Author: S&P
Life’s Most Important Choice
Any student of the Bible might wonder why the book of Genesis devotes more space to Joseph’s life than to Adam and Eve, the first couple, or to Noah, the hero of the ark and the flood, or to Abraham, father of the Jewish nation. I believe the answer is that Joseph illustrates one of life’s most important choices: the choice to forgive. Think for a moment what would have happened if Joseph had not ...
It’s the End of the World as We Know It?
With echoes from REM’s “The End of the World as We Know It” reverberating through our cultural psyche, the Mayan apocalypse – predicted for December 21 – is looming large. According to the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, December 21, 2012, is the end date of a 5,125-year-long cycle. What might be called a “New Age” interpretation is that this date will inaugurate a new era marked by...
Advent, Week Two
Introduction The second Sunday in Advent (Advent II) continues on the path started in the first week by looking forward to Christ’s first and second coming. Advent II focuses on John the Baptist, the Gentiles being included in God’s family, Christ’s coming in judgment and peace, and the church’s hopeful expectation of the completion of his promises. The Scripture and Theology of the Second ...
The Apostles’ Creed, Part Two
As the earliest extra-biblical Christian confessional document, the Apostles’ Creed has stood the test of time as the preeminent testament to creedal orthodoxy. The creed, attributed to the earliest missionary followers of Jesus, distills the basic outline of what it means to be a Christian into a short summation that belies the depth and richness of what it proclaims. The Apostles’ Creed We...
How to Watch The Hobbit
At long last, Bilbo Baggins is back. Whether you’re fanatic enough to dress up for the midnight showing, or patiently awaiting a weekend outing, or even content to meander into a theater after the crowds die down, here’s some advice for how to make the most of your experience of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Don’t worry, there’s no spoiler below. My hope in seeing an early screening of the fi...
School Shootings and Spiritual Warfare
The nation is watching, with horror and disgust, news reports out of Connecticut of a horrific act of violence against an elementary school filled with defenseless children. While every act of murder ought to provoke outrage, there’s something especially condemnable about the murder of children. I think there’s a reason for that. In the hours after the shooting, Jewish political and cultural ...
What Is Kinism? Kinism Beliefs and How It’s Harmful to the Church
Kinism is rooted in the belief that God designed each race to be separate from every other race. The Kinism ideology takes Old Testament verses, such as those below, and misinterprets the passages to justify racial separatism. “The sons of Israel who returned from exile and all those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the LORD God of Isr...
Advent Week 3: Rejoice!
Introduction The third Sunday in Advent (Advent III) shifts from a tone of expectation of Christ’s coming to one of rejoicing at the arrival of God’s kingdom with the coming of Jesus. The Scripture and Theology of the Third Week of Advent Scripture readings for Advent III reflect on the salvation and restoration Jesus brings, which is cause for rejoicing and perseverance. Old Testament Readings &n...
Jesus Came to Destroy Something
The people who will experience the fullest meaning of Christmas on Tuesday are the people who know and feel that there is something in them that needs to be destroyed. It is true, as John said (John 3:17), that “God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” But he saves by destroying. Like a doctor who amputates a foot full of...
Biblical Stargazing?
Despite the column inches given to daily horoscopes, there’s only one example of stars ever being used to direct human lives and predict the future and it’s in the Bible. Yes, in Matthew 2:1, God sent a star to guide wise men and point them to the future plan of God for the salvation of sinners. As we gaze at this star with these wise men we learn six lessons. 1. Jesus fulfills prophecy How did th...
The End of the World?
Is it the end of the world? Is December 21, 2012 the end of the world? The Mayan calendar says as much. Many around the world fear the end has come, and they are preparing for it. Writing for the Associated Press (12/11/12), Jack Chang notes: “[T]housands are getting ready for what they think is going to be a fateful day.” He adds: “The Maya didn’t say much about what would happe...
Advent IV: God Keeps His Promises
Introduction On the fourth Sunday of Advent (Advent IV), we celebrate God’s faithfulness in sending Jesus, and we remember that faithfulness as we look forward to Christ’s second coming. The Scripture and Theology of the Fourth Week of Advent Scripture readings for Advent IV focus on the coming of the Messiah who fulfills God’s covenant with David, ...
