While I don’t think there is any intention here to present Abraham as a model of virtue, neither do I think Abraham is simply kicking into fight-or-flight reptilian brain mode.
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Who’s Up for A Little New Testament Quiz? (Sure you are. Do it.)
We’re in finals week here at Eastern University, so I am in testing/grading mode. So here you go (all answers must be completed in the space provided): What do all of the following words have in common? baptism centurion crucifixion demons devil exorcism Gentile messiah Pharisee rabbi Roman Sadducee Samaritan synagogue tax collector If you […]
For Those of You Wondering Why I Interpret the Bible the Way I Do (Which I Assume Means the Entire Internet)
In an effort to clarify for both crazy and non-crazy readers alike, here are 5 words that summarize my approach to biblical interpretation, in no particular order.
Facebook Live with Pete Enns: Jesus and the Old Testament
Questions that Pete addresses in this Facebook Live video: In the Christian’s common understanding of Isaiah 52 and 53 referring to Jesus the Messiah, is that an accurate and fair application? How do I talk to friends about double predestination? Where is the line drawn between prophecy and creative use of scripture? If Adam and the Genesis […]
What Permanently Screwed Me Up about the Bible (but it turned out well)
The New Testament writers had a habit of saying things about the Old Testament that are not in the Old Testament but are in these creative, Jewish writings of the period.
Paul: Well, Technically Speaking, He’s Not REALLY “Winging It”
What we might call a fast and loose use of the Old Testament was for Paul and his contemporaries a normal and expected approach to biblical interpretation—creatively connecting the past with the present.
Paul: It Looks Like He’s Sort of Winging It
Paul appeals to the Old Testament in order to support what is hardly an obvious notion to Jews at the time: that Jesus, a crucified and risen son of a working-class family, is the long-hoped for Jewish messiah and that Gentiles as Gentiles are full and equal partners along with Jews in this messianic age.
Brief Bible Thought: Is There Resurrection from the Dead in the Old Testament?
And that is where we find “resurrection” in the Old Testament: returning to the land, where God and his temple are, where there is peace and security, the land promised to Abraham, the land “flowing with mik and honey.”
A Thought on Young People Dropping Out of Faith
They have lost interest in what amounts to a shallow, quasi-biblical expression of Christian faith, one that focuses far too much on the not yet. Ironically, in their critique they are putting their finger on something central to the Good News.
My First Big, Can’t-Get-Out-Of-It, “Aha” Moment with the Bible
I knew back then, as I do now, that the model of biblical interpretation I had been taught was not going to cut it if I was going to try to explain how my Bible works rather than defend a Bible that doesn’t exist.