The Bible in Context
What should be our attitude toward the land of Israel? Do the physical descendants of Abraham have a divine right to that area of the earth? If so, should Christians support Israel’s movement and expansion into the land even if that requires the use of force? In his book Jesus and the Land, Gary Burge … Read more
I’ve been working through the Ten Commandments for my course on Exodus. The second commandment (according to the enumeration used by most Protestants)—the one about not making carved images and not bowing down to them—brings up the controversial topic of making images of God. Well, I should say it brings up the historical controversy of … Read more
Slavery in the Old Testament poses a difficult challenge for Bible teachers. Granted slavery in the New Testament is a difficult issue as well, which I have written about here and here. But in some ways slavery in the Old Testament is a greater problem. In New Testament times, Christians could be found throughout the polytheistic, … Read more
The peril of interpreting Scripture is misinterpretation. And misinterpreting Scripture has happened all too often in the history of Christianity. For example, for hundreds of years, the Church believed in a geocentric or earth-centered universe because it seemed to be the clear teaching of Scripture. But five hundred years ago, an astronomer disagreed. Copernicus Revolts … Read more
If you only one chance to share the good news of Christ with someone what would you say? What should you say? Should you talk about heaven and hell? While it’s common to hear preachers appealing to heaven and hell, I was surprised by what I found while teaching through the book of Acts. Acts … Read more