Bible, theology, culture, etc.
Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate … Continue reading An Unusual Response to the Problem of Evil
There is this strange problem in my city where streetlights are slowly turning blue. The LED components apparently were cheaply manufactured and the other colored lights that mix together to create the normal white-light have burnt out, leaving behind a neon-blue reminiscent of a dive bar at 2 AM. It isn’t everywhere, but is beginning … Continue reading What You See Depends on Where You Stand (sort of)
And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive. - 1 Sam 27:9 I have written at length and preached on the violent commands of the Old Testament before, but here I want to just present a set of interpretive principles that I think should be in place whenever we encounter passages that shock us, that … Continue reading Thinking Through Violent OT Passages
“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
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?
In reading of the relationship between Jonathan and David, one is struck by their depth of affection and commitment to one another: As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul...Then Jonathan made a covenant with … Continue reading Homosexuality and Friendship: Jonathan and David
1 Samuel 15:3: "Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” This command (and others like it) is jarring to read. It seems to authorize God's people to slaughter non-combatants indiscriminately, … Continue reading Why the OT Genocide Commands Are Likely Hyperbole
Perhaps you have seen posts on Facebook since the Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson, that run something like this: "I am not pro-choice myself, but this is a tragedy for women's rights." I have personally seen a number of people who would identify as "pro-life" but who have gone out of their way to … Continue reading 40 Questions for Pro-Lifers Who Lament the SCOTUS Decision
The issue: The LGBTQIA+ movement has become ubiquitous in America, even in communities that are overwhelmingly conservative, rural, and far removed from urban centers. Technology and social media has made the distance between Nebraska and LA virtually meaningless (especially when LA makes all the TV shows people in Nebraska watch). Now, the companies responsible for … Continue reading Consider What Your Children Are Watching
God has decided that He would display His creativity through making many different kinds of people: gender, ethnicity, age, etc. Image bearers are a diverse people. But God's image is not the only source of diversity in humanity. Sin also affects us all uniquely leading to a diversity of depravity. Some people's sins look different … Continue reading Good Diversity, Bad Diversity
Marc Sims 