Brief Moe Bio
Soul Winning Via the Internet
In the early days the Net was rather primitive and primarily a place for pornographers to spread their garbage. It was not quite the commercial juggernaut we have today. Back then there were no modern and affordable HTML editors. The typical web page was more than likely created with a simple text editor. It was just a matter of time for the hypertext software to show up. Thankfully we now have Wordpress and other online content managers that make publishing online rather simple.
Some have described Moe as an Internet pioneer. It's probably because he was creating web pages for Christian ministries since 1995. Moe was creating free ebooks since the '80's so when the Internet surfaced as a medium he jumped on the bandwagon. His first two projects were inaugurated in 1995 beginning with Piper's Notes. Piper's Notes served as the original online library of sermons by Dr. John Piper. It grew at a rapid rate and it needed to expand and flourish so we agreed that Desiring God needed to bring the sermon library "in house". It was around the year 2000 when Desiring God took the ball and ran with it. That ministry is, in our humble opinion, a most effective Internet ministry having reached millions upon millions throughout the world by providing free use of their materials.
Here's how Desiring God sees their Mission
"Most people in the world have no experience of deep and abiding joy. Even though it is something we all desperately long for, the assurance that true happiness can be known — fully and forever — is a hope that billions of people live every day without. This is a tragedy. Desiring God is on a mission to change that. We aim to help people everywhere embrace a profound truth that changes everything about life and eternity:
You were created for something greater than yourself. You were formed for something awesome and magnificent.
You were made to know glory — God’s glory. And the deepest longings of the human heart can be fully satisfied by pursuing that glory. In fact, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
We call this truth Christian Hedonism. And declaring it to the world is why we exist."
Understanding Internet Ministry
Since 1995 there have been numerous other Internet projects Moe was involved with. He helped establish ChristWay Media for D.A. Carson and maintained Providence Theological Seminary for Dr. Gary Long.
Moe has shared that one of the most frustrating things he has seen is the failure of Christian ministries to fully utilize the potential of the Internet. Moe's original vision for Internet ministry has never changed. He's enjoyed one driving ambition which is to make everything that could be distributed through the Net, such as sermons, books, audio, video and whatever else that could be digitized --available for free to the world wide Christian community. That was and remains his vision. He is thankful for Dr. John Piper and Desiring God who have embraced this vision. Desiring God has since made available all of the many years of John Piper's sermons texts, audio and high quality video and much more. Desiring God is an exemplary online ministry. In my opinion they are the most generous online ministry. May our Lord continue to bless their labors.
[Click here For more information about Moe's relationship to Desiring God]
License: Creative Commons 2019
Let it be understood...
Moe Bergeron agrees with Brian S. Rosner's understanding of Paul's use of the Old Testament, particularly in how Paul reinterprets it through the lens of Christ. He shares Rosner's view that Paul engages with the Old Testament in a dynamic and nuanced way, which can be distilled into three key approaches:
1. Reappropriation - Both Moe and Rosner recognize that Paul reappropriates the Old Testament by applying its promises and narratives to the new reality established in Christ. For Paul, Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of Old Testament covenants, prophecies, and types.
Moe, in his teaching, emphasizes that this reappropriation points to Jesus as the embodiment of the New Covenant, transforming the Old Covenant's promises into present realities for believers through Christ.
2. Rejection and Replacement - Moe concurs with Rosner's view that, while Paul honors the Old Testament, he rejects the Law as the rule of life for those under the New Covenant.
Moe teaches that Paul views all aspects of the law as fulfilled in Christ and thus replaced by the new life believers have in Him. This highlights how the Old Testament law serves as a shadow of the ultimate reality found in Christ, who fulfills its purpose.
3. Moral Reaffirmation - Like Rosner, Moe holds that Paul continues to affirm the moral teachings of the Old Testament, especially the ethical commands found in the Ten Commandments.
Moe emphasizes that Paul views these moral principles as timeless, still relevant as wisdom literature (instructive) for Christians under the New Covenant. This continuity reflects how believers, united with Christ, are called to live out these truths in alignment with their new identity in Christ. To be clear, Moe affirms Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16.
4. Moe has always insisted that the New Covenant saints must learn of Jesus Christ and image Him in the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ.
In agreement with Rosner, Moe Bergeron teaches that Paul's use of the Old Testament is not a simple dismissal or wholesale replacement but rather a transformation through Christ. This transformation brings the Old Testament's promises to fulfillment, redefines its laws in light of Christ's sacrifice, and reaffirms its ethical foundations for Christian living. Moe consistently has emphasized that Christ is central in interpreting and understanding the Old Testament for the church today.