Question: New Testament Antisemitism Jan 27, 2023 Q&R & Bible & Theology & First Century Judaism The Gospel of John contains passages like 8:44, where Jesus, addressing the Jewish, tells them that “You are of your father, the devil.” This has Eternal Hell Question 2: Don’t Other Passages Refer to Hell Being Infinite in Duration? Jan 27, 2023 Q&R & Bible & Theology & Hell & Universalism Question: Your answer presupposes that hell is theologically claimed to last forever only because of one mistranslated word, but that is not the Eternal Hell Question 1: Is Heaven Not Forever, Either? Jan 27, 2023 Q&R & Bible & Theology & Hell & Universalism Question (edited for space, clarity): If the word commonly translated “eternal/forever” for hell only means a limited age or long-lasting, but Jesus English Bible Translations Have Gotten Eternal Almost Entirely Wrong Jan 26, 2023 Q&R & Bible & Theology & Hell & Universalism Folks who support the idea that hell will be “eternal conscious torment” will use passages like Matthew 25:46 (NIV)— “[The unrighteous] will go Why Do I Refer to the Author of Hebrews As “She”? Jan 26, 2023 Q&R & Bible & Theology & Hebrews & New Testament We don’t know who wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews. It slid into the New Testament canon because it got categorized as a letter of Paul (though Scary Scriptures 4: Hebrews 6:4-6 Jan 25, 2023 Bible & Theology & New Testament & Scary Scriptures & Hebrews In Hebrews 6, the anonymous author writes: “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the God’s Glory Is Best Seen Among the Oppressed Jan 23, 2023 Bible & Theology & Ezekiel & Hebrew Bible The prophet and would-be-priest Ezekiel is sitting with his fellow exiles in Babylon. He’s thirty years old, the age when priests take up their Scary Scriptures 3: The Unforgivable Sin Jan 18, 2023 Bible & Theology & Matthew & Mark & Luke & New Testament Is the Unforgivable Sin really unforgivable? Depends on what you mean. Mark 3:29, Matthew 12:31-32, Luke 12 A Dialogue About the Trustworthiness of Scripture Nov 30, 2022 Bible & Theology Someone on my Facebook was sealioning me about the trustworthiness of Scripture. While I usually don’t find such back-and-forth all that helpful, it Traditional Marriage, So-Called Nov 30, 2022 Bible & Theology & Affirming Theology One of the biggest deceptions that non-affirming churches have gotten away with is this notion that the church has always been non-affirming. Did anyone else grow up with the poisoned watermelon patch metaphor for the Bible? Nov 12, 2022 Bible & Theology Imagine a watermelon patch with 66 pumpkins. One night, an enemy There Are Things Worth Getting Divisive About Nov 11, 2022 Bible & Theology Over the past couple of months, I’ve had the joy of leading a Bible study on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. We are a couple of chapters in now, and Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit Oct 3, 2022 Bible & Theology Mark 3:28-30 and its similar passages in Matthew and Luke are pretty often misread. People misread it as, “God is physically incapable of forgiving It Is Always God’s Will to Heal Aug 10, 2022 Bible & Theology A few people had asked what I meant when I said it is always God’s will to heal. If it’s always God’s will to heal, why do people not always get Thoughts on Pride 2022 Jun 27, 2022 Blog & Pastoring & Bible & Theology For the first time this June, The Table Church marched in Washington, DC’s Pride Parade. My family and I marched alongside our LGBTQ church family On the Fall of Roe Jun 24, 2022 Bible & Theology If you have received an abortion, I believe no one should ever make you feel shame for that. You are beloved and cherished by God. You don’t need to It’s a Sin Problem? May 26, 2022 Bible & Theology The disciples telling Jesus about 5,000 hungry people— Jesus: “It’s not a food problem, it’s a sin problem.” The centurion asking Jesus to heal his Open Communion at the Table May 1, 2022 Bible & Theology & Pastoring The Table Church practices open Communion, open even to those who don’t follow Christianity. When we offer Communion we say, “Anyone who seeks the Did It Make a Difference? Apr 14, 2022 Bible & Theology (Easter Week Table Church Newsletter) Around Holy Week, that’s a question I often find myself thinking about. Each year in the church (for the past How to Edit the Bible Like Jesus Mar 26, 2022 Bible & Theology I recently preached on two of Moses’ encounters with God. The first, in Exodus 3, Moses meets God at the burning bush. Moses, anticipating questions Exodus 14 Mar 9, 2022 Bible & Theology Setting aside, briefly, the issue of divine violence in the Old Testament, I want you to notice this brilliant literary touch in Exodus. The book My Prayers Are Directed to Two Things Today. Feb 24, 2022 Blog & Bible & Theology “I don’t understand, I decidedly do not understand, why men can’t live without war.” “You would think that humanity has forgotten the laws of its The New Arc Denomination Is on the Slippery Slope of Conservatism Jan 24, 2022 Bible & Theology Religion writer Rick Pidcock once said, “It’s funny how I’ve always heard the ‘slippery slope’ argument as a warning for becoming more liberal, but Reading the Septuagint Jan 14, 2022 Blog & Pastoring & Bible & theology For my morning devotions I have been reading the Septuagint. The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Why read a translation Amos and Advent Dec 10, 2021 Bible & Theology My Advent Bible reading has me in Book of the Prophet Amos. Amos is the author of such gems as: For four crimes I won’t hold back punishment: they Does Genesis Condemn First-Born Daughters? Nov 21, 2021 Affirming Theology & Bible & Theology Genesis 1—4 tells the story of a man and a woman in a relationship who have three sons. These chapters tell us a lot about human nature, family Q&R on Atonement Theories Nov 15, 2021 Bible & Theology A Question from a Facebook Commenter: “How do you connect a dead God to ending death without using the biblical understanding of Without the Shedding of Blood… Oct 27, 2021 Bible & Theology “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Hebrews 9:22 This verse has been used to justify a bloodthirsty view of God. That Ezra and Ruth Sep 1, 2021 Bible & Theology Let me tell you a Bible story. In this story you’ll hear why you think the Bible is backwards and xenophobic; but is more progressive than you’ll “Well, I Know That God Is on the Throne…” May 21, 2021 Bible & Theology “Well, I know that God is on the throne…” “God is in control!” “Let go and let God!” These cliches can inoculate us against our God-given calling to I Have Some Further Thoughts on the United States As a Christian Nation. May 21, 2021 Bible & Theology My buck-naked definition of what counts as “Christian” includes: the resurrection of Jesus; the Trinity; the inauguration of the Kingdom of God A Gospel That Is Not Explicitly Anti-Racist Falls Short of the Gospel Declared in Scripture. May 21, 2021 Bible & Theology A Gospel that is not explicitly anti-racist falls short of the Gospel declared in Scripture. The death of Jesus did not not only atone for “This Sickness Will Not End in Death.” May 21, 2021 Bible & Theology At a skin-deep reading, it would appear that Jesus was wrong. Lazarus would die. Jesus heard the news of illness, waited around for 2 days . . . and One of the Most Dangerous Myths of Our Era Is That the United States Is (Or Ever Was) a Christian Nation May 21, 2021 Bible & Theology One of the most dangerous myths of our era is that the United States is (or ever was) a Christian nation. This origin myth is a modern invention, Before Christianity Was Co-Opted for Partisan Purposes May 21, 2021 Bible & Theology Far too often pastors feel pressured to remain silent on Gospel issues because society has co-opted the issues into mere partisanship. If your The Bible Is Clear on the Role of Women May 9, 2021 Bible & Theology The Bible is pretty plain on the role of women in our society. Like you, I want to submit my beliefs to what Scripture says. When I look at the You Will Not Enter the Kingdom of Heaven Apr 23, 2021 Bible & Theology I routinely run into Christians who carry anxiety that when they die God will deny them entrance to heaven based off of Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone How to Read Genesis 1—3 Apr 7, 2021 Bible & Theology I wanted to highlight just a couple of pitfalls to avoid when reading Genesis 1—3. Genesis 1 is all about proper division and separation (pushing Hell Mar 16, 2021 Bible & Theology Yesterday I preached on hell…and its eventual emptying. I also recorded an additional 45 minutes giving a brief history of the concept of hell and 7 “Plain Readings” of the Bible That Support Canceling Male Leadership in the Church Mar 11, 2021 Bible & Theology Whenever I teach on Scripture’s clear stance on the full equality of women, and their absolute eligibility to lead and teach in the church, I Look, if you’re going to post a video that is filled with misinformation, lies, and conspiracy theories about a “cure” for Covid, I’m going to mark it as fake news and ask Facebook to remove it. Mar 7, 2021 Blog & Bible & Theology Look, if you’re going to post a video that is filled with misinformation, lies, and conspiracy theories about a “cure” for Covid, I’m going to mark No True Christian… Mar 7, 2021 Bible & Theology Have you heard of the “No True Scotsman” fallacy? It’s a way of making your viewpoint invincible by moving the goalposts of your position. “No Question and Response: Does God Punish Children for Their Parent’s Sins? Mar 7, 2021 Bible & Theology Exodus 20:4-6 seems pretty clear that God is intentionally punishing generations for their parents’ or grandparents’ sins. However, in the story of Taking the Bible Literally Enough Mar 7, 2021 Bible & Theology We’re asking the wrong question when we try to figure out who takes the Bible “literally enough.” EVERYone who sees the Bible in any way helpful Divine Providence Mar 7, 2021 BIble & Theology Here’s how I think about Divine Providence: Anything good in my life is because of the loving influence of God on the world. Anything evil in my 5 Things the Bible Does Not Say About Women and Wives Mar 7, 2021 Bible & Theology So God created humankind in his image in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, Yes, Women Wrote the Bible Mar 7, 2021 Bible & Theology If you’ve ever looked at the “We Believe” statements on church websites, you’ll often come across a line like this: “The Holy Bible was written by Reckoned for Good Feb 25, 2021 Bible & Theology In Genesis 50, Joseph is speaking to his brothers. The brothers that threw Joseph in a pit and then sold him into slavery. Joseph’s brothers are Purpose & Meaning Feb 22, 2021 Bible & Theology For those who believe in a Divine being, it’s common to wonder what purpose certain events in our lives are meant to have. When I was put into The Creation of Hell (A Parable) Feb 2, 2021 Bible & Theology The time had come. The first human had died and had chosen to go to hell. A chief angel quietly approached God, who sat saddened and slumped on the A Response to Alisa Childer’s Video “5 Warnings Signs Your Church May Be Progressive” Feb 2, 2021 Bible & Theology I’ve recently become aware of Alisa Childers, who is making a career of warning people about the dangers of “Progressive Christianity.” I will Did God Give Trump Covid? Jan 12, 2021 Bible & Theology Scripture is pretty clear on a couple of things. God doesn’t want anyone to die. Both the Hebrew Scriptures (Ezekiel) and God’s Throne Is Different Jan 11, 2021 Bible & Theology When we say things like, “God is on the throne,” and assume that must mean that God is in absolute control of every situation, we are ignoring the Five Ways to Respond to What’s Rotten in White Evangelicalism Jan 7, 2021 Bible & Theology It’s clear that White Christian Evangelicalism (WCE) is diseased. Wherever you look, you find symptoms of its chronic illness: its support of Trump; Unity Oct 24, 2020 Bible & Theology An appeal to unity can only be taken in good-faith if will also be applied to things you disagree with as well. So I will assume that when