-
Does Apologetics Help Us Read The Old Testament? With Brent Strawn (Podcast)
Read more: Does Apologetics Help Us Read The Old Testament? With Brent Strawn (Podcast)Continuing our conversation on Apologetics we want to take the next two episodes to ask whether apologetics helps us read Scripture. This week we want to ask that question in relation to the Old Testament specifically. We are joined by Dr. Brent Strawn, Professor of Old Testament at Duke Divinity School and Professor of Law…
-
The Reality of Spiritual Warfare
Read more: The Reality of Spiritual WarfareIn the Old Testament the activity of evil spirits is described a few times, and most of the times the biblical author makes sure to highlight their subordination to God. Though spirits are subordinates of God, they also exercise their influence with humans. I want to draw your attention to a few texts, both Biblical…
-
#ForeignerProblems
Read more: #ForeignerProblemsMy wife and I moved to the UK about a month ago and it is going brilliantly. I started a PhD program at Durham and will be here for the next few years. Although my wife and I have been out of the country before, we have never moved to another county. It is quite…
-
Haggai and the Expectation of the Experience of God’s Presence: Part 2
Read more: Haggai and the Expectation of the Experience of God’s Presence: Part 2In a previous blog post on Haggai, I discussed one of the expectations the people of Israel held concerning Yahweh’s (the personal name of God) powerful action on their behalf, an expectation that included their current state of economic affairs. Upon the obedience of his command to rebuild the Temple, they expected to participate, once again,…
-
How to Argue from the Bible Poorly
Read more: How to Argue from the Bible PoorlyLately, I have noticed a particular bent in conservative evangelical circles toward a special type of biblicism. This biblicism is characterized by a style of argumentation that loosely takes after the preaching of early modern preachers in their common (or plain) sense hermeneutic. The arguer cites chapter and verse as a premise in the argument…
-
Where did Christian Baptism Come From?
Read more: Where did Christian Baptism Come From?Question of Origins What are the origins of Christian baptism? A quick perusal of the biblical texts might leave one perplexed as to the sudden appearance of baptism in the New Testament.1 Immediately and without explanation one is confronted with the appearance of John “the Baptist” and the practice of baptizing in water (Matt 3:1ff)….
-
Biblical Injunctions for Bearded Awesomeness
Read more: Biblical Injunctions for Bearded AwesomenessI’ll admit, lately I have become a bit obsessed with my beard. Strangely, this unruly hair that is growing out of my face has captivated my attention, adding a minutes to my daily grooming schedule. For people that don’t know me that well this is a pretty big deal. It’s true, I am a clean…
-
Israel’s Cry for a King, Our Cry for a Nominee: Reflections on 1 Samuel 8 – 12
Read more: Israel’s Cry for a King, Our Cry for a Nominee: Reflections on 1 Samuel 8 – 12We’re on the home stretch of the next presidential election, and we’re left with three possible candidates: Bernie “Feel the Bern” Sanders, Hillary “Email Extraordinaire” Clinton, and Donald “I Have Big Hands” Trump. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I don’t fully identify with any particular candidate (though I do have my leanings,…
-
Anxiety and the Exodus
Read more: Anxiety and the ExodusPeople who know me or are even acquainted with me know that I worry—a lot—about almost everything. I become anxious over minor, insignificant matters. I overthink things. I often feel like things “just won’t work out” the way I hoped. Lots of people might be able to relate to this as they struggle with anxiety…
-
What has Hollywood to do with Jerusalem?
Read more: What has Hollywood to do with Jerusalem?The early Church father Tertullian once asked a similar question to explore the connections between Christianity and Greek thought. This question is designed to explore a literary connection between how we watch movies and how we read the Bible. The issue here is how are we to interpret the Old Testament narratives? Are they history…