This week, I've got a selection of interesting pieces from across the interwebs.
I feel bad when I don't pay attention to the sermon, but sometimes I get distracted. One verse — one phrase, really — from the day's passage set my mind to racing on one of the most important topics in Scripture.
CS Lewis is my favorite Christian author; that doesn't mean I always agree with him. His take on the atonement is absolutely wrong. And totally right.
Today is our 26th anniversary. In these 26 years I've learned many things, among them: you cannot trust my wife with money. If she leaves the house with cash in her pocket, there's a good chance she will end up giving it to someone. And I wouldn't change that for anything.
People have joked, "If St. Paul were still around, we'd be getting a letter." And I wondered what Paul would say in a letter to the church in the US. Then, in my most recent re-read, it occurred to me that one of his canonical letters seems like it was almost written to us.
This week, I've got a selection of interesting articles from across the interwebs.
That title sounds kind of click-baity. It also sounds like a gross exaggeration. It's really not. Once we grasp one important concept, so much of the Old Testament will make more sense.
The writers of the Hebrew scriptures seemed to have a favorite verse, because they quoted it a lot. It's a great passage, packed with meaning, and it's something we really need to keep in mind today because it answers so many questions and misunderstandings.
"There are thousands of gods people believe in. How do you know yours is the right one?" You know, that's a fair question. "You believe in your god, I believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. What's the difference?" That's really not, but let's play along. One line of reasoning can cover both questions.
This week, I've got a selection of interesting articles I've come across.
The "weirdest" passage seems rather subjective. And normally it is. However I am very confident pretty much everyone would agree. This passage is a real head scratcher. Until we understand something about the world of 4,000 years ago.
The KJV frequently calls God "The LORD of Hosts". The NIV never does. Why not? And why is "LORD" in all caps in some verses and not in others? Why does the ESV read so differently from the NIV at times and so similarly at others? Bible translations are the product of countless decisions by the translators. And there's a place in your Bible where they tell you what they are.
We don't tend to share the whole gospel. We share a very scaled-down version. This is something we've been doing for generations, and we've gotten away with it for quite a while, but our society has changed. It's time we reconsider how we present the gospel.
A young relative expressed frustration about trying to read the Old Testament. It's all in the Bible, so it's all important. But we're under the new covenant. And what do we do with all of those stories? How do we apply those to our lives? I shared with her how I approach the Old Testament. There are three key realizations.
There are lies in the Bible. And it's still inerrant.
The Bible is not just one book. It is a collection of books, and those books are different kinds of literature, different genres. Each has its own characteristics, its own rules, and if we don't pay attention to them, we can confuse ourselves and misunderstand the scriptures.
I'm a nerd. Always have been, always will be. After college my nerdiness shifted some of its focus from science and science fiction to the scriptures. Yep, you can nerd out on the Bible. I haven't learned any esoteric secrets, but lately I've come to realize that a lot of what's rattling around in my head isn't exactly common knowledge, either, so we're going to start a series we'll call Bible 101. Some of the facts I'll share may only be interesting; others may have apologetic value or help us interpret the scriptures. Let's dive in by looking at things in our Bible that aren't actually in the inspired text.
Many Christians today want to "unhitch" the church from the Old Testament. Then there are those who say we cannot fully understand the New Testament without the Old. I'm firmly in the second camp. Let's walk through an OT passage that really illuminates the teaching of the apostles.
God sent his Son to die for our sins. That's one of the most basic statements of the gospel story. And many today respond by declaring the cross "divine child abuse". How can we respond to that?
This week I'd like to share some articles I hope you'll find interesting. As Holy Week is upon us, we lead off with some pieces that will help us prepare for Good Friday and Easter.
Seems to be fairly common for kids to get into a competition of sorts with their parents. Mom or Dad says, "I love you"; the child replies, "I love you more." It's adorable how wrong they are. It's also instructive.
