“Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Perfect? What does Jesus mean? The word used here has three basic meanings: perfect, mature, and complete. Knowing these options can help tremendously when reading the Bible. Read more
The Bible never classifies gambling as a sin, and has virtually nothing to say about the subject. Surprised? I am surprised that there used to be such a universal taboo and such tough laws against gambling, with so little Biblical basis for the morality behind those laws. Read more
Ezekiel was literally an R-rated prophet. St. Jerome writes that Jews in 400 AD would not let men read parts of Ezekiel until they were 30 years old. Why not? The most obvious reason to restrict the reading of Ezekiel is the very “adult” sexual rhetoric he uses. Read more
One of the key tests of a false prophet is false prophecy, predictions that do not come true (Deuteronomy 18:21-22). But if a prophecy does not come true in the short term, does that mean that it is false? Not necessarily. What if the prophecy is about the distant future? And how do we know that? Read more
Both literalism and inerrancy need to be carefully defined. Strictly defined, nobody believes in literalism. And inerrancy only works as a meaningful term if you share the reverence for Biblical authority held by those who affirm the term. Read more
History, or hogwash? Does it matter whether anything in the Bible really and truly happened? Or can fairy tales do just as good a job of inspiring faith? Did historicity matter to the ancient world? Should it matter to us? Read more
Today’s church is re-living the world of heresy of the second and third centuries AD. Today we look at how this was true for the Gnostics, and how we now find ourselves where no one is in a position to exercise effective church discipline over the mess of heresy that surrounds us. Read more
Today’s church is now re-living the second century AD, a period when the church was shot through with heresy so badly that it threatened to take over the church entirely. That period may give us clues to help us find our way forward in our present age. Read more
Pentecost is the perfect time to explore the use of the word spirit in the New Testament. What's the difference between spirit and soul? Read more
Soul, or life? Such is the choice we must make in translating the New Testament word psychē, which we have borrowed into English as our term “psyche,” and from which we get our word “psychology.” Read more
Biblical Words and World
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