How Close Are We?
Body
“Never view the world circumstances or any events with a temporal viewpoint. Recognize that God is constantly seeing the big picture while we normally see what is taking place day by day.” - P&D
Do Westcott & Hort Rule New Testament Textual Criticism?
Body
“the Textual Confidence Collective … discuss whether the ideas of Westcott and Hort really control the current practice of New Testament textual criticism, and short the answer is, ‘No’ ” - Mark Ward
Discussion
Six Reasons Colossians 2:11–12 Does Not Allow for Infant Baptism
Nowhere in the New Testament do we find either a command to baptize infants or even an instance of babies being baptized. No verse hints at this practice in the first century church.1 So, Christians who hold to this ritual try to forge a link between Jewish circumcision and Christian baptism. The lone New Testament passage they can find that could possibly be read to make this connection is Colossians 2:11–12.
Discussion
We Need New, Public Conversations About Ethics
Body
“the ‘consequentialist’ or ‘utilitarian’ approach (e.g. of Jeremy Bentham or John Stuart Mill), views the morality of a decision or action, based upon the anticipated result of that decision or action. It seeks to quantify the ‘highest good, for the greatest number,’ thereby reducing all ethical considerations to a ‘pleasure/pain’ calculus.” - Common Good
Discussion
Augustine the Reader: Why You Should Take Up & Read ‘Confessions’
Body
“Confessions is well-written and rewards re-reading, but ultimately it is good because it is true. It is a book by and for the restless soul, which is every soul.” - Word by Word
Discussion
Does 1 John 3:9 Actually Say a Christian Can’t Sin?
The Question
There is no shortage of passages exhorting Christians not to sin.1 So it is no surprise that John also acknowledges in his first letter that Christians can sin.2 It might be surprising, then to discover that John says that “All those who are born of God sin they do not do.”3 John adds that they do not, “because His seed abides in him.”4
Discussion
Jesus’ Midrash on Isaiah’s “Fifth” Servant Song, Part 2
Read the series.
(Luke 4:16-30 with Isaiah 61:1-2)
The Spirit-empowered Anointed One
Jesus applied Isaiah 61:1-2a (below) to Himself. At first, this garnered praise from the synagogue crowd, but their praise quickly turned to scoffing. The Isaiah passage reads:
Discussion
Book Review: Elisabeth Elliot, a Life
Body
“n Elisabeth Elliot: A Life, Lucy S. R. Austen harmonizes Elisabeth’s public writing with the journals and letters Austen had access to, which I feel is the strength of this book.” - P&D
Discussion
Teaching Church History in Our Churches
(Reposted from 2021. Original comments included.)
History is boring! How many times has that been said, mostly by schoolchildren who have to learn names, dates, and events for an exam? History can be boring, but it doesn’t need to be.
Discussion
What Is Repentance? Is It a Change of Mind or Something Different?
Body
“Mark Ward and Tim Miller from Shepherd’s Theological Seminary explore repentance in depth as an expansion of Miller’s article, ‘Is Repentance a Change of Mind or Something Different?’” - Word by Word
Discussion