This week I once again welcome guest blogger, Kirk Marks. Kirk is a retired pastor of 35 years who now works in international fair trade. I’m thankful for the upbringing and the Christian education that I received in the church I grew up in. Very good, very well-intentioned Sunday school teachers and pastors told meContinue reading “Is the Bible written to you? – 1st Thessalonians 2:13–3:13, Part 2”
Tag Archives: hermeneutics
There is no one obvious biblical way to vote – Q & A Oct 2024, Part 4
Is it acceptable for a Christian to vote one way on a measure, not because they think it is biblical, but because they think it should be a function of government? Because we are citizens of the Kingdom of Jesus, my opinion is that there could be many ballot measures for which it could beContinue reading “There is no one obvious biblical way to vote – Q & A Oct 2024, Part 4”
Women are not responsible for the way people view women’s bodies – 2 Samuel 11, Part 3
Editor’s Note: This week we welcome guest blogger, Emily Marks. Emily is an adult and community educator. She and her husband Sean live in Lancaster, PA, with their dog Corvus. I learned so much from her sermon on 2 Samuel 11-12! I’m excited for you to read these blog posts. David is smart. As weContinue reading “Women are not responsible for the way people view women’s bodies – 2 Samuel 11, Part 3”
Have you ever heard a woman’s perspective of the story of David & Bathsheba? – 2 Samuel 11—12, Part 1
Editor’s Note: This week we welcome guest blogger, Emily Marks. Emily is an adult and community educator. She and her husband Sean live in Lancaster, PA, with their dog Corvus. I learned so much from her sermon on 2 Samuel 11-12! I’m excited for you to read these blog posts. We will be continuing inContinue reading “Have you ever heard a woman’s perspective of the story of David & Bathsheba? – 2 Samuel 11—12, Part 1”
Why a priest was willing to break the law – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 2
Here at Faith Church we have an unending stream of Tastykakes in our freezer because we happen to have an inside connection to Tastykake! If you’ve never had a Tastykake, you need to try Butterscotch Krimpets or Kandy Kakes. I especially love dark chocolate Kandy Kakes with cream filling. Mostly we use the Tastykakes forContinue reading “Why a priest was willing to break the law – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 2”
How to read the Bible – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Preview
When I teach adjunct classes, I almost always end up sharing a specific article with the class. It doesn’t matter what the topic of the class is, I find a way to share the article because it is that good. Could be biblical studies, could be theology, could be interpretational studies, could be church history,Continue reading “How to read the Bible – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Preview”
Should we just skip difficult chapters of the Bible? – 1st Samuel 15, Preview
Every now and then in our study through books of the Bible we come to sections that feel strange or even if off-putting. For example, a couple years ago I blogged through Ezekiel. I called Ezekiel “The SNL Prophet” because he did so many skits (like the TV show Saturday Night Live), and some Ezekiel’sContinue reading “Should we just skip difficult chapters of the Bible? – 1st Samuel 15, Preview”
What do you think about End Times Prophecy? – Q & A, Part 5
This week we take a break from our Relationships in the Church series. At Faith Church this past week I gave a Q & A sermon. I asked the congregation for questions ahead of time, and then I attempted to bring biblical theology to bear on their questions. Here’s the next question: What is Faith Church’sContinue reading “What do you think about End Times Prophecy? – Q & A, Part 5”
Why The Chosen…and you… don’t really know Jesus like you think you do – John 7:1-52, Preview
How well do you know Jesus? Pretty well? Maybe you would say that you know Jesus, but you also admit that you could certainly know him better. I suspect most Christians would say something like that. I wonder, though, if we met Jesus if he might shock us. I wonder if our conception of JesusContinue reading “Why The Chosen…and you… don’t really know Jesus like you think you do – John 7:1-52, Preview”
Jesus, biblical literalism, and the Blindfold Taste Test – John 6:52-71, Part 1
Have you ever participated in a blindfolded taste test? To introduce this sermon, we had a blindfolded taste test, inviting three volunteers to each come forward. They didn’t know it, but they were about to eat a bite of different kinds of bread and different red-colored beverage. One person had V8. Another had pumpernickel. EachContinue reading “Jesus, biblical literalism, and the Blindfold Taste Test – John 6:52-71, Part 1”
Engaging Scripture 