Bible, theology, culture, etc.
One question came to my mind often: How did so many Russian and Ukrainians keep their faith strong over decades of communist oppression of believers?...Often, in interviews, I would simply blurt out: "How did you (or your family, or your church, or your people) learn to live like this? How did you learn to die … Continue reading Persecuted Faith
1 It was on a Friday morning That they took me from the cell, And I saw they had a carpenter To crucify as well. You can blame it on to Pilate, You can blame it on the Jews, You can blame it on the Devil, It's God I accuse. It's God they ought to … Continue reading “Friday Morning” by Sydney Carter
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6dpBs0pER3HmIkrqW6nsBc?si=bb8779ba0e804a2e It’s your first day at a high-end career. You are still getting familiar with everything when your boss sends you out to go order supplies for an upcoming job. You read off a list of what is needed and place the order with the vendor while he scribbles it down a clipboard. He then … Continue reading Not My Hand (1 Sam 26)
“Another point is that on that view you would have to regard the accounts of the Man as being legends. Now, as a literary historian, I am perfectly convinced that whatever else the Gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear that they are not the … Continue reading Are the Gospels Legends? C.S. Lewis’ Reply
Polygamy was very common in the ancient world. It is somewhat understandable: in an agrarian culture, it was not impossible (cf. Ruth 2), but very difficult for women to provide a living for themselves apart from a husband. It was also shameful in a patriarchal society to be an unmarried women. And if there were few … Continue reading What’s the Deal with Polygamy in the Bible?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5vYTnwTFAXQ83ZeZvOoSfC?si=0b49ebd5d055432c Open with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter nine. Picture a bright eyed, young man walking down a road. He comes upon two houses on either side. Out of each walks a woman. One woman is beautiful and dignified. Her name is “Wisdom” (Prov 9:1ff). The other woman is seductive and loud. Her … Continue reading Two Ways to Live (1 Sam 25:32-38)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/07yNcRimNxCY7CFlglEoqw?si=5d8a9b594c624fe8 We have more information than any previous generation that has ever existed on the planet. At any moment, we could find out almost anything we wanted with a few swipes of our fingers. In previous generations, if you were a member of the aristocracy, or were a king or emperor, one of the benefits … Continue reading Beautiful Wisdom (1 Sam 25:23-31)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hL5nXxcetwvppnmJGwwvm?si=2c24d8b4622244ad We all are familiar with famous dictum that power corrupts…but how? The 19th century historian Henry Adams was being metaphorical, not medical, when he described power as “a sort of tumor that ends by killing the victim’s sympathies.” In 2017, The Atlantic published an article on how power affects our brains, citing a study from UC Berkeley, they said, … Continue reading A Tale of Two Fools (1 Sam 25)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nkjGdzdumS5NJBWrj0mae?si=c3967649d1cd45da Sermon Discussion Questions: What stood out to you most? What surprises you most about this chapter? What's the connection between grace and not taking ourselves too seriously? Would people around you (spouse, friends, coworkers) describe you as someone who "takes themselves too seriously"? Why was David cut to the heart? Can you think of … Continue reading Vengeance Is Mine (1 Sam 24)
The Argument1. God is all powerful2. God is all knowing--including all possible realities (1 Sam 23:11-12; Matt 11:21)3. God is perfectly good∴ We live in the best of all possible worldsWhen we take God's omnipotence and omniscience together, it means that the current version of reality we now inhabit has come about precisely the way in which God has … Continue reading Is This The Best of All Possible Worlds?
Marc Sims 