About the Proprietors
We’re Brance and Lauren Gillihan. We live in the woods of Michigan’s Thumb. We are married with two daughters. We’re Christians, Baptists, and Reformed. We love Jesus and we enjoy coffee.
Brance has been the pastor at Antioch Reformed Baptist Church in Attica, MI since 2021. He is an avid reader, a bluegrass guitarist, and an award winning blogger, and a coffee snob.
Lauren is a pianist and piano teacher. She is also an English Major and a homeschool mom. Additionally, she loves studying Scripture and good works of theology.
For us, “coffee cup theology” has been a slightly derogatory term for a while. It’s how we’ve referred to Christian culture’s misuse of scripture verses. People take them out of context and apply them incorrectly. You know what we’re talking about. There’s a verse on your coffee cup. It says something nice. You have no idea what the context actually is or how it should be applied today.
We’ve laughed about some of them, and gotten angry about others. So we decided we were going to make an attempt at doing Coffee Cup Theology right. This comes with a few convictions. And so we make these commitments:
1. Context
We will not ignore the context of a passage when seeking to apply it. We believe the context is important to our understanding of the Bible. It’s necessary for the proper application of biblical principles.
2. All Scripture
We believe all scripture is profitable (II Timothy 3.16), not just the pleasant, happy sounding verses. Scripture not only teaches us and encourages us, but it also reproves, corrects, and trains us for righteousness. At times we’ll be discussing verses that do not sound very comfortable. We hope to show how all of scripture is good news to those who are in Christ.
3. Everyday
We believe that every Christian is a theologian. And we believe that theology is best done in the flow of everyday life, not divorced from it. Theology should be informed and studied, but also experienced and lived. The study of God and His Word shouldn’t be rushed. We believe it’s best to take it slow and steady, growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ over time.
4. Community
We also believe that theology is best when done in community, not isolation. That’s why we sit together and discuss what we’re reading. It’s also why we believe so strongly in the importance of the church. And it’s why we regularly consult theologians of earlier ages to gain from their wisdom. It really isn’t about Jesus and me, but rather, Jesus and we.
5. Creeds & Confessions
We believe theology belongs to the church. And we think previous generations of the church had valuable insight into Scripture. For this reason, we affirm the following Creeds and Confession. We don’t consider these documents perfect or exhaustive in expression. But we do believe they are accurate summaries of that body of doctrine which is found in Holy Scripture. Therefore, they ought to be preached, and taught in the home and in the local church.
- The Apostles’ Creed
- The Nicene Creed
- The Athanasian Creed
- The Definition of the Council of Chalcedonian
- The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 (we fully subscribe)
Please join us by reading along, sharing your thoughts in the comments, and inviting your family and friends to:
Taste and see that the Lord is good!
AMAZON
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