The Book of Revelation has fascinated and perplexed readers for centuries. With its rich symbolism, dramatic visions, and apocalyptic themes, it has given rise to various schools of interpretation—Preterist, Historicist, Futurist, and Idealist—each...
I hold John Wesley in very high regard (I am, after all, Methodist!). The guy was simply amazing on so many levels. The thing I love the most is how many churches were planted under his leadership (it’s estimated that at his death Methodism...
Interestingly, scholars have long debated how the Joseph story fits into the broader Genesis narrative. Unlike the story of Abraham, whose role in the book’s literary structure is more apparent, the Joseph narrative contains fewer explicit...
I’ve said many times in many places regarding theological discussion, “Unity in the essentials, freedom in the non-essentials, and love and charity in all things!” What’s this mean? It means that God has revealed himself to...
Rapture theology, the belief that Christians will be taken up to heaven before a period of tribulation on earth, is a widely popular eschatological framework within certain evangelical circles. Made famous by the Left Behind series and reinforced by...
In light of current events, it is often times difficult to believe that Jesus is, in fact, in control. The mobilization of militant Islam, the quagmire of American politics and international relations, unending wars and threats of wars, the...
At first blush, the Synoptic Gospels (Matt, Mark, and Luke) are so different from the gospel according to John. Two of the three Synoptics start with the genealogy of Jesus (Matt and Luke). Mark jumps right into the story with John’s ministry...
This is a short excerpt from Holiness in Fresh Perspective: Covenant, Cross, and Kingdom. Wipf and Stock, 2014. All rights reserved. Consider Romans 1:1–4 for a moment. This is Paul’s salutation to the churches in Rome. In this salutation, Paul does...
The people of Israel, while defeated and sent to exile, maintained hope for restoration. The catalyst for hope came through both the prophets (the exilic and post-exilic Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Obadiah, and...
We cannot miss how Paul, in the overall structure of the Epistle to the Romans, juxtaposes the contrast between Holy Spirit and the Torah as two different, but related means for sealing the covenants, both old and new. The Holy Spirit as the new...