The New Exodus
Holy week is already upon us since Easter comes relatively early this year. The method used to calculate Easter Sunday is quite confusing: it's the Sunday following the first full…
The Children of Abraham
We've recently examined the life of Abraham, the Patriarch of Israel. The promises God made to Abraham are foundational for Christianity. The Almighty pledged to bless Abraham and through his…
Purchase and Promise
The death of Abraham's wife Sarah is recounted in Genesis 23. For many Bible readers, this is a very strange chapter of the Bible. Although the Lord had blessed him…
The Good News of God’s Judgment
If you were to ask most evangelical Christians to explain "the gospel" - the good news - the reply would no doubt be that we are offered forgiveness and reconciliation…
God’s Blessing
Among evangelical Christians, Abraham is quite possibly the most overlooked character in the Bible. He's certainly the most misunderstood. In my experience, not one in a thousand Christians can provide a coherent…
Musical Emergency
The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest has been held annually since 1982. According to the contest's website, this upside-down award goes to the author who pens the most "atrocious opening sentence to the…
The Star in the East
Nativity scenes are one of the time-honored traditions of the Christmas season. Such displays vary widely in style but have a number of fixed elements. The central figure, of course, is the…
All Israel Shall Be Saved
For the last few weeks, we've been considering the status of ethnic Jews within God's overall purposes. The Apostle Paul spent three entire chapters (9-11) in the book of Romans…
The Presence of God
In this series of blogs, we've set out to answer tricky questions raised by the ongoing conflict in Israel. The large majority of Israel's population are, of course, ethnically Jewish.…
Will the Real Israel Please Stand Up?
Events in Israel continue apace. The Israeli Defense Forces have initiated ground operations in the Gaza Strip in order to destroy Hamas and rescue Israeli hostages. The war has transfixed…