April 2012 Blog Posts (25)

A warning: this section is very messy. This entire series was pretty much sifting what I’ve been studying and trying to slap it into some sort of form that others can read but this execution is, admittedly, less refined (if not outright rough).

I’m going to focus on Matthew. Not because I think Matthews account was first (I actually think priority goes to Mark), nor because I think that Matthew is most reliable (I think Luke’s account gives the most historically pertinent…

Every now and then, on a Friday, I'll step into the deep waters of Philosophy, ramble on about some idea and maybe even interact with something I might be reading. Most of the time, a real philosopher could probably read my drivel and offer a corrective—but for now I'll speak from ignorance. After all, it is Friday; what better way to have fun than with philosophy. In this post I'll follow up…

It's time for me to finish up my 3-part review of Kenton Sparks’ title, God’s Word in Human Words. The first two parts can be found here - …

In my last blog, How I Study Genesis, I discussed how I approach Genesis and the assumptions and expectations I have when I do so. But I have been asked what I get in a macro and micro level from it. So I thought I would bore you (or maybe frustrate you) with an answer to that question.

I think many today are down in the weeds when it comes to studying Genesis. And that comes across with the…

Peter Enn's new popularly written commentary on Genesis has been released.

For a short time it is available at Amazon (as an ebook) for 1.99.

Just to beat Marv to the punch- though its true that you usually get what you pay for :-), this is an exception.

I don't know if many of you are aware of the divide that is taking place more and more within evangelicalism, or at least American evangelicalism or the wider evangelical church of the west. The polarization between two main groups of people. This has been going on for the better part of a couple of decades, but it has especially gathered some speed over the past few years.

What is this…

Much disagreement exists about what Genesis 1-3 says and means by what it says.  And I believe that it is often viewed as the “other people” that don’t see it the same way we do are distorting the clear text, compromising with the world, denying inerrancy, doubting God, and other accusations that are less than helpful in this discussion.  So I thought I’d lay out why I read Genesis the way I do and how that isn’t a bad thing.

How we understand something we read is based in large part…

Every now and then, on a Friday, I’ll step into the deep waters of Philosophy, ramble away on some idea and maybe even interact with it. Most of the time, a real philosopher could probably read my drivel and speak into it offering a corrective—but for now I’ll speak from ignorance. After all, it’s Friday; what better way to have fun than with philosophy. In this post I’ll answer the question “Should we consider God’s actions in historical discussions?” in under 700 words.…

What is the general subject of 1 Corinthians 12-14?

"Spiritual gifts"? That seems to be the received rubric for the aspect of Christian life and ministry that Paul discusses there. I offer a mild objection. This is the phrase and concept people tend to use, but I wonder if it is quite adequate, and not a bit misdirecting.

Why do I say this? Well, for one reason, the phrase "spiritual gift(s)" occurs nowhere in 1 Corinthians 12-14. It occurs…

I remember moving to Belgium. It was hard. For the longest time I denied having any kind of culture shock. I was ok, for I had previously lived in Britain for 3 years, my wife was British, I had travelled to Central America, southern Africa, and a few other places in the world. I was cultured.

But after almost 4 years in Belgium, looking back over our time here, I can only describe what I…

This is a continuation of my review of Kenton Sparks' title, God's Word in Human Words. In part 1, I mainly laid out an introduction to the book and chapter 1…

I grew up in new (at the time) neighborhood with a lot of undisturbed "virgin" ground.  Hundreds of years agoo, there had been a lot of Native American activity in the area.  Where the street in front of my house cut though some infamous Georgia Red Clay banks, we used to find shards of clay Indian pottery after every rain.  Some of these pieces, often the sized of a half-dollar, even had designs on the outside.  About a half-mile away through the woods, there was a field that the neighbor…

Ben Witherington continues to share more on women in ministry, this time looking at 2 specifically debated texts: 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2.

In my own reading and study of this issue, I have come to realise that there are a few different ways to approach the normally-debated passages around women in ministry. But I think Witherington does well to address the in's and out's of the 2 passages.

So watch this second short, 7-minute video as he gives brief…

Shwa (schwa) means "nothing." In the Hebrew vowel system, shwa is the name for the most reduced, most indistinct vestage of a vowel. (We have borrowed the term for our symbol Ə). It is written underneath a consonant and consists of two dots, looking like a tiny colon (:). It happens to be the first vowel in the Bible, underneath the letter beth in bereshith, the first word of Genesis.

 …

Below is a short and succinct video teaching from Ben Witherington, professor of New Testament studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. The topic is a hot one for today - women in ministry, as well as in the household.

If you have engaged with me regularly on the topic, you will already know where I stand on this position, being of a more egalitarian persuasion. In all, I appreciate greatly what Witherington has to share, especially in mentioning the concept of a trajectory…

Kenton Sparks serves as professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, which is located on the northwest side of Philadelphia. His 2008 release through Baker Academic, God's Word in Human…

During my seven hours of insomnia overnight, I did a lot of thinking.  When I was a kid, the things I didn't understand were very magical.  Things just "magically" happened.  Put two pieces of bread in this shiny device and it dings and out comes toast!  It's magic!  Two fat men walk into a little room, turn and face the doors, and when the elevator doors open, two women in skirts are standing there.  It's magic!  Then you figure it out.  And you realize that there are is no such thing as…

It’s early. Everyone else (with the exception of Sandi, of course) is still asleep. It’s that odd day sandwiched between the cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter morning. Holy Saturday has arrived. And this year, it’s come with a hard freeze.



It seems appropriate, somehow. The bed feels so warm. It’s hard to get up; ought to just snuggle back in and…sleep… for a little while… longer. It’s as if our Lord has reached down through the weather and added his own personal…