The Bible in Context
There is a dangerous practice in Pentecostal or Charismatic Christianity. It is the practice of trying to receive detailed life instructions from the Lord. By detailed life instructions I am referring to instructions regarding everyday life decisions, e.g., marriage, work, finances, location, etc. Often these instructions are given through a prophecy—one person delivering “a word … Read more
The following passage in John 7 has baffled me for a long time. 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this … Read more
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
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
When I was growing up I never heard anyone claim to be born in the wrong body. But that claim is becoming increasingly common today. How can someone be born in the wrong body? Doesn’t that imply existence before birth? If so, where were they? And how could they have preferred a particular gender before … Read more