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
When going to Bible college, my professors were wont to say that God’s ten plagues against Egypt were attacks against the gods of Egypt. Did not Yahweh say to Moses in Exodus 12:12, “…on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD”? Just as...
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August 1, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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The story of the burning bush is rather famous among Sunday School aficionados. In fact, in a completely made up nation-wide survey of 5-10 year olds who attended church at least bi-monthly with their families in 2019—there were not enough kids for the 2020 study—the story of the...
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July 29, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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The story of Cain and Abel is usually heralded as a classic tale of sibling rivalry, hate, and murder. It is a tale of persecution, the godless hating the righteous. Is this not the very perspective of none other than Jesus Himself in Matthew 23:35? While this is...
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July 27, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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Oaths are self-curses made before God or gods to establish the trustworthiness of promises or testimony. Oaths were religious tools for securing good faith between potential enemies so that they might have some relationship or safe interaction. Think of our common school yard oath, “Cross my heart and...
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July 25, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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Believe it or not, John 5 should be read in light of John 9. If you take John 5 out of the gospel and read it by itself, you will fail to gain several insights into that story that its brother story in John 9 is meant to...
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July 22, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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Pst… Psst… Pssst… Hey! You! Come over here, I want to tell you something you won’t believe about John 4. It blew my mind. Doing Old Testament Studies, sometimes you discover something wonderful about the New Testament. Not too long ago I discovered something magical about John 4...
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July 20, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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If a Bible reader had to nominate some group in Scripture for “Most Hated,” I doubt many would name anyone other than the tax collectors. In fact, tax collectors are singled out for scorn directly or indirectly over 30 times in the synoptic gospels. Jewish hatred for tax...
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July 18, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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If a Bible reader had to single out some group in the Bible who seemed particularly despised, I doubt many would name anyone other than the tax collectors. In fact, they are singled out for scorn directly or indirectly over 30 times in the synoptic gospels. Are we...
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July 15, 2022 Andrew Sargent
Uncategorized
This Christmas, I refuse to stoke my own superior minded ego by telling you all the things we Christians get wrong about the visit of the Magi… how they don’t actually show up on the night of Jesus’ birth… how they most likely weren’t kings… how we have...
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July 11, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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Happy New Years!!! Whoopdeedoo! The calendar went back to January 1st, alert the media, break out the fireworks, dance in the streets… with coats and mittens. Why do we make such a big tadoo over it? Is it not just a calendar… just one more trip around the...
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July 8, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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One of my favorite things to study in the Bible is the New Testament’s use of the Old Testament. I say USE because the New Testament writers do many things with the Old Testament, only one of which is to interpret it for us. They apply it, draw...
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July 6, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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Genesis 1:27 single handedly lays down one of the most important and diverse theological concepts in all of Scripture. It says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” It is not uncommon...
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July 4, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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I’m the last person who should criticize another person for writing an aggressive article that seeks to make a single point in exclusion to a myriad of other points that might soften a forceful tone. In fact, when I read the post, “The Greatest False Idol of Modern...
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July 1, 2022 Andrew Sargent
Society
I am quite interested in the work of those who investigate the details of the Genesis creation stories along scientific lines. I wholly support any honest study of the possibilities of things like a global flood,[1] genetic analysis to see if man really does trace its origins back...
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June 30, 2022 Andrew Sargent
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Homicide at Rough Point is a sort of investigative piece into the 1966 Newport death of Hollywood up-and-comer Eduardo Tirella under an automobile driven by the wealthy heiress, Doris Duke. It is an expansion on his 2020 Vanity Fair article “Did Billionaire Tobacco Heiress Doris Duke Get Away...
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June 22, 2022 Andrew Sargent
Politics
No matter what you think I’m saying at any given point in this article. Please read to the very end. Wisdom dialogue takes time and makes turns in the hope of being thorough and fair. Lewis & Tash C. S. Lewis’s final Chronicles of Narnia book, The Last...
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May 16, 2022 Andrew Sargent
Contexualization, Question Posts, Theology, Worship
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December 21, 2021 Andrew Sargent
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December 18, 2021 Andrew Sargent
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December 15, 2021 Andrew Sargent
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