Bible, theology, culture, etc.
In the 2004 movie I, Robot, (based on the Isaac Asimov series) Will Smith plays a homicide detective in the not-too-distant future where humanoid robots are an everyday part of life. Dr. Alfred Lanning, a leading roboticist, allegedly commits suicide, but leaves behind a holographic recording of himself that specifically requests Smith’s character to investigate what has happened. … Continue reading Asking the Right Question in Our Bible Reading
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?
The word of the LORD came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night...And Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from … Continue reading What Is the “Regret” of God?
Paul wrote five of his thirteen letters from within a Roman jail cell. While the book of Acts ends with Paul under house arrest, apparently at some point Paul is moved to a more secure form of prison where he is fettered in chains. What might that have looks like? From the entry on "Prisons, … Continue reading What Was Prison Like for Paul?
Face as Presence In the Bible often the word for "face" is a metonymy for "presence." Frequently our English translations actually translate the Hebrew and Greek terms for face (פָּנֶה, panėh; πρόσωπον, prosōpon) just with the word "presence". For example, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the … Continue reading Coram Deo: A Theology of the Face
"Both the commands of the Law and the thunderings of the prophets spread out before us the gigantic truths of God, the metanarrative that makes sense of everything. But we need more. We live day by day where 'there are details of character small enough to escape the mesh of the law and the broadsides … Continue reading What is Wisdom?
What does the Bible say about domestic violence? While men are also victims of domestic violence (see statistics here), I want to look primarily at the circumstances of women as victims of domestic violence, since this is far more common and also (as I will detail below) this is what the Bible warns of most … Continue reading Domestic Violence and the Bible
One of the most puzzling aspects of Old Testament law for Christians to understand is the many ritual and purity laws. We know that with the coming of Jesus and His inauguration of the New Covenant, the Old has passed away, and thus we are not bound by the ceremonial or civil laws we find … Continue reading Why is Leviticus so Weird?
In Tom Schreiner's helpful commentary in the ESV Expository Commentary series on Revelation, he discusses the four major approaches to interpreting the timing of the events described in the book: Preterist--Fulfilled entirely or mainly in the first century Historicist--Fulfilled in stages throughout church history Idealist--Fundamentally symbolic Futurist--Fulfilled mainly in futureThe preterist view argues that Revelation … Continue reading 4 Perspectives on Revelation
I have been virtually absent from my blog since I began seminary. I have toyed around with the idea of posting some of my papers I have written on here, but have always been certain that no one would probably want to read them. However, below is a paper I wrote for my Ethics class … Continue reading The Violence of the Bible
Marc Sims 