Author: S&P

He had been her doctor for over 25 years. He knew everything about her social history and her medical problems. In fact, he was not only her healthcare provider, but over the years, he had even become a friend. This is why it caught him completely off-guard when she answered “Yes” to his question. You see, he had just attended a medical training over the weekend about domestic violence. He had lea...

“I get fed there” is one of the classic “Christianese” phrases that puzzle outsiders. “Are you referring to a buffet?” they might ask. For many who use this phrase, a rough translation typically means something like: “I get my spiritual energy boost every Sunday to help get me from Monday to Saturday.” Joining other believers each Sunday in singing, praying, and hearing teaching from God’s Word pr...

When people want to harp on the impractical nature of theology, there’s one “go to” analogy that shows up more than any other: the medieval debate about how many angels can dance on the point of a needle. After all, could there be a better example of theological time wasting? Who really cares? Even if we knew the answer, would it help us feed starving children? Would we be better prepared to share...

The resurrection of Jesus (alongside his crucifixion) is the central historical event in the Christian faith. Without the resurrection there would be no Christianity. “If Christ has not been raised,” wrote St. Paul, “then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). I am a Christian because I believe in the resurrection. I am convinced that after dying a violent death...

The Meaning of the Cross What do the cross and resurrection mean for us? First, let’s look at the cross. Historically, Christians use seven major words to summarize the Bible‘s teaching on what happened when Jesus died. They help us to understand how spiritually poor we are by nature and how rich we can become by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1. Substitution The basic meaning of ...

In the late 1990s, a group of scholars assembled to evaluate whether Jesus actually said the things attributed to him by the Gospel writers. Although they employed remarkably subjective criteria in their evaluation of Scripture, members of the self-appointed “Jesus Seminar” were widely quoted by the media as authorities on the Christian faith. Marcus Borg, a Jesus Seminar leader, said this of Chri...

As a boy I spent a lot of time in my dad’s truck— a mobile office/workshop that smelled of oil, metal, and Doublemint gum. He would take me with him to various jobs, and I went as his assistant. This usually meant I carried his tools and he installed water heaters or retiled bathrooms. But the truck. That’s where we talked in depth about life. I had a lot of questions and he had a lot of thoughts....

Why did Jonah run from God? Some would argue that we have no clear explanation, but I believe that Scripture interprets Scripture, and in chapter 4, we get a window onto Jonah’s heart: Jonah ran from God because Jonah didn’t share the heart of God. There are three areas of divergence between the heart that motivated God and the heart that motivated Jonah. 1. Grief God looked at Ni...