Heresy and the Canon
Around 140 AD, a wealthy shipowner named Marcion arrived in Rome. He was originally from Sinope, a city in Asia Minor on the coast of the Black Sea. Although he…
The Promised Land
In our last two blogs, we've been exploring the New Exodus theme found throughout the New Testament. The disciples of Jesus were Jews who cherished the grand story of how…
Obedience Unto Life
Every year since 1973, the epic movie The Ten Commandments has aired on network TV at Easter. This film was directed by the legendary Cecil B. DeMille & released in…
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 King of Israel & the Rescue of the World
Last week we learned that when the first Christians went out into the world to proclaim the message about Jesus, there was one thing above all else that they said:…