If we think of salvation as a one-time deal, a transaction with God, the ways that the Bible speaks of salvation, save, savior, etc. (Old and New Testaments) won’t make very much sense—like this story of Zacchaeus.
New Testament
Was There a “Fall” or Did Augustine Really Screw Everything Up?
The “fall” of humanity, as some Christians understand it, completely dependent on Augustine’s misreading of one verse in the book of Romans.
Land and the Transformation of Israel’s Story in the New Testament
The early followers of Jesus, like the Gospel writers and Paul, took up the challenge of transforming Israel’s scripture—with its focus on Land, Temple, and Law—to connect it to the story of Jesus, where those elements were no longer central.
3 Simple Things I’m Learning About the Lord’s Prayer
I’m really getting to like the Lord’s Prayer. Not in the slightest bit boring. Here are three things in particular have struck me these past couple of weeks (even though the prayer has a lot more going for it that just three things).
does Jesus disagree with himself?
Hahaha. Funny meme. But seriously. Many of us have been taught to think something along these lines, that the Gospels are basically on the same page and any differences are either imagined or inconsequential. Maybe. That works for some things. But the problem with that way of thinking is that it presumes that “saying the same thing” […]
Forgetting Jesus—a Christmas resolution
A few years ago, 10 perhaps, I was at an academic conference that featured a debate of sorts on the resurrection of Christ between N. T. Wright and John Dominic Crossan, well-known scholar of early Christianity. I say “debate of sorts” because I think the evening was billed to be a dual between the forces […]
Paul, Adam, and Salvation: maybe Augustine really did screw everything up and we should just move on
I just caught a 2015 article scrolling down my Facebook feed by Orthodox theologian (and walking thesaurus) David Bentley Hart. The article is called “Traditio Deformis,” and in it Hart explains in no uncertain terms, and with his usual wit and punch, that St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) really screwed up our understanding of the story of the “fall” of […]
Pete’s Bible Trivia Bonanza #6 (in which I explain that Christ isn’t Jesus’s last name, no matter how angry you are)
Did you know that Christ isn’t Jesus’s last name? OK, folks, let’s get something straight. Christ is not Jesus’s last name. Even if you’re angry, his last name still isn’t Christ, and his middle initial most definitely isn’t H. Christ is the Greek word (christos) we find 529 times in the New Testament and it […]
why Jesus hasn’t come back yet (according to the New Testament)
Today’s post is part 3 of a 3 part series on why Jesus didn’t come back soon as he said he would—or in technical terms, why the parousia is delayed. The posts are co-written by Christopher M. Hays and C. A. Strine and based on the recent book edited by Hays, When the Son of Man Didn’t Come: A […]
On Why Jesus Hasn’t Come Back Yet (And the Answer May Shock You)
Yeah, that last part was click bait—or maybe not. How many times have you heard someone say, “When is Jesus coming back?” Depends on where your thinking is on a topic that vexes a lot of Christians, including me: What the heck is keeping Jesus from doing what he said he’d do: come back soon? […]