Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.

A Simple Observation

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C. H. Dodd (1884-1973) was an influential New Testament scholar. In his book The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, he makes a simple observation: The Gospel of John introduces its characters whereas Mark expects his readers to know who he is talking about. For example, “And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness” (Mark … Read more

Reciprocal Longing

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A few years ago, I wrote a short book on God’s desire to be with us called The Heart of Scripture. In essence, the point of the book is this: God longs to be with us and this desire is expressed from the first book of the Bible to the last. Recently, I found more … Read more

The Work of the Holy Spirit

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It’s shocking that at the start of Acts 1, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, his mission is still misunderstood. Luke writes, On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized … Read more

Praying for Universal Salvation

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Christians have an obligation to pray for the salvation of all people. Why do I say that? Listen to these words: I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is … Read more

Loving Enemies

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A few days ago I was driving down the road, going about 40 mph, when a car pulled out in front of me. I slowed down but didn’t slam on my breaks. The driver then proceeded to put his entire arm out the window, lifted straight up in the air, then gave me the finger. … Read more