How The Ancients Heard Resurrection: A Reply to David Bentley Hart
Ancient Christian readers and interpreters of Paul did not share David Bentley Hart’s understanding
Hart leaves us to wonder how he himself is able to “listen with antique ears” and to divine what the interpretive minds of Paul’s contemporaries “would have” understood. He provides no evidence for it. Missing is any exploration of “the implications, physical and metaphysical, that such words had in the age of the early church.”... Continue Reading
What Christians Should Think About the Refugee Crisis and Terrorism
According to Paul, the reason God orchestrates people movement is so that they may find Him
“Syrians, Afghans, and Iranians are on our doorstep and many of them come with great openness to the message of salvation in Jesus. This is our new reality. We can either stand on the shore of disbelief and incredulity or we can hop on the tidal wave God has created.” Much fear surrounds the... Continue Reading
Passing It On
There is no shortage of places we can go to in the Bible that remind us of the importance of passing on the faith to the next generation
“God is concerned not only for our faith but also for the faith of our children. And surely that should be our concern too. If our children’s salvation is not our highest priority for them then we either don’t truly believe the gospel or we don’t truly love our children.” Earlier this year I... Continue Reading
The Difference Between Lament and Grumbling
The big difference, I believe, between sinful grumbling and sinless lament is simply humility
“What is the difference between the complaining or murmuring we’re not supposed to do, and that includes two texts, Philippians 2, verse 14, and 1st Corinthians 10, verse 10, and lamenting like we see in the Psalms? I’ll tip my cards and say, I think the main difference is pride and humility. Let me tell... Continue Reading
Even Though I Walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will Fear No Evil, for You Are with Me
The journey toward the heavenly Promised Land is fraught with dangers and perils, and we need a shepherd to help us arrive there safely.
The imagery of a shepherd was also applied to God Himself (e.g., Hos. 4:16). Throughout redemptive history, it became increasingly evident that God would raise up a shepherd who would faithfully mete out justice, protect His sheep, guard and care for them, bind up their wounds, and lead them into peaceful places. One of... Continue Reading
False Ideas Start in the Mind before They Get Expressed as Actions
It’s only after Adam and Eve have fallen for a false understanding of who God is that they eat the fruit.
But the fall of mankind didn’t begin when the first pair took their first bite. That is, it didn’t begin with a disobedient deed. Rather, it began with an incorrect idea. Specifically, the serpent—the devil—planted false ideas about God in the minds of the original pair. We are continuing in our series on false ideas about God. You... Continue Reading
When He Moved In
Our bodies – even though they are ravaged by sin – are parts of God’s good creation.
These bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. You cannot separate your walk with God from your body. And part of this is really very humbling: but God, it’s a mess in there. And part of this is also really very comforting: He knew it was a mess when He moved in. Which is all... Continue Reading
Trapped in My Own Mind
Three Lies Depression Loves
Depression can cloud our view of God, weigh down our spirits, distort reality, and tempt us to question all that we’ve known to be true. Sometimes, our depression is due to circumstances that have pounded us, wave upon wave, until we can no longer hold our heads above the water. Other times, it comes as... Continue Reading
Dignity, Faith, & Work
The humanist is caught in the vicious contradiction of ascribing dignity to creatures who live their lives between the poles of meaninglessness.
He exalts the virtues of honesty, justice, and compassion, but he must crucify his mind to do it. For the humanist is caught in the vicious contradiction of ascribing dignity to creatures who live their lives between the poles of meaninglessness. He lives on borrowed capital, deriving his values from the Judeo-Christian faith, while at... Continue Reading
False Assumptions of Ancient Near East Literary Approaches to Genesis
Ancient Near East similarities to Scripture are secondary and derivative.
Not only is there no conclusive evidence that ancient Near East societies read their narratives non-literally, there is also no evidence that the Holy Spirit intended Genesis to be interpreted that way. If the New Testament penmen consistently treat Genesis 1-11 as historical narrative, the analogy of Scripture requires that we do the same. Just as... Continue Reading