Should Christians Be Pro-Culture or Counter-Culture?

How should Christians think about human culture? Should they be for it or against it? Before we can answer these questions, we have to define the term. The word “culture” doesn’t appear in most English Bibles. The English noun is related to the verb “to cultivate,” which in turn derives from the Latin verb colere. It was initially used in contexts primarily referring to farming or “agriculture.” Over time the term “culture” acquired a broader usage, referring not just to farming but also to all sorts of human endeavor. The first entry in the American Heritage Dictionary (2009) defines “culture” as “the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.” So culture is everything human societies think, feel, and make. The question is whether this concept is found in the Bible. I believe it is. In fact, the Bible not only describes human culture but it also provides us with ethical guidelines by which to assess it.1 Continue reading

How to Win Theological Controversy: Lessons from the Pharisees

Tired of losing debates? Would you like a sure-fire way to win arguments? Consider learning from one of the best. The Pharisees had plenty of experience in theological controversy. Most notable was their interaction with the theological heresy of Christianity. Through the employment of several forms of fallacious arguments they managed to discredit Jesus and his follows and effectively “win” the debate. One prime example of their methodology is found in chapter seven of John’s Gospel. A careful examination of this passage uncovers some valuable lessons that modern controversialists can utilize for silencing the opposition. Below, I cite the relevant text and highlight some of the potent arguments.1 Continue reading

“The Last Enemy”: A Brief Theology of Death

The Bible portrays death as the consequence of human sin. Death was the sanction that God tied to the Garden of Eden stipulation: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). And God’s expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden on account of their covenant breach and treason demonstrated that His threats were not empty. Death became the lot of Adam and his posterity. To borrow the apostle Paul’s language in Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin [became] death.” What did God have in view when He issued His death-threat to Adam? What is the meaning of “death”? How would Adam, Eve, and their offspring come to experience this consequence for human sin? What purpose does death serve in God’s sovereign plan for humankind? These are the questions that we’ll attempt to answer in the article below. Continue reading

A Visual Sermon: Jesus’ Look of Mercy

Jesus has been brought before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin. These Jewish leaders have secured false witnesses and charged Jesus with blasphemy. They proceed to beat him and spit on His face. During this time, Jesus is fully aware that His beloved disciple Peter has “followed at a distance” (Luke 22:54). He knows that Peter is among a group of spectators sitting in the courtyard (Luke 22:55). And when Jesus hears the rooster crow, He knows exactly what Peter has just done (Luke 22:59). Jesus turns completely around and, the text tells us, “The Lord looked at Peter.” (Luke 22:61). The verb translated “looked” does not refer to a scanning glance in which one tries to take in all the scenery. It refers instead to a piercing stare in which the subject fixes his gaze upon one particular object. It’s as if Jesus knew precisely Peter’s physical location. And without speaking a word, Jesus communicates a message to Peter with the look of His eyes. Continue reading

The Massacre of the Innocents: The Darker Side of Christmas

We normally associate Christmas with the positive feelings of happiness and hope. When we think of the story of Jesus’s birth, we envision a beautiful and peaceful scene with shepherds and wise men gathered around a manger, worshipping the young Christ-child. But that’s not the whole picture! The Gospel of Matthew reminds us that Jesus’s birth was also associated with feelings of sorrow and despair. In the second chapter of his Gospel, the apostle recounts a tragic event, which Christian tradition refers to as “the massacre of the innocents.” Continue reading

“Like a Weaned Child”: Trusting God When Life Hurts

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? For example, what do we say when a Christian mother backs the car over the top of her little toddler crushing him to death? When a Christian man discovers he has brain cancer and must soon leave his three young children without a father? When a hurricane destroys the homes and disrupts the lives not only of unbelievers but also of believers? Perhaps you’ve asked that question while undergoing personal trial or tragedy. You’ve lost a loved one or gone through a heart-rending divorce or contracted a chronic illness or been betrayed by a Christian friend. The Lord has dealt bitterly with you, as He did with Naomi, and you desperately want to know “Why?” Continue reading

Answers to Vital Questions About the Book of Genesis

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to join John Sweat and Dylan Harrison on the Pilgrim Talk: Theology for Sojourners podcast to discuss the theology of Genesis. In that episode, John and Dylan ask me important interpretative questions related to reading and understanding the teaching of this first book of Holy Scripture. Since I get these sorts of questions often, I thought it would be helpful to post a list of the primary questions and the podcast audio. I’ve also added time-locators after each question so you can fast forward to those questions that most interest you. Enjoy! Continue reading

“Tenderheartedness”: The Hebrew Term רחם (rḥm) and Its Significance for the Doctrine of God

The Hebrew verb רחם  (rḥm) is used over 40 times in the Old Testament and is translated in the Authorized Version as “compassion,” “pity,” or “mercy.”  In its basic sense, רחם  may mean (1) to feel affectionate love based upon a relational bond, or (2) to show kindness to the inferior or needy. The English term “mercy” best translates the second meaning, whereas the term “compassion” brings out the affective element in the first meaning. The underlying relational bond is underscored by those passages which associate רחם with “covenant” [בְּרִית; bərît] and “covenant love” [חֶסֶד; ḥesed] (Isa. 54:8, 10; Lam. 3:32). Below we highlight the main components in the idea of רחם and apply our observations to theology proper. Continue reading

Some Positive Benefits of Family Worship

Having considered the decline of family worship (Part 1) and some biblical support for its practice (Part 2), we look now at some positive benefits, which in turn supply another argument for its restoration. As Paul instructs us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether we eat, drink, or whatever we do, we’re to do all to the glory of God.” However, we need not view God’s glory and our benefit as mutually exclusive. I believe there are a number of benefits and blessings that result from the practice of family worship. Even if there were no passages of Scripture to support the practice directly or indirectly, the potential of these blessings would certainly commend it.

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