Et cela fut ainsi

With my nephew by the pool

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their … Read more

Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind?

JMW Turner Snow Storm

Interesting collection of recent uses of the phrase, “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind” (from the prophetic Book of Hosea, eighth chapter, King James Version): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reap_the_whirlwind_(phrase) But is the saying true? Is it prophetic? I would be inclined to say… yes.

Discovering Biblical Equality

Discovering Biblical Equality book cover

Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy, edited by one of my favorite New Testament scholars, Gordon D. Fee. Read it. It just might answer some questions about those often abused, misused and wrongly applied “submission” and “silence” texts that don’t seem to fit other biblical accounts of female leadership (e.g. Deborah & Junia), the public … Read more

The Bible’s View of Women and Wrong Presuppositions

None of us come to a conversation clean. By clean I mean we don’t listen without making assumptions. Most forms of personal communication rely heavily on assumptions. They are those unspoken thoughts and ideas that are “between the lines.” Assumptions ease and expedite communication, if they are right. But if an assumption is wrong, then … Read more

Jesus is the Poor

When we were kids, my parents would take us to church. And when it came time for the deacons to pass the offering plate down our pew, my mom would open her purse and put a quarter in our hands. It was for us to drop it in the plate. It was a simple lesson, … Read more

Jesus Love Me, This I Know

Jesus loves me, this I know For the Bible tells me so. A lyric of a children’s song. A lyric that Karl Barth said summarized his whole life’s work in theology. Jesus loves me… How do we know? Reason? Answered prayers? Unanswered prayers? Church traditions? Jesus loves me, this I know For the Bible tells me so.

Revisiting Feminism and the Bible’s View of Women

About a year ago, I got into a discussion with a Christian blogger about the term feminist. I told him that I didn’t think any Christian should call themselves a feminist. I told him that another word was needed if any real impact in the area of equality was to be achieved in American evangelical … Read more