Was Jesus Really a Socialist? (Part 5: Charity as Discipleship)
Recap In part 3 of “Was Jesus Really a Socialist?” I list the claims made by those attempting to present Jesus as this very thing. In part 4, I pushed…
Was Jesus Really a Socialist? (Part 4: Jesus, Charity, and Property Rights)
Recap In Part 3 of “Was Jesus really a Socialist?” we considered 20 different arguments made by believers to defend the idea that real Christianity is socialist… that Jesus Himself…
Was Jesus Really a Socialist? (An Important Excursus)
Sorry for Being a Troubler-Maker In part 3 of “Was Jesus Really a Socialist?” I list the claims made by those attempting to present Jesus as this very thing. Amusing…
Was Jesus Really a Socialist? (Part 3: 20 Claims for Jesus the Socialist)
Recap In Part 1 & 2 of “Was Jesus really a Socialist?” we considered more than the fluffy and emotionally satisfying notion that socialism means sharing and caring and, the…
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
Church Life
Contexualization
Systematic & Historical Theology
Theology
Bemoaning “Naked” Baptisms & Klinefelter syndrome
Had a brief engagement the other day with a person who seemed bent on using an out of context fact about some early church baptisms among the Greek believers to…
“Egad! You Painted Yourself as Jesus!”
I am not an art historian, but as I understand the matter, it was not uncommon for great painters of old to put themselves into Biblical scenes as either the…
My Review of Biblical Critical Theory by Christopher Watkin
Shared with Permission from Criswell Theological Review Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture. By Christopher Watkin. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2022,…
I’d Like to Sucker Punch Genesis 1-11
I’ve found myself in a bit of a quandary when trying to help other believers see Genesis the way that I have come to see it after years of studying…
Wisdom, Folly & “Blaming the Victim”
I recently saw a picture of young woman from India holding up a sign that read “Don’t ask your daughters not to go out, Ask your SONS to BEHAVE.” (sic)…
Why Hassle with a Tassel?
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…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Jesus, The Prophet of Prophets
In our last two posts on the incident at Nain, we discussed the importance of geographical study as something deeper than map investigations, and the importance of typology for an…
Do Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews?
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…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
What the Woman Caught in Adultery Shouldn’t Teach Us: Law, Grace & Bad Hermeneutics
John 8:7 is especially popular with non-Christians who resent any suggestion within Christianity that they are sinners in need of salvation. It is usually paraphrased, “He who is without sin,…
Three Great Prophetic Truths that Transformed the World Part 4: True Worship Springs from the Heart Not From Ritual
There was once a man with a great prayer life and a bothersome cat. Wishing to be left alone while he prayed, he leashed the cat to the post of…
Three Great Prophetic Truths that Transformed the World Part 3: Justice in Society is a Must
If one reads the prophets, he or she will notice rather quickly that one of the great themes of the prophets is a call for justice in society. The wealthy…
The Three Amigos: Biblical, Systematic & Historical Theology… the radio spot, take a listen
This is another one of my audience-less lectures. Tame, steady, devoid of my shrieking “pay attention! This is important” moments. I discuss the vital role that all three major methods…
The Three Amigos: Biblical, Systematic & Historical Theology
As a constant advocate for Biblical Theology, some imagine that I want Biblical Theology instead of Systematic Theology. I don’t. Systematic Theology does not hold as much interest for me…
Woe the Implacable Heart
One of the transforming insights I’ve gained over the last few years regards the blindness, deafness, insensibility of the human heart. I sit stupefied at the depth of human evil…
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
Inductive Study Methods
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
New Testament Studies
Jesus as Gospel: Is there Emperor Typology in Mark 1:1?
Some have suggested that the “OF” case in Mark 1:1 in the phrase “Gospel of Jesus” is objective… meaning that Jesus is the gospel and not merely the preacher of…