of us who live in a fast-food world, the anticipated feast makes it all worthwhile.

WSC President Joel Kim's opening convocation of the Spring 2018 semester. 

Scripture’s narratives present preachers with pitfalls and privilege. Pitfalls include abstracting timeless life-lessons from the drama experienced by fleshand-blood people, and putting ourselves in the spotlight, leaving Christ in the shadow. Yet narratives offer the privilege to introduce multidimensional, broken people to the real Hero of the Big Story, the multidimensional, allsufficient Lord and Savior.

Good stories are never just stories. Authors by what they include and what they exclude and by how they structure their stories are doing more than developing a plot; they are making a point. Reflecting on the narratives of great literature can help us learn more from the narratives of the Bible.

How does the Bible relate to itself in its own system of cross-referencing? Now that is a BIG topic! Biblical writers frequently refer to other biblical books in a wide variety of ways: direct quote, subtle citation, allusion, or ‘echo’ or ‘reminiscence’. How allusions work in literature and biblical literature especially have not been well understood until recently. This talk will engage some of the latest theoretical work on understanding how allusions function. The first part of this talk will cover how one can develop ‘allusion competence’ when reading biblical narratives. The second part of the talk will illustrate through specific biblical examples how the archeology of allusion hunting can result in a richer understanding of biblical narratives from both Old Testament and New Testament.

The stories of Scripture provide more than just information or a broad background for understanding biblical truth. These stories not only allow us to see our doctrine in action but in many cases they actually become part of our doctrine itself

Faculty panel question and answer session.

It is essential to the Christian faith that we affirm the historical nature of God’s stories in the Bible. They are testimonies and witnesses to real people and events. God has acted in history! Nevertheless, the Bible’s stories do not read like a newspaper account or a modern history book. The way the authors of Scripture wrote history is different in many ways from what we expect. Thus we need to carefully examine how the Bible writes history lest we misinterpret it as we bring our assumptions to the text. 

In this particular lecture, we explore not only what the Bible says, but how the Bible says it, focusing on the narratives of the Bible. Each narrative is a carefully-crafted historical story of Jesus Christ, a story that employs the artistic and literary conventions of the time and told by authors who offer their unique and personal perspectives. Reading the narratives more carefully can help us to better read and enjoy the Word of God

Jesus is the light of life and salvation dawning from Galilee upon a people lost in darkness and death. 

Christians are freed by grace from the Law’s yoke and curse. But this liberty is to be enjoyed not by pleasing ourselves but by serving each other in love.  

Westminster Seminary California's Biblical Studies conference welcomes Dr. Simon Gathercol. Dr. Gathercole's topic for this conference is, “Jesus in the Canonical and Apocryphal Gospels.” This is lecture two of a two lecture series.

Westminster Seminary California's Biblical Studies conference welcomes Dr. Simon Gathercol. Dr. Gathercole's topic for this conference is, “Jesus in the Canonica land Apocryphal Gospels.” This is lecture one of a two lecture series.

The good news is that death is the last enemy and has already been defeated by Jesus in his death and resurrection.

God's grace is better than anything else in the world.  It is a pure gift from God to sinners.  It is to be insisted upon and let loose in Christ's church, without hesitation, and to be enjoyed no matter what messiness such a good gift causes.

Jesus in his healing of the leper exposes Jewish distortions of the law as he also fulfills the law. But more importantly, he reveals who he is and his mission to save as does what the law was powerless to do.

Jesus Christ is a complete Savior, bringing us a comprehensive rescue from all the damage that our sin has done. 

Office Hours talks with Professor Joel Kim, President of Westminster Seminary California, about the 2018 Faculty Conference, “The Bible: His Stories. Your Life.”  

 Jesus Christ graciously calls us not to be unbelieving but to believe in him so that we would have life in his name.

In contrast to the disobedience of Israel, Jesus is the one who prevailed in his probation keeping righteousness; he is called, he is proved, he is obedient.