They say the show’s not over until the fat lady sings. Well, for most of us, the prayer’s not over until we say, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Why do we pray this way? I would dare say it’s a habit for most of us. Or maybe you just do it because you’ve heard other people […]
Category Archives: Theology
Predestination Is a Doctrine for Your Daily Struggle
Think about the last time you were really struggling. Like really–as in you had a hard time rolling out of bed and facing the day. What truth do you cling to in those moments? When life is filled with defeat, and your spiritual walk feels like a slog, and you are facing opposition from all […]
Divorcing Words from Meaning
When it comes to the Word of God, both conservatives and liberals believe in divorce–the divorce of words from meaning. Conservatives divorce them in this way: the primary function of words is to aid in determining authorial intention. Meaning lies in the author’s intentions. The words are an aid in the discovery, but do not […]
The Curious Case of Benjamin
I have this annoying quirk where I can’t let the particulars of Scripture go. When the Bible gets descriptive, there must be some significance beyond satisfying mere curiosity. There are no throw away parts of Scripture, no parts that are just for your information. Unexpected details get my wheels churning. When it comes to my […]
The Old Testament Is a Huge Joke
The key to a good joke is an unexpected wry twist at the very last moment. You don’t give the punchline at the beginning or middle of a joke. No, a good joke-teller weaves together a seemingly pointless and at times oddly disparate story (a la “A priest, a minister, and a rabbi walk into a […]
A Theology of Reset Failure
This past month, I spent a lot of time working on a theology of Messianic anticipation through the Old Testament. As I saw how God laced this theme through the stories of men like Noah, Moses, David, Hezekiah, and Ezra, I also began to notice another theme that continued to pop up in each story. […]
Why Isn’t the Bible More Black and White?
Why is the Bible so circuitous? Have you ever wondered, “Why doesn’t God just come out and say what he means?” Things are rarely black and white; the Bible is full of narratives that spell things out in 50 different shades of gray. Wouldn’t the Christian life be a lot easier if the whole Bible […]
