The Forgiven Forgive or I Can’t Forgive, But I Must Forgive
If I compare myself to the most wretched people I can think of, I look pretty good. Faithful husband, even before getting married, lived a mostly honest life, only stolen…
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,…
Worst Nelson Mandela Quote Ever
I have a lot of respect for Nelson Mandela on a personal level. He came back from years of imprisonment over his resistance to institutionalized racism and, yet, took an…
Could Someone Please Define Racist for Me?
Let me say for starters that I don’t watch Duck Dynasty, don’t agree or disagree with anything about their statements for absolute sure (having no real context for it) save…
Hey Millennials! Hollywood is a Bunch of Big Fat Liars!
In my post, “Confessions of a Troglodyte,” I attempted to share my frustrations as a biblical scholar trying to teach or dialogue with those who are quintessential Millennials, those who…
Is Prejudice Wrong?
I remember a heated discussion I had in the 90’s with an African American friend of mine over race, culture and prejudice. I often contended genetic innocence for American slavery…
Have You Trip-wired Your Mind?
It seems to me that a phenomena I have been witnessing for years in ever increasing regularity goes well beyond prejudice right into manic meltdown. All that is needed to…
Government Entitlement Programs are Psychologically Dysfunctional
In an earlier post, “Progressives Don’t Want to Help the Poor to escape Poverty—Entitlement Programs aren’t Charity or Charitable ” I began a discussion on the misguided equalizing of Biblical…
Progressives Don’t Want to Help the Poor to escape Poverty—Entitlement Programs aren’t Charity or Charitable
One of the frustrations I face as a biblical theologian is the confusion that biblical laws regarding the poor cause Christians who cannot tell the difference between charity and entitlement…
Confessions of a Troglodyte
I regard myself, perhaps wrongly, as a decent communicator, even if a bit snarky at times. I’ve dedicated most of my ministry energy to explaining complex ideas in biblical studies…
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…
Weasel Words & the Domination of Public Narrative
Words have a lot more than just a definition. Words have associations. Words have rich emotional content. That emotional content is a powerful tool in communication. Choosing the right word…
All Things Being Equal, Nothing is Equal
Let’s make one basic point. Equality is both an essential truth and a complete fallacy. “Now, wait a minute, Bub. Equality is the bedrock of our nation… the most noble…
That Not So Elusive Poverty
In a recent post, “Worst Nelson Mandela Quote Ever,” I proposed that one of Mandela’s most famous quotes about poverty exemplifies a disastrous understanding of reality, particularly for a political…
Reinventing the Family Wheel
The great audacity of the modern prevailing worldview is the idea that progress and independence from personal restraint are virtues to be cultivated at almost any cost. Each generation tends…
A Response to Benjamin Corey’s “10 Reasons Why Reading The Bible Makes Us More Progressive”
Benjamin Corey is a once upon a time “fundamentalist” who shifted to being a “Christian Progressive” when he began attending Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2008. He accredits this shift not…
A Response to “Brothers, I Am Sorry”
http://sarahchristineschwartz.com/2013/11/06/brothers-i-am-sorry To the author of “Brothers, I am Sorry,” which you can read at the above address. Dear Sarah, you are young, and have much to learn about the difference…
Armed Always with an Axe to Grind
Strolling with my wife today we happened upon a woman walking her dog. She had paused ahead, tying her shoe (or so we thought) and we closed the gap between…