On Teaching from Ezekiel 24
I’ve been working my way through Ezekiel with my Sunday School class, at their request, since I have frequently said that Leviticus, Ezekiel, and Hebrews are the books most formative of my own theology. When this is done, I will have been through all three books with this group. One major difficulty in teaching through…
Theodicy: Interview with Dr. Ron Higdon
This is the sixth interview in my series on theodicy (check the link for a full list). Ron Higdon has experienced and dealt with the issues of theodicy practically as a Christian believer, as a pastor, and as a father. His interview is distinguished by his immediate reference to where the Bible starts on this…
The Danger of Excessive Optimism
I have been called a pessimist. I prefer to think of myself as a realist. When I consider it seriously, however, I often find that I’m more optimistic about results than realism allows. From time to time, I’m told that if I was just more positive about everything, that “everything” would tend to go much…
After Teaching on the Sermon on the Mount
My Sunday School class just finished a several-week study on the Sermon on the Mount. We did not use any study guides as a class, though I consulted three books I publish, One World: The Lord’s Prayer from a Process Perspective, The Jesus Manifesto: A Participatory Study Guide to the Sermon on the Mount, and…
Thinking – The Only Solution
When I talk to computer customers about security I tell them that I can protect them from many things, but in the end, I can’t fully protect them from the user who won’t follow good security practices. I can try to force the user to follow certain procedures, but as the old saying goes, “The…
Stephen S.J. Hill on Our Much Loved Identity
It is very difficult to get me to watch any video. Yes, that’s true, even though I create videos and do online interviews on multiple subjects. It’s not my medium of choice. Getting me to watch an hour extends into the impossible. But I watched this one … I recommend that everyone, but especially those…
Link: Revelation, We Have a Problem
Scot McKnight discusses the problem with the popular understanding of Revelation. I recall guest teaching a Sunday School class on Revelation from the study guide I wrote (currently not available as I revise it). The major question from the class was when I was going to talk about the seven-year tribulation and whether I was…
By the Wife of Uriah
Today as I walked I was listening to the Bible and starting the book of Matthew. Now Matthew, to the annoyance of many, starts with a genealogy. Are you one of those people who skip genealogies? Here’s what hit me today. In Matthew 1:6b I heard this “And David was the father of Solomon by…
The Wrath of the Lamb
Sometimes the process of preparing to teach Sunday School takes interesting turns, at least for me. I’m currently teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, and I was thinking about the transition from the beatitudes to the discussion of fulfilling the law. Sometimes we get so used to the way Scripture passages read that we…
So Why Not Change?
Sojourners has an article titled SEVEN LIES ABOUT CHRISTIANITY — WHICH CHRISTIANS BELIEVE. There’s a great deal here that I resonate with, especially in the seventh point: The problem with romanticizing Christianity is that we turn our faith into a product, using various selling points to make it look more attractive. Sojo.net But what I’m…
Jumping the Christmas Gap
Most of the time I’m suggesting that people lighten up when they get too deep into theology, so today, when people are lightening up, I want to talk a bit of theology. This day represents the core of my Christian faith in so many ways. When I get into discussions about what is essential in…
Habitually Going to Church?
You will find more infographics at Statista Interesting! It used to be said that if the habit is established while they’re young, they won’t lose it later. I don’t know how true that might have been, but it doesn’t appear to work in this chart.
Advent Series at Energion
I’m sure all my readers know I own Energion Publications, and function as the CEO, now that we have a separate editor. This Advent I’m putting a quote from a different book each day of Advent. Here is a list with a couple of notes. There are many more to come, but this will give…
Allan Bevere on the Problem of Evil
My latest interview on theodicy, or the problem of evil, is with Dr. Allan R. Bevere. Allan is a retired United Methodist pastor and has a PhD in New Testament from the University of Durham (UK). You can find detailed information on this interview series, along with links to previous interviews here.
Questioning Omnipotence
Thus far I have interviewed three people regarding theodicy, or looked at from another direction, the problem of evil. You can follow the link for current interviews. Tomorrow, I will be interviewing Dr. Allan R. Bevere, retired United Methodist pastor for the fourth interview in the series. I have commitments for several more interviews. One…
Theodicy Interview with Bruce Epperly
The second in my series of interviews on theodicy is now available. Dr. Bruce Epperly discussed this with me for around an hour. You can see the video below. (The first interview can be found here.) The purpose of this series is to showcase a variety of views on theodicy and even ways of expressing…
A Robust Theodicy?
As I conduct interviews on theodicy with various authors, I’d like to suggest this: We need a theodicy (and in fact a full theology) that is as comfortable in Job as in Deuteronomy. This would be the expression of a faith that isn’t forgotten in good times or repudiated in bad. Here again is the…
Theodicy Interview Series
Yesterday I interviewed Dr. Robert LaRochelle as the first in a series of interviews on theodicy. You can find more information on this series on the page titled, shockingly, Theodicy Interview Series, which also includes the questions that will be asked of each interviewee for this series.
Church Titles, Anyone?
I have frequently observed that if we were to understand the way authority works in the Kingdom of God, we would have less arguments about who gets what title. Maybe we’d drop as many titles as possible. Dave Black comments on this, and quotes Markus Barth today. I think he has a point.
Link: On the Participles of Hebrews 6:4-6
Via Dave Black, I found this post, which outlines the participles of this passage well. I have expressed my view on this passage previously, and it takes the participles into account and aligns with one of the positions suggested.
Why Digitize Manuscripts
An extremely brief rundown from the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts. I really appreciate the work of this group, though I rarely need to consult a manuscript directly, and then usually only to ooh and aah over some feature mentioned by an expert. But all the tools I use benefit from making…
Are the Pillars Choking Your Church?
I wrote this essay some time ago. I’m strongly in favor of caring for our long-term church members, those who keep the church going through thick and thin, and have been doing so for a long time. But as a member of the long-enduring group, I advocate every effort being made for the next generation,…
Book: The Byzantine Text-Type & New Testament Textual Criticism
In my business role as president of Energion Publications, I’ve just cleared the proofs for the release of the book The Byzantine Text-Type & New Testament Textual Criticism by Dr. Harry Sturz. This is a reproduction of the original book, released in 1984 and is produced under license from HarperCollins Christian Books. Note: This discussion…
Being with One Who Grieves
From my Twitter feed: When you sit with a griever, your work is to be with them where they are, not drag them out where you are more comfortable. — Diane Langberg, PhD (@DianeLangberg) April 28, 2022 Truly excellent advice!