I don’t know if many of you are aware of the divide that is taking place more and more within evangelicalism, or at least American evangelicalism or the wider evangelical church of the west. The polarization between two main groups of people. This has been going on for the better part of a couple of decades, but it has especially gathered some speed over the past few years.
What is this divide? Continue reading
I continue with posting some videos of Craig Keener’s discussion about miracles, one in which he bases it off his newest 2-volume set, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts.
In this video, Keener not only speaks of eye-witness credibility in biblical times, but also in our present-day. What was to be a footnote in a book slowly and surely became a 2-volume work. And he learned a little bit about miracles from his own family members. Continue reading
I wanted to post up a series of videos over the coming weeks in which Dr. Craig Keener, professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, discusses the miraculous works of God today. He looks at both Scriptural arguments and church history evidence of such realities. They are short video bytes, so easily digestible. And, even more, here is one that was a bit more skeptical about miracles still being a part of life today. Needless to say, God slowly changed Keener’s mind.
Below is the first video. Continue reading
I remember moving to Belgium. It was hard. For the longest time I denied having any kind of culture shock. I was ok, for I had previously lived in Britain for 3 years, my wife was British, I had travelled to Central America, southern Africa, and a few other places in the world. I was cultured.
But after almost 4 years in Belgium, looking back over our time here, I can only describe what I went through, might still be going through, as culture shock. Belgium is within the western world, so it is not as different from America as say Zambia or India or Fiji. But it is quite different – linguistically, politically, socially and more.
And I can still get frustrated at some of the perspectives within a Belgian context, one particular area being that of customer service, or the lack of it.
But I remember a very good friend, an American pastor friend who had been in Belgium for some 20+ years, challenging me to change my expectations. You see, I had brought a whole load of American expectations into a non-American society. Why would I expect Belgium to function anything like America? It was time I change, not Belgium.
And this is what I think we do with the Bible on so many levels. Continue reading
This is a continuation of my review of Kenton Sparks’ title, God’s Word in Human Words. In part 1, I mainly laid out an introduction to the book and chapter 1 alone, which looked at the 3 sweeping eras of philosophical and epistemological understanding: pre-modern, modern and post-modern.
In general, Sparks is looking to help evangelicals to move forward in maintaining a high view of Scripture as divinely inspired and authoritative while also engaging with the arena of critical scholarship.
You see, for most evangelicals, the concept of critical scholarship or historical criticism (or whatever specific terminology one would use) is very dirty, very unChristian. But this is where we go a little askew in our understanding of being critical. This term does not always mean criticising from a negative perspective. Rather it is more about assessment, thinking through things, which can lead to both positives and challenges/negatives. As Sparks says himself:
I would like to suggest, however, that the Bible itself invites us, at least implicitly, to ask hard and critical questions of the divine Word (p74)
Of course it does! This is why the church has been willing to engage in such a practice in some form or fashion since its inception (though, yes, more in the past few centuries than previous centuries). Even more, such communication is part of the practise of the biblical writers, especially as voiced in the poetic sections such as the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes and Lamentations. And you’ve got some pretty stern arguments coming forth from other writers as they speak with God. Right now, I’m thinking of our friend, Habakkuk.
We have to put a stop to automatic rejection of critical scholarship because of the word critical, or because some of it is produced by non-Christians.
But let’s move into more of the details of the book. Continue reading
As with my post yesterday, Ben Witherington continues to share more on women in ministry, this time looking at 2 specifically debated texts: 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2.
In my own reading and study of this issue, I have come to realise that there are a few different ways to approach the normally-debated passages around women in ministry. But I think Witherington does well to address the in’s and out’s of the 2 passages.
So watch this second short, 7-minute video as he gives brief thoughts into the situations of Corinth (1 Cor 14) and Ephesus (1 Tim 2). Continue reading
Below is a short and succinct video teaching from Ben Witherington, professor of New Testament studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. The topic is a hot one for today – women in ministry, as well as in the household.
If you read my blog regularly, you will already know where I stand on this position, being of a more egalitarian persuasion. In all, I appreciate greatly what Witherington has to share, especially in mentioning the concept of a trajectory being created within the New Testament.
What is a trajectory? Continue reading
