On December 1, 1996, Miroslav Volf released his poignant and powerful Exclusion and Embrace. At the time, I was three years old (much too young to offer a review of such heavy reading!). So now, two decades later, it is time for me to review this important book that has …
Paul Didn’t Believe in the Rapture. Neither Did Jesus. Neither Should You.
The rapture. This is still one of the most influential beliefs in pockets of Christianity. The old mantra goes, “this world is not my home, I’m just passing through.” But is that true? Are we just sort of stuck here until something apocalyptic happens like the second coming of Christ, …
What Does God’s Glory Look Like? (Isaiah and Jesus)
God is Holy. God is Glorious. God is robed in Splendour. All facts. All true. All hard for me to wrap my finite human mind around. And maybe that’s the point. Maybe we simply aren’t supposed to understand this aspect of God. At the same time. Our knowledge and understanding …
Jonah Knew God (But Didn’t Love like God): What this Odd Prophet Teaches Us about Peacemaking
Jonah has always been one of my favorite books in the bible. Just thinking about it brings back memories of flannel-graphs, paper pictures of x-rayed fish with a man kneeling somewhere near the lower intestine and Sunday school stories about a little man who thought he could disobey God. I …
Recommended Introduction Level Books on Paul
I want you to dig deeper into reading Paul. Thus, this list of introductions on Paul the Apostle. I may modify it over time, but for now, these are my favorite intro level books on Paul. I won’t agree with every author in their entirety, but that’s not the point! …
Toward a Clearer Definition of “Spiritual Warfare” – Ephesians 6 as a Call to Justice and Peace
The following is a seminary paper I dug up from the archives. I might say a few things differently today, but I think this paper is quite helpful for understanding “spiritual warfare” from a biblical perspective. Although there is debate to whether or not the Apostle Paul was the author …
Angela Parker – Race, Suffering, and Empire in Paul (EP-50)
Dr. Angela N. Parker has a Ph.D. in Bible, Culture, and Hermeneutics (New Testament focus) from Chicago Theological Seminary. Angela’s book entitled Bodies, Violence, and Emotions: A Womanist Study of σῶμα (body) and πτῶμα (fallen body) in the Gospel of Mark is currently under contract with Wipf & Stock. Reading …
Matthew Bates – “Faith” means “Allegiance” to King Jesus (EP-49)
This is a conversation with scholar and author Matthew Bates. We talk about a little word with a big meaning: pistis. This Greek word is often translated “faith” or “faithfulness” but we discuss how it might be better to translate it as “allegiance.” Matthew W. Bates is Associate Professor of …
Was the Apostle Paul Jewish Before and After Jesus?
There is a short answer to this: yes, clearly Paul was Jewish. Nothing we have in the historical record of any reliability would call this into question. Although he was from Tarsus (according to Acts), he was born to a Jewish family with a history of Pharisaism. Paul was Jewish before and …
Paul, Creation & Evolution #1 – Why our Conversations about Science Matter (EP-48)
In this series, Kurt will explore Paul’s worldview concerning God and creation. What did Paul have in the background? How did this affect how he would think about Adam and Eve? Then, we will end our series looking at Romans 5 and its compatibility with evolution (or lack there of). …