Last spring I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for NFL players put on by Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), a group which exists to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus and positively impact their spheres of influence. They have a fantastic outreach to professional football and baseball athletes and their wives. I’ve seen firsthand the amazing difference they’re making. In the off-season I exchanged emails and texts with dozens of NFL players and cha..Continue reading→
Home
Thoughts
Motherhood Is a Marathon
I wanted to do great things for God. In the spring of my senior year of college, on the brink of embarking upon my own journey into adulthood, my future was undecided and that was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. As a philosophy major, my path was narrower than I had realized, but I was sure it would take me on some grand and glorious adventure. I knew the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. “Glorify” sounds like such a grand term. It evokes images of battlefie..Continue reading→
1 Peter 5:7–8: How Not to Battle Anxiety
Anxieties attack our faith and torment our peace. The question with anxiety is not whether it will come, but rather, how can I fight it when it does? Watch NowContinue reading→
Is Love of Money Really the Root of All Evils?
Is the love of money the “root of all evils” or only the “root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10)? “All evils” is the formal English equivalent of the original Greek (pantōn tōn kakōn). It is remarkable that all older versions of the Bible translate 1 Timothy 6:10 in the more literal way: “The love of money is the root of all evils” (or all evil). This includes the Wycliffe Bible, Luther Bibel, Geneva Bible, King James Version, Douay-Rheims, Darby Bible, and Revised Standard Version. Bu..Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Obama writes to Abedini, praising him for his ‘unyielding faith and courage in the face of great adversity’
Pastor Saeed Abedini shares this copy of President Barack Obama's letter to him. U.S. President Barack Obama has written a letter to Pastor Saeed Abedini in response to the latter's letter thanking the President for helping him regain his freedom after spending more than three years in an Iranian prison. "Thank you for taking the time to write to me to express your gratitude. As President, I made a vow that our country would do everything in its power to win y..Continue reading→
Anne Graham Lotz explains what ‘evangelical feminism’ is all about
Anne Graham Lotz defines 'evangelical feminists' as women 'who know what they believe [and] who are strong in their convictions.' Billy Graham's daughter Anne Graham Lotz is proud to be an "evangelical feminist." For those curious, Lotz explains that an "evangelical feminist" is a woman "who is a strong, bold, free-spirited leader inside and outside of her home, unashamed of her faith in God, His Word, His Son, and His gospel." In an article for Ch..Continue reading→
What must women do when their husbands confess to porn addiction? XXX Church shows the way
It feels like a huge betrayal for a wife when her husband confesses to looking at porn. However, XXX Church—an online ministry dedicated to helping people with porn and sex addiction—believes that marriage can still be saved after this painful revelation. "Good, Christ-filled men are trying to do what is right when it comes to lust," Jeanette Gross writes in the group's website, adding that there is a huge difference between men who confess about their porn addictions to those who simply ..Continue reading→
Billy Graham tells Christians to be grateful for the jobs they have: ‘Work has dignity in the eyes of God’
Billy Graham says, 'Like a deadly virus, sin now corrupts everything we do, including our work.' Does God care about what livelihood and careers Christians get into? If you ask world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, then the answer would be yes. "God cares about every part of our lives—including our jobs," he writes in an advice column for The Bradenton Herald. "After all, every workday our jobs probably consume at least a third of our time—so why wouldn'..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Before You Sought Him (Bernard)
“‘I have sought,’ she says, ‘him whom my soul loves’ (Sg 3:1). This is what the kindness of Him who goes before you urges you to do, He who both sought you first and loved you first (1 Jn 4:10). You would not be seeking Him or loving Him unless you had first been sought and loved. You have been forestalled not only in one blessing (Gn 27:28) but in two, in love and in seeking. The love is the cause of the seeking, and the seeking is the fruit of the love; and it is its guarantee. You are loved, ..Continue reading→
Because I Can
There has been quite a bit of outrage over “Christian leaders” who have endorsed a man who boasted about sexually assaulting a woman, and we should be appalled. Our witness as Christians is a travesty when we enable those who demean God’s image-bearers, mock His standard of righteousness, and commit civil crimes. But our criticism for these “leaders” will rise up and condemn us if we do nothing when domestic and child sexual abuse occurs in our backyard… I first shared this story in the light o..Continue reading→
Cultural Apologetics Pt.3: A Holy People
In this time of cultural collapse and social unrest, this is an exciting time to be a Christian. Though the world rejects our message, there has doubtless never been a time when it needed it more. So for genuine human flourishing and for the glory of God our Creator and Redeemer, the world needs to hear the message of authentic, life-giving holiness. In modern times there has been a long-standing debate. The German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach (1804 – 1872) deeply criticized Christianity as a m..Continue reading→
Seeking Clarity in this Confusing Election Season: Ten Thoughts
There is a tendency, on both sides, to treat “our side” differently than we treat “their side.” Would the same Christian leaders excusing Trump’s statements ever think to excuse the same from Clinton (Bill or Hillary)? Of course not. Would liberals be overlooking Bill Clinton’s treatment of women (and Hillary’s role in downplaying or silencing accusations) if a Republican candidate (or spouse) had the same trail of serious allegations? No way. So much of politics is “defend our guy at all costs”..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Oklahoma Woman, Adult Daughter Charged With Incest After Authorities Learn of ‘Marriage’
DUNCAN, Okla. — An Oklahoma woman and her adult daughter are behind bars after authorities discovered that they were involved in an incestuous relationship in “marrying” each other earlier this year. According to reports, the Department of Human Services (DHS) contacted the Duncan Police Department after visiting the home of Patricia Spann, 43, for a child welfare investigation. It found that Spann was living with three of her children, who had been previously taken from her custody and adopted..Continue reading→
Obama Nominates Nation’s First Muslim Federal Judge
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama has nominated a Muslim attorney to the federal court circuit, who if approved, would be the first Islamic judge in American history. Abid Qureshi serves in Washington, D.C. at the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP, where he specializes in cases involving the False Claims Act, health care fraud and securities violations. A graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law School, Qureshi has been a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association’s Legal Ethics Committee for..Continue reading→
New Hampshire City Votes to Reinstall Ten Commandments Monument Toppled by Vandal
SOMERSWORTH, N.H. — The city council of one New Hampshire municipality has voted to reinstall a Ten Commandments monument next to city hall after it was toppled last month by an unknown vandal. The Somersworth City Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday to restore the display to its previous position, and add flagpoles and historic markers to help “neutralize” its presence. “The city manager and I have worked out a plan which would further neutralize the monument thus ensuring that it would meet all fut..Continue reading→
Son of radical imam reveals ISIS plot to murder Christians using chainsaws
A Belgian soldier patrols along a market in central Brussels, Belgium. ISIS reportedly has a dastardly plot to murder Christians. The radical terrorist group often kills Christians through bombings and public beheadings, but this time, they plan to eliminate the followers of Christ using chainsaws. The plan was bared by the teenage son of a radical imam, according to The Mirror. The teenager, who cannot be named, informed the police of the plot after he was arrested for walking down a s..Continue reading→
Movies
Goodbye, Family Christian Stores
This week, it was announced that Family Christian Stores — one of the world’s largest Christian retailers — will close all 240 of its stores. This isn’t really shocking; Family Christian had gone through bankruptcy a few years back. But it will have an impact; more than 3,000 employees are going to lose their jobs as the stores shutter and Christian culture loses one of its largest and most diverse suppliers of books, music and trinkets. Granted, this is just the nature of the beast these days. ..Continue reading→
Have you caught up with “It’s My Favorite”?
Hey everyone, Not going to lie: it’s been a week. Work, school and home life have been busy, and the general insanity of our world right now has really robbed me of a lot of energy and will to write. It’s a shame, because I have some really good stuff on deck for you. One new series I want to write and one Oscar-related miniseries of articles, and I’m hoping that starting this weekend those will start posting. And in the weeks ahead I’m going to really be jumping into the reviewing pool again ha..Continue reading→
Watch: New music video for The Shack with new footage
Itching to see The Shack — or at least to get a taste of it before it comes out five weeks from now? Well, maybe this will tide you over: the powers that be have released two new songs from the film’s soundtrack, one of which even has a music video. Here is the video, for a new acoustic version of Skillet’s ‘Stars’: The studio has also released the full version of ‘Keep Your Eyes on Me’, which is sung by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and has previously been heard in the trailers. Here is a Spotify ..Continue reading→
The Story of God: Proof of the Divine
Photo by Amanda Slater, Flickr. C.C. Licensing. Season two of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on the National Geographic Channel. Once again, I’m writing about it here each week from a Christian perspective as a preview. This post is about episode three, the season finale, “Proof of God.” In the final episode of “The Story of God’s” second season, Morgan Freeman travels the world speaking to people who believe they’ve experienced proof — often tang..Continue reading→
Oscar nominations — my own two bits, and a complete list
It looks like La La Land is the movie to beat at this year’s Oscars. The film, a jazzy musical that stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a musician and an actress trying to make their way in Hollywood, racked up 14 Academy Award nominations this morning — tying the record set by 1950’s All About Eve and 1997’s Titanic. However, because La La Land was nominated twice for original song, it is actually nominated in 13 categories — which is more than the 12 categories that All About Eve was nominate..Continue reading→
Let’s talk Oscar noms!
Some quick thoughts on the 2017 Academy Award nominations, which were announced earlier today. A full list of nominees is available here. At first blush, my biggest surprise is that there isn’t a ton here I would bicker with. The list of nominees this year is really darn good, spread out over several movies. Maybe it’s because I saw fewer movies than normal this year or simply because so many of the nominated films are on my best-of list, but I can’t really find a bad choice among the films. Re..Continue reading→
Star Wars Episode 8 gains a title
Earlier today, the official Star Wars Twitter feed ended more than a year of speculation by revealing the title of the latest entry in the saga, due out this December: It’s official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedihttps://t.co/ySkVwQcMTPpic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq — Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017 [Read More...]Continue reading→
Encountering the Mystical in the ‘The Fits’
The fascinating film about adolescent encounters with the sublime gives us plenty to ponder. If you’re looking for a film that inspires lively conversation, you’ve got to check out The Fits. Anna Rose Helmer’s debut feature film runs a brief, but intense, 72 minutes, leaving plenty of time for discussion and debate afterwards. It caused a stir last year at Sundance, and critics have been talking about it ever since. Fortunately, Amazon Prime subscribers can currently stream it for free—and for ..Continue reading→
Review: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (dir. Dallas Jenkins, 2017)
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is a “faith-based” comedy about a washed-up former child star who, having trashed a hotel roof bar, is told to do a couple hundred hours of community service at a Chicago-based megachurch and ends up starring in their Easter play. It’s a safe, formulaic and utterly predictable film — precisely the kind of “Christian” movie I tend not to review here — but because of my interest in movies about Jesus, I was interested in seeing how this film would depict the play. T..Continue reading→
Music
One-Way Conversations by Hollyn
Hailing from Ohio, this Dove Awards New Artist of the Year nominee has been working the past year on her debut full length album titled "One-Way Conversations". Listeners were introduced to this vibrant you lady on TobyMac's latest release with the songs "Backseat Driver" and "Lights Shine Bright" and later with her debut #1 single "Alone (featuring TRU)". As a songwriter, Hollyn co-wrote all of the songs on her debut full length album and worked with producers Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson), Wit and 42 North (Andy Mineo), Cole Walowac of Capital Kings, Eric Ramey (Britt Nicole) and more. The album[...]Continue reading→
Run The Race (Single) by Holly Starr
The new single from Holly Starr, co-written with and produced by Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson, Tobymac, Mandisa, Hollyn).[...]Continue reading→
The Garden (Deluxe Edition) by Kari Jobe
Grammy nominated Kari Jobe is the premiere female worship leader in Christian music. Coming off her last live album, Majestic, which featured the worship anthem 'Forever' and radio hit 'I Am Not Alone', Kari Jobe has returned to the studio to record her new album, full of brand new worship anthems for the church and for personal reflection. Finding inspiration from life's joys and hardships, Kari leans into the firm foundation of Christ through it all. With career sales that top 1 million, Kari still comes back to the reason why she started in the first place- leading people into[...]Continue reading→
Back To Life by Anthony Evans
Recording Artist and Worship Leader Anthony Evans' highly-anticipated new album Back To Life releases February 3, 2017 through Sherman James Productions. A collection of worship songs, this new album features NBC's The Voice alumnus on 11 worship-themed tracks exploring authenticity, vulnerability, honesty and the way that the culmination of those three things brought him Back to Life. It marks Evans' eighth solo studio album and will be available through all digital retailers and exclusively at Lifeway Christian Stores. Back To Life is available for pre-order on January 6, 2017. "Over the last year, God has given me one revelation after[...]Continue reading→
Canopy by nobigdyl.
"I wrote Canopy coming out of a time of isolation and darkness. It felt like my life was completely falling apart and I'd have to start over again from nothing. God showed me that sometimes there's safety and protection in isolation. Sometimes, the darkness makes it easier to see the light," confessed nobigdyl. when speaking of the anticipated release. 'Canopy' is nobigdyl.'s first album release since his debut in 2015 with the 'Smoke Signal' EP. Check out indie tribe and nobigdyl at his website, nobigdyl.com.[...]Continue reading→
Books
A Look at Notable 2016 Publications
TEDS President offers his list of best books “There is no end to the making of many books,” says the author of Ecclesiastes. In the United States alone, there were close to one million titles published during the past year, with revenue approaching $1.8 billion. Hundreds of titles competed for our attention during 2016. I offer the following observations with the recognition that I have no doubt missed several important works that some of you would have included in such a survey. The books not..Continue reading→
Recommended Biographies By or About Women
Faith Cook is an author, biographer, and hymn writer. She grew up as a missionary child in war-torn China and has chronicled her story in an autobiography. Her own biographical work has been on both men: Fearless Pilgrim: The Life and Times of John Bunyan William Grimshaw of Haworth and women: The Nine Day Queen of England: Lady Jane Grey, Selina: Countess of Huntingdon: Her Pivotal Role in the 18th Century Evangelical Awakening, and Anne Bradstreet: Pilgrim and PoetContinue reading→
Bibliotheca Bible – a Review
There are many things that I have great admiration for, but perhaps one of the things I enjoy the most is seeing a long-awaited, labor of love come to full fruition. The tenacity, hard work, dedication, and pitfalls along the way in seeing something through to the end is something that, for lack of better terms, gets me emotionally invested in a project. Yet not all projects are equal and not all catch my particular attention – but if we’re truthful, that’s precisely what makes these types of th..Continue reading→
Christianity Today’s 2017 Book Awards
Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture. Make a list of all the blessings the Protestant Reformation has brought, and eventually—long after jotting down iconic phrases like “salvation by grace alone through faith alone”—you’ll get around to the CT Book Awards. Books, of course, had existed long before Luther posted his 95 Theses. But there’s no denying that reading and the Reformation, with a vital assist from Gutenberg’s printing press, soared toget..Continue reading→
Where Should Our Women be Discipled?
Pastors and elders want thinking women in the church, right? And yet popular beliefs that came out of the nineteenth century’s cult of domesticity still seem to linger in the evangelical culture today. Back then, people taught that women’s brains were inferior to men’s intellectually and that women needed to reserve their energy and blood flow for reproductive purposes. These are ideas we usually joke about now, even to provoke a woman in innocent fun, because we know them to be scientifically p..Continue reading→
10 Books Every Christian Teenager Should Read
A reader recently asked the question: Do you have a suggested list of books for teenagers, something like a “Ten best books every Christian teenager should read?” It surprised me that I have never compiled such a list, especially since I’ve got two teenagers of my own. I decided I’d better remedy this oversight straight away. Here, then, is a list of ten great books every Christian teen ought to read—or at least consider reading. Please note that these are not necessarily the ten best books your teens will read in their lifetime. Not all of these books will stand the test of time as Christian classics. But each of them is suited to twenty-first century teenaged readers and together they will provide a foundation for the Christian life that will prove both deep and wide. I list them in no particular order. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. It is rare that a book is elevated to the ranks of the classics, but The Holiness of God is a prime candidate. Sproul’s book will introduce teens..Continue reading→
Signposts to God and More (RJS)
Books, books, books … What is the best book you’ve read on Science and Christian faith? It seems to be the season … not the holiday season, but the book season. I recently received three new books. Books by a physicist, a biologist (with training in theology as well), and a philosopher. All three tackle questions of science and Christian faith. Each of the three presents an interesting perspective – and I intend to dig into them more completely over the upcoming months. Peter Bussey’s book, Sign..Continue reading→
2016 Reading Challenge Update: September & October
This year I have been participating in the 2016 Reading Challenge, a fun way to increase and diversify your reading through another year. I took the challenge and set this year’s goal at 104 books. However, because so much of my reading has to go toward reviewing books that are recently published and of interest to Christians (both for reviews published here and in WORLD magazine), I decided to pick from all over the list rather than working through it in order. What follows are the books I completed in September and October and, in parentheses, the reading challenge category they fulfill. Below that is the complete list of categories I need to cover. As you can see, I did not finish many books over the past couple of months, something that is not unusual as my reading ebbs and flows over the course of the year. You can see my previous updates for January, February, March-April, May, June, and July-August. Sexual Morality in a Christless World by Matthew Rueger. This is a brilliant w..Continue reading→
6 Reflections on Community Inspired by Bonhoeffer
My church has recently launched a series on community called Better Together. In conjunction with the sermon series, I, in collaboration with my senior pastor, wrote a small group curriculum to compliment the series. I love community, which is why I love small groups. Like many of you, I work hard on our small group system at my church to equip leaders and to help many in my church experience the fullness of community—the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, as I continue to reflect on communi..Continue reading→
American
President Ronald Reagan: “No Cause More Important Than the Right to Life of All Human Beings”
“My administration is dedicated to the preservation of America as a free land, and there is no cause more important for preserving that freedom than affirming the transcendent right to life of all human beings, the right without which no other rights have meaning.” — President Ronald Reagan. Today would have been the 106th birthday of Pro-life President Ronald Reagan! Each year on the anniversary, for reasons I cannot explain, I always recall where I was the day he was shot. At the time I was w..
Oregon Bill Would Allow Starving Mentally Ill Patients to Death
When Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the practice of assisted suicide, pro-life advocates argued this would be a slippery slope that would lead to euthanasia. Apparently assisted suicide is not enough for the death peddlers in this Pacific Northwest State. Now they are pushing legislation in the Oregon State Legislature that would allow starving mentally ill patients to death. Officials with the Oregon Right to Life emailed LifeNews.com with an urgent alert about pendin..
Woman Arrested After Shoving Her Bloody Pad Into Pro-Life Advocate’s Mouth
A pro-abortion woman in Oregon has been arrested after an altercation in which she allegedly shoved her bloody pad into the mouth of a pro-life advocate with whom she was arguing. According to local news reports in Oregon, the pro-abortion woman stands accused of shoving the bloody pad into the pro-life advocate’s mouth and she has turned herself in to police following complaints. The pro-abortion activist has been charged with one count of harassment and has been jailed on the charge. Here’s ..
Communal Conversion
Matthew H. Russell, HT: JS If Dietrich Bonhoeffer is correct and “Christ exists as community,” then the process of belonging to the community is indissolvably bound to the process of coming to believe that Jesus is Lord. At Mercy Street, this movement became critically linked to the essential question of Christianity: “Who are you, Jesus?” As members given to each other, these men and women work this question out together from the posture of intimacy, and belonging. What I discovered as the past..
Entertainment
Matthew McConaughey Gets Spiritual in Free State of Jones
Free State of Jones is not technically a Christian movie, but it might as well be. In the film, Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey plays Newton Knight, a Confederate deserter who leads a rebellion against the Confederate States of America in his home state of Mississippi. Based on a historical character, Knight’s motives for the rebellion are complex: He’s tired of soldiers stripping his and his neighbors’ farms clean, leaving families with nothing to eat over the winter. He’s disgust..
‘Thelma & Louise’ 25 years later still poses a challenge to male entitlement
Susan Sarandon, left, and Geena Davis in “Thelma & Louise” (1991; MGM) I first saw “Thelma and Louise” while studying for a master’s in education in media studies in London in 1995. We gathered to watch the film and not one male student of the 12 or so in our class showed up for the screening. Not one. What were they afraid of? When we asked some of them, they just shrugged. “Thelma and Louise” was hugely successful when it opened in 1991. It is critically acclaimed as a feminist, or neo-femini..
New Music for a New Christianity: The Convergence Music Project
“For decades now, we’ve been having “worship wars,” where we argued about musical style in public worship but didn’t pay much attention to the content and spiritual formation value of the songs we argued about. Convergence Music Project represents a “worship renaissance,” bringing together a new generation of songwriters who are writing songs that are theologically thoughtful, artistically satisfying, congregationally singable, and musically enjoyable.” -Brian McLaren Launched earlier this year ..
A Clip From Free (and Faithful) State of Jones
Free State of Jones, opening tomorrow, June 24, is a far cry from the sequels and superhero movies that typically saturate theaters during the summer. Starring a very grizzled Matthew McConaughey, the movie tells the story of Newton Knight, who led a rebellion (based in Jones County, Miss.) against the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. It is, as its press suggests, a movie for adults—full of hefty themes, heavy moments and a significant level of spirituality. I’ll ..
US
Happy Boxing Day!
Today, the day after Christmas, is celebrated as “Boxing Day” in the United Kingdom and many of its Commonwealth nations, such as Australia. We Americans need to adopt this holiday too! After all, we too are former British colonies! Accounts of the origin of the name vary, but it seems to have something to do with the servants getting a box of presents and other goodies on their traditional day off after a busy day on Christmas. Traditionally, the day has been devoted to sporting events. Horse r..
“The light shines in the darkness”
How fitting that we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ around the time of the Winter Solstice, when the day is at its shortest and the night is at its longest. At this darkest time of the year, we celebrate Christ’s coming. Just as He comes at the darkest points of our lives. (This is also why lights at night are key Christmas symbols.) As St. John says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” After the jump, the Christmas story according to the Gospel of Joh..
A medieval Christmas for the children
In a review of what sounds like an excellent book on Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Nathaniel Peters quotes a 17th century theologian on what Christmas was like under Medieval and 17th century Catholicism. He describes the processions, featuring actors dressed up like the Christ Child, St. Peter, other saints, angels, and “damned spirits,” including the terrifying Knecht Ruprecht (who became a companion of St. Nicholas). The goal was to scare children out of their wits. The Christ Child would berate..
What to do with your Amazon boxes
If you or people who gave you presents did much of your Christmas shopping online, you will accumulate lots of Amazon boxes. Don’t throw them away! Amazon has partnered with Goodwill for an ingenious program. Save the box. Then fill it with something you would like to donate to Goodwill. Go to GiveBackBox.com, where you can print a label that will give you free shipping! Then put the box in the mail or give it to UPS. Do you see the beauty of this? When you get “stuff,” you will be able to also ..
Church & Theology
Why the 5 Solas Still Matter Today
Follow @BrandonSmith85 The young, newly ordained Catholic priest stood in front of the church, ready to officiate his first mass. These priests were expected to have clean hearts before officiating—no sin unconfessed. No heart of stone unturned. But as Martin Luther began to recite the introductory portion of the mass, with the bread and wine on the altar in front of him, he almost passed out. “I was utterly stupefied and terror-stricken. … Who am I, that I should lift up mine eyes or raise my h..
How Often Should We Take the Lord’s Supper?
Follow @BrandonSmith85 As a Baptist, I’m often frustrated or confused by how my fellow denominational brothers handle the Lord’s Supper. At churches I’ve attended in the past, we’ve participated in the Supper every week in some places, ted quarterly at others. There is one instance in which I can’t remember eating a single little wafer in my entire time at the church. But how often should we take the Supper? While I know that the Bible doesn’t give a mandate for how often churches should remembe..
Did Jesus Call a Woman a Dog?
Follow @BrandonSmith85 On the Season 2 premiere of Word Matters, Trevin Wax and I discuss a question raised in Matthew 15, “Did Jesus call a woman a dog?” Here’s the context: 21 When Jesus left there, he withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.” 23 Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away b..
When the Book of Revelation Takes a Swing at a Roman Emperor
Follow @BrandonSmith85 Photo courtesy: Craig Koester via the Classical Numismatic Group. While compiling notes for my dissertation and forthcoming book on the Book of Revelation, I came across this note on Revelation 1:16 in Craig Koester’s Revelation commentary: The section climaxes by noting that [Jesus] holds seven stars in his right hand (Rev 1:16). This cosmic imagery conveys sovereignty. An analogy appears on a coin from Domitian’s reign that depicts the emperor’s deceased son as young Jup..