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There are things that make us human, and there are things that make God God. If God wants to become human, you end up with Jesus. And that’s a good thing. When humans want to become gods, we become less than human. The evil that is done in this world is not caused by some dark, shadowy figure; it’s caused...
Note: This is a repost (with slight revisions) of a blog from January 2014 that has proven to be one of my most popular articles. It is the second in a series of blogs on discipleship in the church. Click here for part 1. So many of the discipleship programs I have been through have focused on teaching me...
In the stories of Jacob and Esau there is a long history of interpretation that presents Jacob in a more positive light than his older twin. That’s understandable in that the Jews trace their lineage through Jacob and not Esau, and it’s rather unthinkable that a non-Jew would be a better example of the...
What distinction was Paul trying to make between the Law and faith in Romans? For years it was assumed that the Law was about earning your salvation while faith was about receiving it by grace. But Israelite religion was never about earning God’s favor—that favor was given to them through God’s choosing of...
“Safe and sound.” We use the phrase often enough that it’s easy to think that the two words are almost synonymous and that the distinction is a matter of nuance. But it’s not. Someone once illustrated the difference: “The steamship whose machinery is broken may be brought into port and made fast to the...
It’s maddening when a person answers a question with another question. A time or two is all right, but it’s frustrating when they do it all the time. Add this to the reasons that Jesus can be quite frustrating. I read somewhere that in the gospels Jesus was asked 183 questions and only gave 3 answers while...
Let God Be Judge
Discipleship and Religious Bullies
Jacob and the Face of God
Why Different Doesn’t Matter
Safe and Sound
How to Know that you Really Know Something
Welcome!
I am a lifelong student of the Bible, and have been a pastor for over twenty-five years. My desire through this blog is to help people see things in the intersection of Scripture and real life that they might have missed. The careless handling of the Bible is causing a lot of problems in our churches and our culture--and is literally turning people away from the church, and, sometimes, God. I hope to treat Scripture with the respect it deserves, and, even if you don't agree with what I say, give you some insight.
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