The Normal Christian Life

Recently, I wrote about a pivotal moment that changed my Christian journey. One of the responses that I received asked this question: “I was just wondering if you'd call your ‘change’ a surrendering to Christ’s Lordship over your whole life and...

Turning Point

One of the most important turning points in my life came fifty years ago this month. I had professed faith as a child. I had tried, off and on, to live for the Lord during young adolescence. During my later teen years, however, I ceased to be interested in His will...

Justice, Wrath, and Propitiation

[This essay was originally published on August 2, 2013.] The gospel reveals many aspects of God’s character. It certainly reveals His love, mercy, grace, goodness, and kindness. If we want to know whether the true and living God is a God of love, all we have to...

Age Brings Choices

Late this summer I will turn 70 years old. I’ve always said that I wanted to work at least until I was 70. Now I’m knocking on that door, but I’m not ready to retire yet. In fact, I want to work harder than ever. Granted, I’m slower at some...

A Letter to Donald Trump

Mr. President, congratulations upon becoming the 47th president of the United States. As a minister of the gospel, I don’t typically comment on political matters. But listening to your inaugural address was like opening presents on Christmas morning. Each one...

Most Important News of 2024

[This essay was originally published on January 3, 2013. The editor has taken the liberty of updating the year; the essay is otherwise unaltered.] Many periodicals make a New Year’s tradition of summarizing the most important stories of the past year. That...

The Man in the Shadows

During the Christmas season, two figures stand rightfully in the spotlight. One is Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem. The other is Mary His mother. A third figure generally remains somewhere in the shadows: he is known to have been present but hardly seems to matter....

Until the Lord Shouts

It is my sad duty to report that Caleb Counterman, a Doctor of Ministry student at Central Seminary, died suddenly on Sunday morning. He was driving his wife Jessica to church when his car hit a patch of ice. In the ensuing crash, Jessica’s life was preserved,...

About Pardon

News reports this week are buzzing with President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter. Convicted on firearms and tax charges, the younger Biden was awaiting sentencing as his father neared the end of his presidential term. The president had insisted repeatedly...

Almost Ready

My latest writing project is now in the final stages of proofreading and review. It should be in the hands of Central Seminary Press by next week, ready for typesetting and publication. The timeline for its release will, I hope, be measured in weeks rather than...

Give to the Max 2024

Give to the Max 2024 is happening now through November 21. It is a major event sponsored by GiveMN, an independent agency that coordinates this special giving event for all kinds of Minnesota charitable organizations. The event aims for a “statewide outpouring of...

What a Trump Win Means

Conservative Christians throughout the United States are breathing a collective sigh of relief at the re-election of Donald Trump to the presidency. The reason is not that we are inveterate Trump supporters—far from it. Our expectations of his presidency are low. He...

Why That Name?

A respected colleague writes to ask why this electronic bulletin is named In the Nick of Time, or, to give its proper name, ΤΩ ΧΡΟΝΟU KAIΡΩ. He claims that he has often wondered about this question. Furthermore, he is sure that others would like to hear the answer. Of...

How to Vote 2024

The church’s place is not to address political questions. Rather, its work is to proclaim the whole counsel of God. Christian individuals, however, are responsible to act upon moral and spiritual concerns before they address merely temporal ones. Matters of principle...

On Becoming a Writer

Now and then, somebody will ask me what he has to do to become a writer (the he here is deliberate: I don’t recall ever receiving this query from a female). The question always seems odd since I do not consider myself to be one. Granted, I write, and some of what I...

About In the Nick of Time

Occasional Essays and Other Stuff for Christian Students Presented by the Research Professor of Systematic Theology of Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis.

 

American Christianity needs Christian leaders. Christian leaders explain the Scriptures, bringing them to bear upon life’s urgent questions. Christian leaders exemplify the life of faith, finding their ultimate satisfaction in God alone. They unite intellectual discipline with ordinate affection, turning their entire being toward the love of God. These essays are dedicated to the task of inviting Christian students to become tomorrow’s Christian leaders.

 

—Kevin T. Bauder

 

“Be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”