I am putting a new title and number on this even though we are continuing with our “how do we read our Bibles?” series. The question we will be examining at the end of this series of blogs is “what is the Word of God?” If you answer “the Bible!” then you need to answer [...]
I was in a small group last night where the texts under consideration were Firs Samuel 15 and 30. In both, genocide takes place. In chapter 15, God is said to have ordered the slaughter of even the innocent non-combatants all the way down to women and infant children. In chapter 30, the same tribe [...]
This blog is a little more technical than the other ones in this series. I am trying hard to make this accessible to the (very) casual reader. Those of you with advanced degrees in theology might want more nuance or history than I am supplying… and I agree with you! But those of us without [...]
Those of us who spend a good portion of our lives with or around atheists and agnostics know a little secret: many of them know their Bibles quite well. And that’s their problem, for they see things in scripture which clash with their idea of morality. If you’ve read the books by the leading New [...]
Some have had a hard time with the thesis of this series of blogs and I absolutely understand that. I once knew the formulae and proof texts of every argument and stance we had in my religious tribe. Allow me to brag a moment – I learned Hebrew at the same time I was learning [...]
Rule book or narrative? When I was a boy I often heard preachers talk about the Bible as our law book, our road map; even as our Constitution. I never questioned God’s absolute authority – nor do I today – but I was confused by some of the phrasing I found in scripture such [...]
At every point in my ministry, I have had to decide whether or not it was worth it to take this or that risk. When it comes to today’s question, it is one of the riskier questions that one can answer publicly, especially if they are trying to be honest and open minded. Knowing [...]