I was wondering if you would comment on the Cain and Abel story and possibly develop some of the symbols, foreshadowings, etc. It is a rich passage that I would love to get your take on, especially since it is the first thing we are told after the fall of Adam and Eve.
Category: Questions and Answers
To What Extent Should We Approach Scripture With Completely Open Minds?
Should we come to the text with completely open minds, or should we hold some ideas and convictions with certainty? This may be a poor example to help illustrate my question, but in Ephesians 2, Paul speaks about Christ abolishing the law. Christ himself says he came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Is it cowardly, faulty, and/or problematic in some way to be committed to analyzing and studying from the perspective that Paul cannot be contradicting Christ who cannot be contradicting the Old Testament writings? Or should we be willing to explore openly and to accept whatever conclusions our analysis leads to, which in this scenario could be something like Paul is actually saying something Christ would not.
Continue reading “To What Extent Should We Approach Scripture With Completely Open Minds?”
What Does Baptism Do For a Person?
What does baptism do for a person?
Paedocommunion?
Do you hold to paedocommunion? If so, how would you reconcile this with Paul’s warning in 1 Cor 11:29, and that chapter more generally?
Thoughts on the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel
Today, I am responding to a number of people’s requests and giving some thoughts on the recent Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel.
Continue reading “Thoughts on the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel”
How Should We Understand Formal Leadership Within the Church?
What is “ordained”, formal, leadership in the Church? How do you understand the NT’s “episkopoi” and “diakonoi”? What is the connection between these offices/roles/functions and both preaching and liturgy in worship?
Continue reading “How Should We Understand Formal Leadership Within the Church?”
Are Young Elders a Contradiction in Terms?
What are your thoughts on ‘young elders’ in the church? Is there an age restriction for the office of elder?
Continue reading “Are Young Elders a Contradiction in Terms?”
Why is the Tribe of Dan Excluded in Revelation 7?
Why is the tribe of Dan excluded in Revelation 7’s list of Israel?
Continue reading “Why is the Tribe of Dan Excluded in Revelation 7?”
Should We Be Using the Lectionary?
Do you commend the use of a lectionary for preaching? If so, what advantages does this approach have over preaching through whole books of the Bible? How should we think about preaching in churches where we can no longer take basic biblical literacy for granted and even face a bit of skepticism towards the Bible?
Bumper Q&A Episode!!
Today’s questions:
- Does the Scripture teach that the Holy Spirit indwells believers individually or corporately?
- What do you think about ghosts, UFOs, bigfoot, etc?
- You mentioned you like to listen to the Bible. Do you have a recommendations on recordings?
- Which translation of scripture do you use for memorization?
- You wrote a series in 2006 called “Election, Etc.” which I have found very interesting and helpful. But 12 years is a long time, so I was wondering to what extent it still represents your views on election.
- Reading a recent article by a rabbi, I noted that the interpretation of various aspects of OT is quite different from ours. If the Torah was given to them, shouldn’t we let Jewish scholars teach us Christians?
- Do you generally read from a “Reader’s bible” or from a “regular” bible with chapter and verse references?
- Have you engaged much with the Radical Orthodoxy crowd, like John Milbank and company?
Adversaria Videos and Podcasts 