This might make your toes curl up inside your shoes, but the narratives of the Bible are ambiguous. Just to be clear, I am not saying that the Bible is false, untrue, misleading, or culturally confined. But its stories are ambiguous. Perhaps you remember being introduced to literary tools in your high school English class–simile, […]
Category Archives: Bible
What If I Miss the Rapture?
So, I did a bad thing this past week. I googled “what if I miss the rapture?” For those who are not familiar with what I’m talking about, “the rapture” is a central piece of a dispensational reading of Revelation. The idea goes that when Jesus returns, he will come back secretly first and take […]
New Posts @ TGC and Southern Equip: ‘Chiasms’ and ‘Hope’
I’ve got a couple of articles up at The Gospel Coalition and Southern Seminary’s blog Southern Equip on two totally different topics, with two totally different tones. The first explores chiasm and symmetry in Scripture. The second shares personal testimony about my own struggles in the early years of ministry and the hope I found […]
Who Wrote the Bible?
“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God…” 1 Thessalonians 2:13 Whether we will admit it or not, we come to the Bible […]
Textual Criticism of 1 Samuel 6:19–When Translators Scratch Their Heads
There are times when translators are befuddled. 1 Samuel 6:19 is one of those times. Here is the verse in several translations: NASB–“He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men” ESV–And he struck some of the […]
New Posts at Southern Equip and Think Christian
As many of you know, I’ve been giving away my best stuff to other platforms like Christianity Today, Desiring God, and TGC for the past few years. Sometimes I do a bad job keeping you all in the loop about those posts. Sorry! Here are two recent ones posted at my alma mater SBTS’s blog […]
When We Question the Lord’s Love (Malachi 1)
(a meditation in Malachi 1) “I have loved you,” says the Lord. “How have you loved us?” How dare the question even enter our minds? We try to pierce you through with the sharp sarcasm of our tongue. How? How? The fact that you would answer such an obtuse question is sheer grace and mercy, Lord. Such […]
