101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Bible Backgrounds
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Nazarenes, Rednecks, and Other Well-meaning Slurs
I love puzzles, always have. Growing up, I saw puzzles of all kinds as a natural exercise of my desire to be a detective someday, tracing out subtle clues to…
A Better Question is, “Who wouldn’t”: The Prodigal Son in Reflection, Part 3
One of my favorite gags in the old 1980’s TV show, Taxi, has a nervous Tony Danza shaving several times throughout the day to keep himself fresh looking for an…
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,…
The Failed Gentile Mission and Jesus: The Prodigal Son in Reflection, Part 2
How many Israelite characters can you name who ministered to Gentiles? Moses came out of Egypt with a mixed multitude who were absorbed into Israel. David had Gentiles as part…
I’ll Take Allegories & Analogies for 200: The Prodigal Son in Reflection, Part 1
I’m sure most of you have heard at least five prodigal son sermons in your lifetime… I’ve been around a while and can lay claim to at least 20 myself……
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…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Biblical Studies
HAGALAH
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Old Testament Studies
Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me as Quote NOT Statement: Psalm 22:1 in the New Testament
Matthew 27:46 reads, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken…
Forensics, Not Just for CSI Anymore: Atonement & The Cross
You can question in faith. You can doubt in faith. You can also question and doubt in unbelief, in a heart deep challenge to the truths of God and His…
101 Most Misunderstood Verses
Biblical Studies
Biblical Theology
New Testament Studies
NT's Use of the OT
Systematic & Historical Theology
A Quote is Not a Direct Statement: Psalm 22 & The Forensics of the Cross
One of the most popular quotes by Christians about Jesus on the Cross is a quote by Jesus on the Cross. In Matthew 27:46 it says, “About the ninth hour…
Biblical Language Issues
Biblical Studies
HAGALAH
Meeting the Jesus of Mark
NT's Use of the OT
Text Criticism Issues
Fun with Hebrew Poetry: Isaiah 40:3 in the New Testament
I’ve been teaching an Isaiah class of late and we had an amusing time last night considering the way the New Testament Scholars have handled the quote from Isaiah 40:3…
God’s Will by God’s Means: Did Jacob NEED to Trick Isaac to Fulfill God’s Plan?
I had the pleasure of attending the President’s Chapel recently at Northpoint Bible College. I co-authored the book 40 Days With the Savior with Jonathan Cashman and have been traveling…
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…
Escaping the Tyranny of Certainty: Text Criticism in Isaiah 40:3
A few posts back, I began a discussion on the contrast between the scholarly handling of Isaiah 40:3 in the Hebrew and its appearance in both the Greek versions and…
How to Think Like a Text Critic
I launched a few posts back into a discussion of the scholarly handling of Isaiah 40:3 in both the Hebrew texts and the Greek texts. In the Hebrew, a voice…
The Tyranny of Certainty: In Defense of Text Criticism
I’ve mentioned previously that I tend to be rather open to discussions about theology and the meanings of Biblical texts, but that I also have two groups running around the…
Confessions of a Middle Aged Professor, Part 2
In my last post, I took an honest look at my early years as a biblical studies professor. I considered a handful of things I could have done better as…
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…
Using Scripture Like Satan: The Word Faith Heresy vs. Jesus
I have of late, been addressing the popularity of Word Faith teachers whose central focus in ministry (other than collecting your offerings) is to tell you that God has promised…