In Robert Frost’s poem, “Mending Wall,” [1] one line has outlived all the others in the common tongue of the English speaking world, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Each year, as the poem goes, Frost and his neighbor walk the line of the stone wall between their properties,...
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March 31, 2023 Andrew Sargent
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There is an Episode of 30 Rock, called “The Bubble”[1] in which Liz (Tina Fey) begins to date a character played by John Ham, whose good looks have allowed him to skate through life with nary a care. Doors open for him. Girls swoon over him. Bad things...
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March 29, 2023 Andrew Sargent
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The movie, Child 44, and the novel of the same name, explore the life of a red-pilled Russian war hero, now, military policeman, Leo Demidov, in the days of Stalinist Russia as he investigates a serial killer of children, who the powers that be refuse to acknowledge. They...
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March 23, 2023 Andrew Sargent
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One of my teachers in grade school grew up in Europe in the preceding and early years of World War II in one of the many nations bordering Germany. If I were to judge based on my memory of her slight accent, I would guess Austria, but to...
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March 21, 2023 Andrew Sargent
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The Book of Hebrews is written to help Christians who, in the face of growing persecution and pressure from Jewish religious leaders, have begun to waver in their determination to remain followers of Jesus. In addition to warnings about the consequences of Christian Apostasy, Hebrews celebrates the superiority...
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March 8, 2023 Andrew Sargent
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Psalm 119 is a poem that dedicates eight paired lines of poetry to each succeeding letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, all celebrating the power of divine Torah for promoting human thriving. The Beth section, (like our B, Greek’s Beta) verses 9-16 has particular value for our discussion at...
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March 6, 2023 Andrew Sargent
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There is an interesting twist, if you’ll pardon the pun, in the tassel command from Numbers 15:38-41 when it is woven (sorry I just can’t stop myself) into the new context of Deuteronomy 22:9-12. Here we have a series of commands against mixtures followed by the Tassel Command....
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March 4, 2023 Andrew Sargent
101 Most Misunderstood Verses, Bible Backgrounds, Biblical Studies, HAGALAH, Old Testament Studies
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I just watched THE JESUS REVOLUTION. Highly recommend it. It gave me a lot to mull over. I grew up in those hippie movement/Jesus movement days, so it all seemed pretty normal to me at the time. I had nothing to compare it to. The movie holds out...
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March 4, 2023 Andrew Sargent
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The giving of the tassel to the Israelites in Numbers 15:38-41 is a powerful symbol of God’s love and acceptance, a divine gift to aid them in their struggles against sin, and an ever visible reminder of their privilege and responsibility as a kingdom of priests.[1] The shocking...
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March 3, 2023 Andrew Sargent
101 Most Misunderstood Verses, Biblical Studies, HAGALAH, Inductive Study Methods, Old Testament Studies
I’ll never forget a visit I made many years ago to a full scale temple model with my wife. The woman running the guided tour was just chuck full of… interesting tidbits… you thought I was going to write nuts didn’t you… well shame on you. Actually she...
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March 2, 2023 Andrew Sargent
101 Most Misunderstood Verses, Biblical Language Issues, Biblical Studies, Old Testament Studies
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The tassel attached to the Hebrew male’s outer garment is a wonderful example of artifact communication in the Bible. That is, the tassel is an item used in Israel to communicate a particular meaning within that culture… one which is foreign and, thus, unintelligible to most of the...
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March 1, 2023 Andrew Sargent
Bible Backgrounds, Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, Communication, Old Testament Studies, Theology
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This is Matthew ‘the Taxman’ Apostle, coming to you live and ringside, bringing you blow by blow coverage for this evening’s main event. We’ve got quite a bout for you tonight, Folks… a real David and Goliath struggle for power that promoters have dubbed “the Contest of Kings.”...
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December 13, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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Extreme stress has a way of bringing out your true nature. In dire circumstances, some reveal the selfish and corrupt side of being human, others, however, rise above the fear and panic and reveal godly character. In them, some small part of the image of God shines forth in...
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September 28, 2022 Praveen Hiwale
Biblical Studies, New Testament Studies
Question: How do you think the newly formed church thrived in the face of persecution and prospered spiritually in spite of the martyrdom of Stephen and James? First Answer: The Twelve Apostles were leading the church through the power of the Holy Spirit in effective witness to the...
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September 26, 2022 Mithun Borde
Biblical Studies, New Testament Studies, Uncategorized
I love discovering deeper layers of meaning in books and movies than stand out on the surface. I thrill when, having read or watched something on one level, I discover upon further personal meditation or discussion with others the true profundity of the work. Of the many things...
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September 23, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. It is not uncommon when teens grow into young adults to mistake their college level introduction to philosophy, theology, science, or even biblical studies (often from faithless instructors) as worldview shattering enlightenment. Arrogance in this “knowledge” often overwhelms faith. In...
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September 22, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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John the Baptist is an important figure in all four gospels. Mark begins with John’s baptisms, Luke with the events of his birth, and John weaves him into the prologue of the incarnation as one sent from God. One thing that the New Testament does NOT begin with,...
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August 10, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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When Jesus called Peter to become a fisher of men, I seriously doubt he had any thought of the role he would someday play in fulfilling Israel’s sacred mission to the Gentiles. For him, one who most closely related to the older brother in The Parable of The...
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August 8, 2022 Andrew Sargent
Biblical Studies, New Testament Studies
Jesus’ manifesto in Luke 4:18-19 says: THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE...
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August 5, 2022 Andrew Sargent
Biblical Studies, New Testament Studies
When trying to understand one of Jesus’ parables, there are four vital questions to answer about it. Let’s go over them. Question #1: What is the nature of the details in a parable? Is it a pure Allegory? Allegory is an extended metaphor. Metaphor equates two things...
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August 3, 2022 Andrew Sargent
Biblical Studies, HAGALAH, New Testament Studies
