I’ve read hundreds of theology books, but only a few stand out. Of course, my stand-out bookshelf includes the Christian classics such as Augustine’s Confessions, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and Pensees by Pascal. What about modern-day theology books? One of my favorites is The Gospel According to Moses: What my Jewish
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The first three chapters of Genesis are theological dynamite. They were explosive in the ancient world and they are still explosive today. Genesis 1 Summary: God creates everything. There’s only one God, Creator of everything. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (NIV). “The heavens and the earth” means
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As I read through Colossians, I found myself fastened on the word mystery. Paul says God commissioned him to present “the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people” (Col. 1:25b-26, NIV). Prior to reading those words, I had
Herem Warfare Commands and the Mystery in Colossians Read More »
Updated November 2023 Divine violence in the Bible is a huge challenge. Here’s the problem in a nutshell. Christ—the perfect revelation of God—taught and practiced nonviolence, even to the point of allowing himself to be mocked, beaten, and killed. We don’t have a single example of Christ physically harming another human being. And yet the
Wrestling with Herem Warfare in the Old Testament Read More »
Slavery is evil. It is wrong for one person to own another person. While people argue in favor of various moral issues, no one is arguing in favor of slavery. The issue is clear-cut: slavery is wrong. That brings up a problem for readers of the New Testament. Why is slavery mentioned in several places
Christianity and the End of Slavery Read More »