Is Ethics Ever a Matter of “Indifference”?

By Mark Snoeberger

The term ἀδιάφορα (adiaphora), literally, matters that are to be viewed with indifference or that make no difference, does not appear in the Christian Scriptures and does not feature significantly in Christian Theology until the Reformation era. The term does, however, predate the Christian period by several centuries, being well-established in Greek philosophy/ethics. For instance,

In Cynicism, the ἀδιάφορα were pursuits of life that do not matter (e.g., wealth, pleasure, or power)—pursuits that were to be actively suppressed through asceticism.In Stoicism, the…

Does God Repent, or Doesn’t He? Part 2: Toward an Answer

By DOlinger

What do we make of the fact that the Bible says both that God repents and that he doesn’t?

I think the key to what’s going on here comes from the passage about God’s rejection of King Saul. I don’t know whether you noticed this in the previous post, but this event appears in both the list of statements that God doesn’t repent and the list of examples of his repenting.

In other words, the passage says both that God doesn’t repent and that he does.

Now, this should catch our…

What Does It Mean to Stand with Israel? (Part 3)

By Paul J. Scharf

Read the series.

What are some specific things that we can do to stand with—that is, bless (Gen. 12:3)—the people, nation and land of Israel?

As we documented in the previous installment, we certainly have good reason to desire to do so. As Jesus told the Canaanite woman, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). And as He reminded the Samaritan woman, “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).

The Apostle Paul spoke about the relationship between the…