John Piper, Social Justice Dilittante

To be a public Christian without really knowing about social issues is a display of willful ignorance. Piper sticks his head in the sand by claiming “he knows nothing” about these issues relying on Wikipedia for answers. Does the call of God not require analyzing social issues affecting society? He frames the issue as one of danger because “upsurge of cannabis-infused drinks on sale for … Continue reading John Piper, Social Justice Dilittante

Textual Markers Influencing Meaning

Don’t let the notion of “editorializing” throw you. What he is speaking about is Mark constructing his account to show context and connections. This analysis is part of a method which is subjected to literature and the author is including the section as part of this investigative method. Tradition has it that Mark used Peter’s preaching Jesus in composing the account for the Romans who … Continue reading Textual Markers Influencing Meaning

Lag B’Omer: Idolatry in High Places

The Jerusalem Post described Lag B’Omer as, “The springtime holiday became a celebration upon a grave”. Damning words from a Jewish publication, but that is what it is. Every year, bonfires are lit up and down the country and thousands gather to celebrate by the grave of a Kabbalistic rabbi on the eve of Lag… Lag B’Omer: Idolatry in High Places — ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry Continue reading Lag B’Omer: Idolatry in High Places

Opening Eyes is Revelatory Not Hermeneutical

The last footnote in Caneday’s critique is surely wrong. Nevertheless, he exposes fallacies in Richard Hay’s two works: Reading Backwards, and Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels. Since, in a post, I have featured Hay’s publication (Echoes) and have affirmed its contents, I also need to offer a second word of critique. Revealed Forward: Figural Revelation of the Messiah’s Suffering and Glory in Israel’s Scripture … Continue reading Opening Eyes is Revelatory Not Hermeneutical

Christian Hope: Anticipating The New Song

Pascal Quignard’s The Hatred of Music is impossible to summarize. It’s divided into ten “treatises” with titles like “It So Happens That Ears Have No Eyelids,” “The Song of the Sirens,” and “To Disenchant.” He examines music from historical, mythical, phenomenological, and every other conceivable angle. But the treatises aren’t really treatises; they’re more like… Music in the Death Camps — First Things RSS Feed – … Continue reading Christian Hope: Anticipating The New Song

O.T. Allusions in the Parable of the Prodigal Son

Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old (Mt. 13.52 ESV) Peter Williams demonstrates some of the ways Christians are to harmonize the Testaments. He discusses implicit and inherent allusions in the parable of The Prodigal Son[s]. Of course, the N.T. … Continue reading O.T. Allusions in the Parable of the Prodigal Son

Finding One’s Self-Brian Rosner

When it comes to knowing yourself, social psychologists speak of the “looking-glass self,” a term coined in 1902. It refers to our tendency to understand ourselves by perceiving what others make of us. In other words, the self is the result of learning to see ourselves as others see us.1 The great Scottish poet Robert Burns is credited with saying: “Oh would some power the gift … Continue reading Finding One’s Self-Brian Rosner

Weighing the Evidence: Is the James Ossuary Authentic?

Many are familiar with the James Ossuary, which hit the news to great fanfare in 2002, followed by the ensuing controversy regarding its authenticity. The limestone ossuary (bone box) dates to the first century and bears an inscription reading, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” It was quickly disputed and declared a forgery by […] Weighing the Evidence: Is the James Ossuary Authentic? — Bible … Continue reading Weighing the Evidence: Is the James Ossuary Authentic?

Genealogical Enrollment is Personal and Intimate

Paul views Israel’s temple as an essentially human structure, fulfilled in believers on earth as they worship the God of heaven. Yet Paul’s theology isn’t an NT innovation; it’s deeply rooted in the Hebrew Bible, most particularly in the book of Chronicles. IntroductionChronicles is few people’s favourite book. The index to Walter Moberley’s ‘Old Testament… The Theology of the Chronicler — Thoughts on Scripture Continue reading Genealogical Enrollment is Personal and Intimate

The Last Enemy to be Destroyed is Death-1Cor. 15.26

The resurrection of Jesus is the center of Christian faith. If Christ is not raised, Paul says, our faith is worthless and we’re still in our sins. Unless he’s raised, Jesus’s life and death were utterly fruitless. If his body decayed in the tomb, Death won the battle with life and remains on the throne… Easter Bodies — First Things RSS Feed – Web Exclusives | … Continue reading The Last Enemy to be Destroyed is Death-1Cor. 15.26

Connections with the Noah and Esther Epics

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD (Dt. 8.3 NIV). God inserts difficulties in His (sinful) people’s lives to show that He can overcome them, to sanctify us, … Continue reading Connections with the Noah and Esther Epics

Silencing the Word

The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear,” says Isaiah in one of Holy Week’s most well-known passages (Isa. 50:5). His prophetic words were the result of God waking him up to open his ear “morning by morning” (50:4). False prophets speak their own words because they have closed ears. Isaiah’s open ears were the number-one… Silencing the Word — First Things RSS Feed – Web Exclusives … Continue reading Silencing the Word