John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
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Dr. Studebaker has worked in full-time professional ministry for 24 years. He is currently Executive Director of Bridge Ministries, Inc, and an adjunct Professor at Hillsdale College.

  • Find and Fulfill Your God-given Calling (Part 2)

    January 26th, 201106:49 PM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    We started this series by looking at some of today's most popular views regarding life-purpose. While other views leave the purpose-seeker frustrated (because their purpose never goes beyond themself, their limited community, or the "oneness"), the biblical perspective on purpose in life provides remarkable and sustainable motivation for daily livi...

  • Find and Fulfill Your God-given Calling (Part 1)

    January 06th, 201108:42 PM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    PART ONE: POPULAR VIEWS TODAY REGARDING LIFE-PURPOSE Have you noticed that a lot of people in our culture go about each day doing a lot of good things (i.e., doing a great job at work; loving their spouses) but without really knowing why they are doing these things? This dilemma was illustrated in one episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" a f...

  • The Authority of the Holy Spirit (Part 2)

    May 19th, 201011:59 AM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    I. PATRISTIC THEOLOGY The first major debate regarding the Holy Spirit is found in the patristic period.  The question here was essentially, "Is the Spirit a divine Being (that is, 'God'), or merely a creature?" A. Arius vs. Athanasius Arius was a priest in Alexandria (c. 318) who taught a subordinationism within the Trinity, that the Fathe...

  • The "Missing Link" in Modern Ministry: The Authority of the Holy Spirit

    March 07th, 201010:59 PM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asked a poignant question in the 1960s in his short book entitled Authority: "How much do we hear about the Holy Spirit and His authority?"1 His main point in his final chapter is that the authority of Christ and the authority of Scripture, as critical as they are, do not provide a complete development or conception of divine ...

  • Communicating the Gospel with Postmodernists (Part 4)

    January 10th, 201009:42 AM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    III. A COMMUNICATION MODEL It is tempting to try to build a communication model for postmodernists simply based on what seems to work best with them. The prevailing church strategy is "If it works, don't question it!" According to Grant Osborne, Pragmatism has become "the primary governing rod which determines church strategy." A sociological surv...

  • Communicating the Gospel with Postmodernists (Part 3)

    October 16th, 200909:47 AM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    II. The role of the ambassador How can God's kingly Authority, as presented in the historical document of scripture, be "seen" and "felt" in present, postmodern life and culture?  Paul seems to give us an answer to this thorny question in 1 and 2 Corinthians.  Here he demonstrates how God's eternal authority is brought to bear in the pre...

  • Communicating the Gospel with Postmodernists (Part 2)

    October 02nd, 200901:23 PM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    B. The Context of Postmodernism 1. What is Postmodernism? Postmodernism holds that one's philosophy of life is ultimately determined by the community or group which most influences one's life. Other factors, such as personal choice or religion, are secondary. Postmodernism is to a great extent an attack upon what postmodernists call "metanarrativ...

  • Communicating the Gospel with Postmodernists (Part 1)

    August 20th, 200910:48 AM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    "Theology of Joy" implies that an informed faith can be a very joyful faith!  It also implies that the communication of faith can be an act of extravagant joy for the "ambassador of Christ". In sharing our Christian faith with others, we are able to re-visit what we actually believe, why we believe it, and why we think it is so ...

  • Forgiveness (Part 3)

    June 08th, 200909:58 AM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    Forgiving Others "Love Hurts!" was the name of a popular song in the early eighties. Its message was simple: to love someone means to make oneself vulnerable to be hurt. To love another person can be a very big risk!   It seems that in America we have developed a strategy to minimize the risk of love. By learning to isolate ourselves, we ha...

  • Forgiveness (Part 2)

    April 26th, 200908:39 AM ET
    By John A. Studebaker, Ph.D.
    Understanding God's Forgiveness Alexander Pope said that "To err is human; to forgive, divine." Is that really true? Is God really a forgiving God? To understand God's forgiveness, we first need to understand what forgiveness is. Forgiveness actually has three parts to it. First, there is the hurt, or the harm, that which we experience due to som...
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