Famous books often have famous opening sentences. Pride and Prejudice’s iconic, ironic first line comes to mind. Even those who haven’t cracked the cover of Melville’s Moby-Dick know its three word intro: “Call me Ishmael.” Well-crafted first sentences manage to set the tone, pique the reader’s interest, and introduce major themes. They serve as aContinueContinue reading “The Wicked Lack Courage”
Category Archives: Bible
The Tabernacle Is a Parable
“In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”–Hebrews 8:13 As Americans living in a consumer-driven society, we understand the author of Hebrews intuitively. Our culture thrives on making the old obsolete by speaking of the new. It doesn’tContinueContinue reading “The Tabernacle Is a Parable”
Why Expository Preaching, Again?
This Sunday our church dove back into 2 Samuel, picking up right where we’d left off in November. The return gave us a good opportunity to revisit a foundational question: Why expository preaching? Why do we preach chapter by chapter, verse by verse, through every word of books like 2 Samuel or Acts or 1ContinueContinue reading “Why Expository Preaching, Again?”
Absalom & The Cursed Tree
In the beginning, God planted a garden. And in the very center of that garden, he planted a tree: The Tree of Life. The Book of Revelation tells us that the leaves if this life-giving tree have the power to heal the nations. The fruit of this tree grants eternal life to all who eatContinueContinue reading “Absalom & The Cursed Tree”
What Does Premodern Exegesis Sound Like from the Pulpit?
Premodern exegesis is sometimes summarized as the fourfold method of interpretation. This means my preaching… …is a slave to the text (Literal) …delights in the canonical context (Allegorical) …drives at the transformation of the soul (Tropological) …speaks of the Eternal (Anagogical) It’s important to realize that the premodern exegete doesn’t siphon his sermon (although IContinueContinue reading “What Does Premodern Exegesis Sound Like from the Pulpit?”
Biblical Narrative Is Ambiguous (and Why That’s a Good Thing)
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,ContinueContinue reading “Biblical Narrative Is Ambiguous (and Why That’s a Good Thing)”
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 takeContinueContinue reading “What If I Miss the Rapture?”