Sign in Subscribe

Topic

Bible & Theology

The Bible and Theology are the things I'm most passionate about and write about the most often.

Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, with Additions from Pangea Church

I came across the below versions of the Apostles' and Nicene Creed from the (unfortunately now closed) Pangea Church, who was pastored by Kurt Willems. Their website had said they got it from the Mennonite Worker, but I can find no evidence of that online. As Pastor Larry Lin

Who's Really A Christian?

It's not uncommon for someone to ask if a person is "saved" or "really a Christian" or "actually knows Jesus." You may hear claims that someone "can't be gay and a Christian" or that "there's no way Trump is actually saved."

“You are citizens of heaven…”

“You are citizens of heaven…” Paul’s Letter to the Church in Philipi For a Roman citizen, citizenship was not about longing to go back to Rome. Rather, citizenship was about carrying the values, culture, and ethos of Rome with you. Where a citizen was, there Rome was too. So

The one time "authority" is used to describe marriage relationships

Conservative Christians love to obsess over who has the authority in a marriage between a man and a woman. They'll tell you about Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. They'll talk about headship and wives submitting and the metaphor of Christ and the church.

Misused Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:12 "I do not permit a woman to teach"

There's a significant portion of the church that believes that women are not allowed to teach. Maybe they can teach kids or other women, but they can't have authority or teaching authority over men. And they excuse this gender discrimination based on 1 Timothy 2, where

Misused Scripture: Ephesians 5:23 "The husband is the head of the wife"

Headship ≠ Leadership Last time I talked about how Ephesians 5:22 needs to be read in the context of the verse above it's not just wives that need to submit to their husbands but husbands, but husbands also need to submit to wives! But, people ask what about

Revival is already happening. It may disappoint you.

Having a great worship experience with fellow believers is a powerful thing. Being intoxicated with the presence of God (through music, preaching, prayer, and even dance) can be a life-altering experience. But it is not the same as revival.

We Know When the Son of Man Will Come in His Kingdom

To my friend who asked about Matthew 25 and the Parable of the Virgins—I'm sorry. We're going to get there. I promise. But we have to keep talking about how the second coming was not a topic of Jesus' preaching. I got a bunch

Misused Scripture 6: Ephesians 5:21-22 "Wives Submit To Your Husbands"

If you've been around conservative Christians long enough, you've probably encountered the idea of "Biblical manhood and womanhood" or complementarianism. It's essentially sexist patriarchy baptized with Scripture so that men retain decision-making power and authority while women, well, don't. Evidence

Ezekiel 4—7: Idolatry Matters Because It Hurts People

Ezekiel 4—7 begins the in-earnest doom-and-gloom chapters of Ezekiel's oracles against Israel and Judah. Our morning Bible study read through these verses, and I'll tell you, they are rough going. There are certainly conversations to be had about the violence, famine, cannibalism, and warfare all