Review of Richard and Christopher Hays’s ‘The Widening of God’s Mercy’
In The Widening of God’s Mercy, father and son Richard and Christopher Hays,[1] show why they believe same-sex sexual relationships and marriage ought to be fully welcomed in the church today. This book is significant because Richard Hays has been a leading New Testament scholar for over four decades and his 1996 book The Moral […]
“The Unexamined Life Isn’t Worth Living”
If you wanted to be a somebody in Athens, Greece, in the 400s BC, you needed to meet the city’s high beauty standards and/or be talented at winning arguments. It was the era of “sophists,” paid teachers of rhetoric (public speaking). These teachers cared more about winning arguments (especially lawsuits) than about seeking truth. They […]
An Editor’s Take on Megan Basham’s ‘Shepherds for Sale’
September 2, 2024 Everybody loves an editor. (Ha, that’s the closest you’ll get to an editor joke.) The truth is, nobody likes being told all the ways they could have said what they said better. But it’s also true that every writer needs a good editor, which is why I never like to publish or […]
Who Was Potiphar’s Wife in the Bible?
The actual identity of the woman known as “Potiphar’s wife” has never been verified, though in the book of Genesis chapter 39, she is the woman who caused Joseph to be thrown in jail unjustly. This gives some historians enough clues to speculate that she likely lived around 1600-1700 B.C., possibly when Sesostris I was […]
David and Bathsheba and Affairs in Your Church
I recently preached through the story of David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel 11:1-27 on a Sunday morning. There are several important learnings from within this story, as well as from the related research on sexual immorality and affairs, that are worth applying in our churches today. Many of us can be intimidated when it […]
Just Turn the TV Off? Reflections on the Paris Olympic Opening Ceremonies
July 30, 2024 “Just turn the TV off!” That’s the advice Whoopi Goldberg gave in response to Christians outraged by the apparent depiction during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony of da Vinci’s The Last Supper by a troupe of drag queens. First of all, Goldberg explains, it wasn’t meant to be the Last Supper. It […]
Our Identity in Christ
Many within the church where I (Michelle) serve have adult children who are not walking with the Lord. The children were raised in the church, had daily family devotionals growing up, and attended youth group and church camp, but they have not chosen to follow the faith they were raised in. Some have chosen to […]
What Does the Bible Say About Jealousy? An Introduction to the Scariest Sin
Why does “do not covet” make it into the Ten Commandments? To covet is to strongly desire what someone else has. What’s an internal compulsion to want someone else’s stuff doing in a lineup with murder, theft, and perjury? Did God get to nine and need to bring in a lesser sin to get to […]
