Do You Really Have a Big Heart?
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not a liberal at 20 you have no heart, if you’re not a conservative at 40 you have no brain.” Indeed,…
Weirdo Fixations and the Heart of True Religion
During my recent convalescence after surgery I received a disturbing letter from an earnest young man who was understandably distraught over his shunning from a congregation for whom he felt…
The Obliterating Folly of Single Text Christians
There’s been a lot of chatter on social media of late about torture. Now, torture is a powerful weasel word… i.e. a term that comes pre-loaded with good or bad…
Confessions of a Middle Aged Professor, Part 1
In studies of cross-cultural communication, I have never ceased to be amazed at the potential for a disconnect even between those raised together. The unique struggles between nature & nurture,…
Why You Must Watch the Documentary Poverty, Inc.
When I first saw the advertisement of the documentary advertised above, POVERTY, INC. I thought, “Great, another conspiracy piece about how nobody should ever make a profit, how all profit…
It’s Not MY Fault: Denying Our Humanity In Denying Our Culpability
A lot of people have terrible things happen to them. Some children are beaten, sexually assaulted, feast on a steady diet of verbally demeaning rhetoric. There is war and oppressive…
The Day I Beat Kleptomania and Became an Honest Man: What Does Choice Really Look Like?
We live in a day of heartfelt excuse making for human sin. On one side, everything is your “parent’s” fault… of course, their faults are their “parent’s” fault, and so…
Why You Should be Against Anti-discrimination Laws: The Tyranny of “Do-gooders”
I find that political discussion with Christians and non-Christians alike often turns into a confusion between moralizing and good principles of governance. Many seem unable to disentangle their heart’s desire…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Society
The Foundation of Beautiful Society: Genesis 9 and Natural Rights
While foolishly engaging a Twitter troll the other day, as this egomaniacal barbarian cursed the idea of God and Scripture, declaring Christianity and all other religion the source of all…
Addiction, Too, Can Be a Weasel Word
Weasel words are highly emotive words that are used to manipulate perception, transferring feeling to ideas or products or policies. Weasel words take people hostage emotionally pressuring them to buy,…
Abuse Can Be a Weasel Word
In every area of life, one needs to be cautious with highly emotive words…. especially highly emotive words that, like most highly emotive words, have no clear definition, or no…
Can Men and Women be Friends?: The Friend Zone as Danger Zone
Can men and women be friends? Of course men and women can be friends… so long as one defines the term friend properly. The real question is, can men and…
Why I don’t Read Christian Fiction
I don’t read Christian fiction. As an Old Testament scholar, I have an affinity with message in story and, like many of the investigators in my favorite novels, I enjoy…
God Hates Divorce, But Should We?
Living, as Americans, in a culture of divorce makes any dialogue on divorce and the Christian difficult. Indeed, any teaching set forward on divorce and remarriage will no longer be…
Parts is Parts: Compartmentalization & Holistic Christianity
“You are attempting the impossible,” the Dean said to me in 1992. “You can’t get a PhD, be a husband, father, and employee. If you manage to get the degree,…
And Justice for All: The Theological Thrust of Psalm 82
I’ve been asked to preach Psalm 82 in a couple weeks. I was a bit wary at first. The text is rife with scholarly controversy and I was uncertain that…
Confessions of an “Angry” Man
I like to think of myself as a nice guy. I think most people who know me would say that I am gregarious, helpful, flexible, self-sacrificing… I go out of…
Lessons in Blogging: Opinionated People Hate Opinionated People
There is a Facebook poster going around that says something akin to “How to start an argument on Facebook. Step #1: Express an opinion. Step #2: Wait.” Civility in social…
A Little Hate Goes a Long Way
It seems to me that hate sells. That often unidentified mass of souls known as the media love hate. They should write a book, Haters Who Love to Hate Hate.…
Impossible Conversations about Race & Victimhood
The problem with most race conversations is that, at the core, the message is wrong. It’s the same wrong message that we preach as a society to everyone who feels…