Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
There are many Christians who believe that the gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12 ended, either with the death of the apostles or the completion of the New Testament (they are not sure which). Instead of just accepting their assertion, I tend to request some biblical support for this. While I understand … Read More “Does 1 Corinthians 13 teach Cessationism?” »
I have been researching how biblical texts portray disabilities and this has brought me to Negotiating the Disabled Body by Anna Rebecca Solevåg. While much of the book deals with texts from the New Testament, it does touch on other early Christian texts such as the Acts of Peter. Both ourselves and the original authors … Read More “Negotiating the Disabled Body – Review” »
I love the Bible and have spent much of the last two decades studying it both inside and outside of school. I teach it and I preach it. But there are parts, especially in the Old Testament, that make me uncomfortable. It would be nice if it was all as beautiful as the 23rd Psalm … Read More “What If You Struggle With Parts of the Bible?” »
I don’t know how many times I have heard a skeptic say to me, “How can you trust the Bible when it has been translated so many times. What they are claiming is that the Bible was written in Hebrew, translated to Greek, which was translated to Latin, which was translated to German, which was … Read More “The Skeptical Argument That Bugs Me The Most” »
The two books that I have read and reread the most are the Bible and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Recently, a skeptic asked me why we should read the Bible any differently than Lord of the Rings. After all, both tell epic tales, reflect on the nature of good and evil, describe supernatural … Read More “What’s the Difference Between the Bible and Lord of the Rings?” »
Most of my graduate work has been in the area of New Testament studies. I have been taught by some great scholars and have read many books in this area. Throughout these years, I have gotten a sense of scholars that I really appreciate. While there are some scholars that have died, the ones I’m … Read More “10 New Testament Scholars I Recommend” »
I was recently listening a podcast that included an interview with Robert. M. Price about the origins of the New Testament and the formation of the canon. I was quite frustrated as the interviewer seemed to be taking Price’s opinions as if they were the standard scholarly positions. The truth is that Price is a … Read More “The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? – Review” »
There are tons of good biblical resources out there, but only a few that I would recommend for everyone. One of those would be The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament by Craig Keener. Keener is one of the bright stars of evangelical biblical scholars. I have not been disappointed by any book I have … Read More “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament – Review” »
Was Jesus divine? Was the divinity of Jesus a later invention of the church? What did Paul, our earliest Christian writer, say about Jesus? I can think of no better resource to answer these questions than Gordon Fee’s Pauline Christology. I have read Fee’s earlier book, God’s Empowering Presence, where Fee looked at every mention … Read More “Pauline Christology” »
I’m currently teaching a course on the Apostle Paul at Tyndale University College. One of the things that I ask my students is, why should we study the Apostle Paul? Shouldn’t we be “red letter Christians,” that is shouldn’t we just follow Jesus and not worry about Paul? After all, we are Christ-ians and not … Read More “4 Reasons to Study the Apostle Paul” »
If you have not already, make sure to read part one of this guest post by Wesley Huff. An Embarrassment of Riches… The Number of New Testament Manuscripts In 1631, a printing of the King James Bible suffered from a bit of serious typist error. At Exodus 20:14, the word “not” in the sentence “Thou … Read More “The Reliability of the Gospels – Part Two” »
You may or may not be aware that there is some disagreement among New Testament scholars about how many of the letters Paul actually wrote. The “authentic” letters, that is the letters that they are most confident in are Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians and Philemon. The rest of the letters … Read More “Did Paul Write 2 Thessalonians?” »
Bart Ehrman has made a second career out of trying to demolish confidence in the New Testament. Because he is a respected scholar and a talented writer, he is someone who must be taken seriously. Read Bart Ehrman and Richard Dawkins: Who is the Most Dangerous? I recently listened to two podcast episodes from Unbelievable? where … Read More “Bart Ehrman and Richard Bauckham on the Reliability of the Gospels” »
The New Testament presents a message of hope. But what is the content of that hope? I came across this summary of the New Testament hope by Karl Barth that I thought was very helpful. This, then, is the New Testament hope. To understand it, we must fix our eyes firmly on three points: 1. … Read More “Karl Barth on the New Testament Hope” »
One of the things I try to get across to my Bible students is that the authors did not sit down to intentionally write the Bible. This is especially true when it comes to Paul’s letters. Paul wrote his letters to specific churches going through certain challenges. While the principles apply to us, we must understand … Read More “The Key to Understanding Romans” »
Some time back I wrote a post about 10 Things You May Not Have Known About the Bible. Since I believe that there are always more things to learn, here are 10 more things you may not have known about the Bible. The feeding of the 5000 is the only miracle of Jesus that is … Read More “10 More Things You May Not Have Known About the Bible” »
One of the highlights when I teach New Testament introduction courses is to have “story-time” with a reading from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Why would I read from such a book? Critics attempt to cast doubt on the New Testament canon by suggesting that there were plenty of other books that could have been … Read More “What is the Infancy Gospel of Thomas?” »
I sometimes joke that I believe cessationism died with the apostles. While I am amused by the statement, it often does not get the reaction I am looking for. The truth is that there are many people who hold to cessationism, the belief that spiritual gifts are not for today. At the same time, charismatics … Read More “Are Spiritual Gifts for Today?” »
The Bible is the most influential book in western culture. Even in this post-Christian era, we are surrounded by the influence of the Bible. The Bible was crucial for me in my own faith journey. I read the Bible cover to cover a number of times (and once in alphabetic order) before making a personal … Read More “10 Things You May Not Have Known About the Bible” »
Many years ago, I had a couple of Roman Catholic ladies come to my door. They went on to explain to me that the problem with the world today was that too many people read the Bible (I in no way am suggesting that this is typical of Catholicism). After my initial shock, I realized … Read More “7 Things to Remember When Reading the Bible” »
At the beginning of twentieth century, Albert Schweitzer wrote a book called, The Quest of the Historical Jesus. In this book (which I highly recommend), Schweitzer guides the reader through the post-enlightenment attempts of (mostly German) scholars to peel back legend and church tradition to get to the real or historical Jesus. What Schweitzer reports on … Read More “The Historical Jesus: Five Views” »
Some skeptics suggest that we do not have accurate sources in the Gospels because they were written too late (often assumed to be 40-50 years after the crucifixion). This claim makes some major assumptions. It assumes that no one was passing on the traditions in any reliable way before they were written down. It is … Read More “James Dunn on Oral Transmission” »
Did the Apostle Paul really hate women? Did he teach that women were inferior or that their rights should be limited? Some people believe so. Should women read Paul as one hostile to their gender? There are are places where Paul seems to put some guidelines to the church activity of some women. But there … Read More “Was Paul a Misogynist?” »
Some versions of the Jesus Myth Theory attempt to argue that Jesus was a sun god and that he was derived from other sun gods. But other than a desire to connect Jesus with Horus and other sun gods, is there any evidence that Jesus was originally conceived as a sun god? Later Christian artwork … Read More “Is Jesus a Sun God?” »
In the second chapter of Deconstructing Jesus, Price continues to attempt a picture of the earliest church that differed on major issues. Price makes much of Q, the hypothetical document that contains sayings common to Matthew and Luke but absent from Mark. I don’t have a problem with Q (listen to this podcast episode I … Read More “The Jesus Movements” »
I am currently reading Robert Price’s Deconstructing Jesus and I thought I would blog my reflections on each chapter. Although the book was published in 2000, Price is one of the few Jesus Mythicists who has a PhD in a relative field, and so he deserves some attention. The first chapter is called “Reconstructing Christian … Read More “Reconstructing Christian Origins” »
I will be soon teaching a course on the Parables of Jesus at Emmanuel Bible College. One of the most important decisions is choosing a textbook. Although I had not read it before (always a risk), I chose David Wenham’s The Parables of Jesus. As I began to read the book, I quickly knew that … Read More “Parables of Jesus Review” »
Prayer is one of the most important activities for a Christian. But how do we pray? Prayer is one of the most misunderstood things in the Church. If we are going to learn, we need to turn to the Bible. Thankfully, D.A. Carson presents us a resource with his Praying with Paul. This is the … Read More “Praying with Paul” »
Writing a Research Paper I have taught New Testament at Emmanuel Bible College and Tyndale University College and every year, one of the assignments is a research paper. That means that every year I need to explain how to do a research paper. So I finally got smart and decided to write down what I … Read More “How to Write a New Testament Research Paper” »
A devotion based on 1 Thessalonians 4:14. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul is dealing with a problem that is hard for us to imagine in our modern context. Christians in the early church thought that Jesus would return within a few years, if not within a few months. When that began to stretch out into decades … Read More “Devotions: 1 Thessalonians” »
A devotion based on Colossians 4:3. Paul was a super-Christian. He was so close to Jesus that whenever he wanted something he just needed to call in a favour. Paul was so powerful that his relationship with other Christians was always just one-way. None of that is true. Paul experienced weakness and concern and uncertainty. … Read More “Devotions: Colossians” »
A devotion based on 1 Corinthians 15:17. In this chapter, Paul is providing an extended treatment on the resurrection, both of Jesus and of believers at the return of Jesus. The reason for this is that the Corinthians saw themselves as so spiritual that they could not imagine another level. They did not believe that … Read More “Devotions: 1 Corinthians” »
Some Christians feel uncomfortable when discussions start about the historical Jesus. The fear is that historical Jesus studies may compromise Christian beliefs about Jesus. The truth is that many of the top historical Jesus scholars are evangelical Christians. Christians should feel at home when talking about the historical Jesus. What is the historical Jesus? Historical … Read More “5 Things to Remember When Talking About the Historical Jesus” »
Revelation is the most misinterpreted book in the entire Bible. The reason for this is very simple. The problem is the starting point. Many people begin their interpretation of Revelation with their newspaper or television. They see what is happening in the world and then interpret Revelation through that lens. That is the wrong starting … Read More “The Key to Interpreting the Book of Revelation” »
Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. But what does that mean? Does that mean that Jesus has always been the Son of God or that God really liked Jesus and adopted him as the Son of God? One of the key verses in this discussion is: “[Jesus] was declared to be the … Read More “Was Jesus Adopted as the Son of God?” »
A devotion based on Matthew 6:10. When I was in public school, we recited the Lord’s Prayer every morning. The church I attended prayed the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday. At least for that generation, the Lord’s Prayer was one of the most well known passages of the Bible. The problem is that the words can … Read More “Devotions: Matthew” »
As part of a course that I am teaching on Acts at Emmanuel Bible College, I assigned World Upside Down: Reading Acts in the Graeco-Roman Age by C. Kavin Rowe. While understanding this aspect of context is very important for studying the New Testament, it is especially important for understanding Acts. Acts is steeped in … Read More “World Upside Down” »
We should interpret the Bible by what we read. However, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 is an example of a passage that others have interpreted for us before we ever read open the Bible. “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” (2 Cor 6:14) Many Christians read this a passage as a proof text against religiously mixed … Read More “What Does “Unequally Yoked” Mean?” »
I am surprised at how little Christians know about the Gospels. Yes they know the stories and can recognize some of the parables but when it comes to what the Gospels are and why they are reliable, many are ignorant. Here are five things you should know about the Gospels. The Gospels are a form … Read More “5 Things You Need to Know About the Gospels” »
I am doing some preparation for a course on Acts that I am teaching at Emmanuel Bible College. While I have picked a different book for my text, I knew the book I wanted to read for my personal preparation. It was Joseph Fitzmyer’s Acts of the Apostles. This is a part of the Anchor … Read More “Acts of the Apostles” »
If you can understand this one thing, you will avoid many of the problems that Christians encounter. Are your ready? This is very important. The Bible was not inspired as a western twenty-first century document and should not be read as such. If you get only this statement from all of the things I have … Read More “What You Need to Know About the Bible” »
What exactly is the ending of the Gospel of Mark? Does it end at Mark 16:8 or at Mark 16:20? “Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with … Read More “Does This Mean I Can’t Handle Snakes?” »
When I think of popular critics of Christianity, I think the most well known are Bart Ehrman and Richard Dawkins. They are very different. Bart Ehrman is an agnostic New Testament scholar who was once an evangelical Christian. Richard Dawkins is an atheist evolutionary biologist who has had a long standing dislike for religion. What … Read More “Bart Ehrman and Richard Dawkins: Who is the Most Dangerous?” »
I believe that one of the main battlefronts for apologetics at this time is in New Testament studies, more specifically in the study of the historical Jesus. In many ways, things have not changed that much since Albert Schweitzer’s overview of the historical Jesus in his famous Quest of the Historical Jesus. Thankfully, there are a … Read More “The Wrong Jesus” »
If you do not know what the Johannine Comma is, I will explain it to you (hint: it is not John’s punctuation). The best way to understand it is to compare 1 John in the KJV and a modern translation. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the … Read More “The Johannine Comma and the Trinity” »
People often point out that the trinity is not in the Bible. What they really mean by this is that the word ‘trinity’ is not in the Bible. The basic concept of the trinity is in the New Testament though. Here are three passages where the idea of the trinity is beginning to emerge. “Go … Read More “The Trinity in the New Testament” »
I have had Reinventing Jesus on my bookshelf for some time. While it looked interesting, it was not a priority for me to read. It looked like more of the same popular level historical Jesus stuff that I have read plenty of. After encouraging some people to read this book, I thought I should read … Read More “Reinventing Jesus” »
Many New Testament scholars would deny that Paul wrote 1-2 Timothy or Titus. I accept the Pauline authorship, but not just because I am an Evangelical. There is no doubt that there are differences between the pastoral epistles and the “authentic” epistles. It is good for us to notice these differences and we should be … Read More “Pastoral Epistles and Pauline Authorship” »
Many scholars doubt that the epistles in the New Testament named after James, Jude and Peter were actually written by those individuals. There is some logic to that doubt. After all, James, Jude and Peter were all blue collar Galileans with no formal education. Yet the Greek and the rhetorical skill found in these letters … Read More “James, Jude and Peter” »
One of the things that I like about Luke is that he has a special interest in the role of women. In both his Gospel and in Acts, Luke often pairs men and women, giving examples of similar miracles or other events, each from the perspective of each gender. This should cause us to reflect … Read More “Male-Female Pairs in Luke-Acts” »
One of the projects I am working on is an apologetic commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. I am going to start it as a series of posts and then collect them as a book. Feel free to comment and help me to sharpen my arguments. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the … Read More “Matthew’s Genealogy” »
I just read an excellent book by Mark D. Roberts called Can We Trust the Gospels? Technically, this is a “blook,” that is, a book that developed out of a number of blog posts. This is a great foundational book for the defense of the Christian faith. The bottom line in any criticism or support … Read More “Can We Trust the Gospels?” »
I have been listening to a podcast by York University professor Philip Harland and have been enjoying it. I disagree with about 25% of what he says but there are enough good insights for it to be worth my while. One of the things that he says, that I hear from many scholars, continues to … Read More “The Late Dating of the Gospels” »
Sometimes critics like to suggest that the New Testament is late, and that although individual writings may be earlier, the gathering of them as Scripture is a much later development. We are led to believe that there were just a bunch of writings, orthodox, gnostic and other, that were floating around and then Constantine had … Read More “Polycarp and the New Testament” »
Did Jesus receive his divinity by a vote at the Council of Nicaea? In part one of this discussion, we looked at Jewish monotheism and saw that there was some flexibility within that monotheism that could conceive of a divine figure beside the Heavenly Father. But just because there was potential within Judaism, does not … Read More “Divinity By Decree: Part Two” »
One of my favourite biblical scholars and writers is F.F. Bruce (1910-1990). Bruce’s career was the beginning of a renaissance in evangelical Christian scholarship. Bruce demonstrated that it was possible to be faithful to high levels of scholarship and the truth of the Bible. He inspired countless other evangelicals to continue to bridge this gap. I … Read More “The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?” »
