I am curious about your thoughts regarding the growing trend of singles in the church adopting children. More specifically- is the Biblical prohibition of sexual immorality simply a nominal command to keep sex within marriage for its own sake because God commanded? Or is it also a safeguard that ensures children, the natural consequence of sexual intercourse, are birthed into a covenanted relationship? If the answer is the latter, should it also inform our view of singles adopting? Or does it matter since the family structure is already fractured and the single person is trying to repair the breach? Does single adoption betray any aspect of God’s designs? Or should an unmarried believer consider other factors?
There was recently a single adoption at my church, and largely the women gushed with how brave this woman was to take this child on alone, how this is caring for widows and orphan like James commands, etc. The men I spoke with were much more skeptical and reserved in their praise. But they couldn’t put their finger on why they were flummoxed.
Wondering if you could give some wisdom….
Category: Video
Is there Meaning to be Found in the Ordering of the Books of the Bible?
Do you think there is meaning to be found in the ordering of the books of the Bible?
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Meredith Kline, ‘Images of the Spirit’
I discuss Meredith Kline’s wonderful little book, Images of the Spirit.
Was Cain Supposed to be His Brother’s Keeper?
You referred in a recent lectionary talk with Peter Leithart to “being our brother’s keeper.” What is your understanding of the ethical meaning of a “keeper” biblically speaking?
It is sometimes a point of controversy in liberal/conservative Christian political arguments as to the relevance of Cain’s refusal of the role of “keeper” (when in fact, Cain has not just failed to aid Abel but murdered him actively) to our understanding of our call to love and serve our neighbor, using the phrase as an expansive claim that justifies almost any kind of political action desired, casting the one who is skeptical of the action as a Cain-like person who dismisses a call to be his brother’s keeper.
To me “keeper” has connotations of a guardian with charge of a dependent inferior or one who is weak. Like ‘zookeeper’ or a tale of a overprotective father who “keeps” his daughter safe locked in a tower. Do we find being a “keeper” of another as a model of Christian regard elsewhere in scripture, and if not, should we found an ethic by simply negating the dismissive words of a murderer?
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Echoes of Exodus in the Great Commission?
Do you see any parallels between the great commission and the exodus? I don’t want to get Echo-crazy. Just from a surface level, there some to be some connections: confrontation with “the name,” a sending out, baptism, and the nations called to the Lord. Am I crazy, or is there something going on here?
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Elisha and the She-Bears
I discuss the troubling passage at the end of 2 Kings 2, where forty-two are killed after ridiculing the prophet Elisha. This discussion was prompted by Jonathan Pageau’s discussion of this passage.
How Do You Find Real-Life Theological Conversation Partners?
How do you find real-life theological conversation partners? The theological and biblical conversations which I find stimulating and important are of no interest to the Christians I know in real life. Do I need to do what you’ve done and move across the world to be closer to the people I interact with on the internet?
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Why Was Jesus Baptized?
Why did Jesus have to be baptized? Was Jesus’ baptism a baptism of repentance?
Beatitudes and Woes
In your video on the Sermon on the Mount you mentioned a parallel between the Beatitudes and the Woes of Matthew 23. Could you elaborate on this?
Did Jesus Address the Multitude or His Disciples in the Sermon on the Mount?
Did Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount to his disciples (Matt 5:1) or to the large crowd (Matt 7:28)?
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Adversaria Videos and Podcasts 