In my previous post, I compared Judas to Peter looking at their big failures. I now continue by considering how Jesus responded to Peter. Jesus’ harshest criticisms were directed at the religious leaders of his time. For this reason they often get a bad rap. However, a while ago I realized that, if we are
Category: Theology
Judas Verses Peter (Part 1)
Judas and Peter. Both of these men were chosen by Jesus to be part of the twelve—the first sent ones representing the new Israel. Yet the two men had drastically different fates. I don’t believe this necessarily had to be so. Neither were perfect men. I mean, Jesus once rebuked Peter as speaking for Satan!
Book Review: Surprised by Hope (N. T. Wright)
I had heard good things about the book “Surprised by Hope” by N. T. Wright. I previously read his book “Simply Jesus” and thought it to be good. So I put “Surprised by Hope” on my reading list. It is a bit lengthier than the average book. However, it is the most important book I’ve
Religious Trauma Syndrome
I expect this topic to be controversial. I have observed that at times people confuse a criticism of something done in the name of Christ with a criticism of God himself. But this fails to recognize that we are imperfect, and that we can make mistakes and do the wrong thing even when we are
How Understanding the Gospel Affects One’s View of Homosexuality
I began to respond to a comment my cousin Jeremy made in response to my recent blog “The Surprising Reason I’m Not Celebrating Homosexual Marriage“. He says: Doug, I really like your approach, but it’s hard to draw a line between what the Bible teaches, and what we think it teaches (i.e. our interpretation). You
A Christian Nation
Christians’ beliefs understandably inform their views on politics. We passionately believe that if everyone were to be more Christ-like, our country would be a better place. We long for people to be treated equally, compassionately, and healed from their ailments. We long for peace, security, and freedom. We long for the end of injustice and
July 4th Sermon
For the forth of July, I want to share a sermon from one of my favorite preachers, Greg Boyd: The Rorschach Test. I think it’s well worth watching or listening to. photo credit: Waving Flag via photopin (license)
Which Came First, God or the Bible?
The title of this article is of course a play on the well known question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” I think virtually any believer would say that God came first. The question I actually want to get to though is, “Do you believe God because of the Bible, or do you
What If There Were No Old Testament?
What might Christianity look like if we hadn’t canonized the Hebrew scriptures? (In other words, how might Christianity be different if the Old Testament existed but weren’t in the Bible?) How much is modern Christianity influenced by an Old Testament verses New Testament perspective? photo credit: ccsdteacher via photopin cc
The Book of Job (Including Summary Outline)
It’s easy to follow God when things are good, but how do you handle life when it is difficult? The book of Job is included among the wisdom books in old testament of the Bible. This had confused me in the past as it seemed to be recounting history. Now upon reflection, I realize that