The Meme Wars: What Ought the Role of the Church in Society Be?
If I had to describe my rather short life on social media, I would depict the bulk of it as “THE MEME WARS.” Since you are reading this online, I…
The Real Minimum Wage is ZERO: How to Think Productively About Pay
If I am to judge by our government, our media outlets, and by the American people’s voting habits, America is suffering from a horrible condition known as stupidity. Stupidity is…
The Book of Ruth as “The Book of Naomi”
Ruth is one of my favorite books, but I have a serious problem with it. The problem is the name. Now, I know that the Jews also called the book…
A Painful Father’s Day
Pain is the common lot of humanity. We cause most of our own pain directly or indirectly, and find the ultimate source of our deepest pain in the general human…
If YOU Pay the Price, then YOU Count the Cost: Discipline and a Life of Personal Responsibility
One of my goals in writing each week is to help people become better Bible readers. Part of being a better Bible reader is being a better thinker. Part of…
To Our Virgin Daughters
The word virgin has, ironically enough, become a dirty word in our society. The entertainment industry spits out movie after show presenting virginity as something distasteful, mockable, proof that you…
“Look What the World is Coming to”: A Christian Perception of Life as We Know it
There are a lot memes that fly around social media; some are insightful, others only appear insightful. This one, which was constructed by others using an out of context quote…
Bumper Sticker Politics & The Christian
Winston Churchill said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” This is a sad truth, but it still does not shake my convictions regarding…
Do the New Testament Writer’s Care About Context, Part 9: Back to Matthew 2:15
So in Chapter 2 verse 15, Matthew deems Joseph’s return to Israel after a quick escape from Herod by hiding out in Egypt for a time to be a fulfillment…
Do the New Testament Writer’s Care About Context, Part 8: The Power of Hindsight
Let’s consider the 7th of seven paths of investigation needed to unlock potential rationales behind NT authors’ use of OT texts. Matthew 2:15 says that an historical comment in Hosea…
The Good News Isn’t That There is No Bad News
In a day when the worst sin a person can commit personally is to “make someone else feel bad,” Gospel preaching has taken a bit of a hit. We want…
A Pity Pool Party: Myopic Compassion
One of the benefits of living in a nation of 300 million people is that our society is rife with any kind of anecdotal evidence a person needs to convince…
What I Loved About Worship Last Sunday
It’s no secret that I’m a dinosaur, a has-been, an old person who is personally responsible for every failing of society, and the primary reason why so many millennials don’t…
Do the New Testament Writer’s Care About Context, Part 7: The Impact of Worldview on “Contextual Reading”
Today I want to consider the 6th of seven paths of investigation that a person should take in an attempt to understand a New Testament author’s USE of an Old…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Do the New Testament Writer’s Care About Context, Part 6: Common Hermeneutical and Homiletical Practices Inform Us
Today I want to consider the 5th of seven paths of investigation that a person should take in an attempt to understand a New Testament author’s USE of an Old…
Bawling Baruch: Seek Them Not… Radio Spot. Take a Listen
In this edited sermon, I consider Jeremiah 45 in historical, grammatical and literary context. Baruch has been called away from a life of promise to play second fiddle to a…
Psalm 8 and Poetic Wonder… the radio spot
This is a heavily edited message about the power of poetry as a vehicle for the inspired word of God. Poetry is not a mere vessel for the message of…
Hezekiah’s Date with Destiny… The Radio Spot. Take a Listen
If a person sets the various stories of Hezekiah into chronological order a fascinating pattern emerges. Hezekiah is a man of great faith during a time great crisis. He is…
Why is It So Hard to Help People, Part 3: The Poor
In our first part, Human Nature, we pondered the reason that so many human attempts to help others prove so disastrous. If we really strive to do good for others…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Mixed Netzer: How does Jesus as a Nazarene Fulfill Scripture… The radio spot
This is an edited sermon about the meaning behind Matthew’s claim that Joseph moving to Nazareth was a fulfillment of Scripture. It explores the meaning of “fulfillment” in the New…