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,…
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…
Depends What the Meaning of “OF” Is
Grammar stinks…. just kidding; I love grammar, but I’m hoping that by pretending not to that you will suck it up and actually read all the way to the bottom…
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…
Keep One Eye on the Old Testament: Mark 1:2-13 & Ancient Reference
“I’m a New Testament Christian!” A common boast by those little interested in the Old Testament… I mean… Doesn’t that just sound defunct… OLD… Good old things get the label…
Did God Invent Covenant?
So you are reading a prophetic vision story in the Bible, perhaps say, 1 Kings 22:19ff, and God appears sitting on a heavenly throne. Have you ever asked yourself the…
A Baptism in Confusion: 3 Baptisms in Mark 1:2-13
In our last episode, we introduced the bare bones essence of water baptism as an ancient covenant ratification act saturated with typical death imagery and corresponding OT interests in ordeal…
A Baptism in Baptism
So you read the whole Old Testament. You read it several times. Having immersed yourself in the literature that your Bible, by its basic structure, seems to promise as the…
Name that Quote: Exodus 23:20, Malachi 3:1, and Isaiah 40:3 in Mark 1:2
I will never forget my first Master’s paper at Regent University. I called it, “How They Got This Out of That.” I worked hard in my undergraduate programs (Yes, programs…
Striving for the Impossible… and loving it
I love the word asymptotic. I’m not a mathematician. No offense intended to all you left brained calculus types, but I actually hate doing math. It seems to me, however,…
Historical History & the Little Scholar Who Could
One of the benefits of a being raised in a blue collar environment and receiving academic training is that I tend to experience the full force of learning. This means…
“As” if: Mark 1:2-4 as a Single Sentence
There is a certain beauty in translation. It is not only a science, but also an art… some would say not even a science. There are all kinds of philosophies…
Technical Terms We Only Think We Understand: Gospel in Mark 1:1
There are many bingo phrases that Christian’s throw around at church that I am convinced they barely understand. If you ask them what their favorite terms mean, you will, more…
Jesus had an Identity Crisis: Christ & Son of God in Mark 1:1
I had a professor once, gifted in languages, but not in relationships. He could not only read more than his fair share of languages even for a scholar, but he…
Lordy, Lordy, Look What’s Forty
Maybe it’s just me, but a lot of uber-Evangelicals seem kind of nervous. Maybe its from watching too many horror movies, but I tend to doubt it. Now, I am…
Literary Relationships are Hard, but it’s Better than being Alone
One of the things that separates us from the animals, other than our smashing good looks, is the ability to use sound to form words and to use words to…
Mark 1:1 Makes No Sentence at All
Look at Mark 1:1… look reeeeeaaaaal close and careful. It reads in the ESV, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Seems simple enough. A…
Induction… not just for Science Nerds Anymore
When I speak of “Doing Biblical Theology” I intend the use of an arsenal of tools for ascertaining the intended theological message of a biblical unit of literature. I just…
A Crazy Proposal About Jesus and the Woman at the Well
Okay, as promised, this is the last post on the popular type-scene “Foreigner at the Well.” I hope it will be rewarding enough to warrant a gander. No, you don’t…