• 5 Minute Read I hope that the beginning of Autumn is treating you well. It certainly feels good to move into a new season. For me, a new season is a time to lean into refreshment. Fresh starts. Fresh patterns. Fresh opportunities. Yet at some level, the change of season doesn’t solve the …
Paul, Creation & Evolution #6 – Original Sin and Paul (EP-57)
• < 1 Minute Read Subscribe via iTunes or Google 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 …
Reading Paul Against Empire: Guidelines (EP-53)
• < 1 Minute Read Subscribe via iTunes or Google In this episode, Kurt talks about empire criticism. Some scholars are skeptics. Others are over-sold. So, how do we engage Paul and empire in a way Paul would recognize? This episode offers 4 guiding principles for discerning imperial echoes in Paul’s letters. GIVE THE SHOW SOME LOVE …
“Christian” Domestic Discipline is Abuse (Yes, CDD is a Real Thing)
• 10 Minute Read Before I talk about Domestic Discipline, let me tell you a story. I had a difficult childhood. My parents divorced when I was young, and mom found refuge in a new man: an abusive man. He drank. He raged. He hit, kicked, pulled hair. He threatened. He cursed. He apologized. …
Whose Fault is This? (Jesus, Scapegoats, Good & Evil)
• 5 Minute Read I wanted to share something from a Jesus story that has come to mean a lot to me. This particular story happens like many stories of Jesus… he never seems to be looking for trouble, but how he engages with it always seems to lead to controversy. The story is …
Paul, Creation & Evolution #3 – 7 Days, Temples, & Poetry (EP-52)
• < 1 Minute Read Subscribe via iTunes or Google 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 …
Paul Didn’t Believe in the Rapture. Neither Did Jesus. Neither Should You.
• 11 Minute Read 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, …
Toward a Clearer Definition of “Spiritual Warfare” – Ephesians 6 as a Call to Justice and Peace
• 17 Minute Read 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 …
Who was the Apostle Paul? – a brief biography (what he did and wrote)
• 7 Minute Read In this article, I will try to sketch out a brief biography of the Apostle Paul. He is considered to be one of the most famous (and sometimes misunderstood as infamous) figures in history. His basic message was that the end of the age had arrived in the Jewish Messiah …
Best Commentaries on Revelation (without all that blood moon stuff)
• 3 Minute Read When I made the choice to go back to grad school to earn a second masters degree, I wanted to find my niche. I knew in a broad way that it would include the intersection between early Christianity the Roman Empire, but I struggled to narrow to a best possible …
Podcast: Michael Strauss on Science, Scripture, Quarks & Paul (EP-46)
• 2 Minute Read This is a fun episode. We talk science, scripture, Jesus, and Paul. Also, there’s a new book coming out that you want to know about: Dictionary of Christianity and Science: The Definitive Reference for the Intersection of Christian Faith and Contemporary Science. Here’s a bit more information about Dr. Michael Strauss: …
Podcast: Paul and Women #3 – Stop Talking & Ask Your Husband – 1 Cor. 14.34-35 (EP-39)
• < 1 Minute Read This is the first of two episodes in this series that will deal with 1 Corinthians 14.34-45. This series explores Paul’s vision for how women fit into the announcement that Jesus is Lord. It argues that Paul was an egalitarian, believing that women should be included (without distinction) in …
Podcast: Paul and Women #2 – Greco-Roman Genders & Ephesians 5 (EP-38)
• < 1 Minute Read This series explores Paul’s vision for how women fit into the announcement that Jesus is Lord. It argues that Paul was an egalitarian, believing that women should be included (without distinction) in leadership roles within the church and home. Paul did not believe that women were “the same” as …
Podcast: Paul and Women #1 – Intro & Junia (EP-37)
• < 1 Minute Read This series explores Paul’s vision for how women fit into the announcement that Jesus is Lord. It argues that Paul was an egalitarian, believing that women should be included (without distinction) in leadership roles within the church and home. Paul did not believe that women were “the same” as …
End Times in Paul and Others #7 – Jesus: Abominations & Taken and Left (EP-27)
• 2 Minute Read The end of the world. The end of the ages. The rapture. The Great 7 Year Tribulation. The Anti-Christ. The second coming. All of these themes come out of various versions of Christian theology. Some of them were embraced by Paul. Many of them would seem absurd to him. …