Perhaps one of the best known verses in the Bible comes from Matthew 7 and Luke 6 when Jesus commands his disciples to “judge not.” Ask 10 people what that actually means, and you’ll probably get 10 different explanations. Whatever it does or doesn’t mean however, I hope we can all agree that as Christians we should do less of it. Greg Boyd’s book, Repenting of Religion: Turning from Judgment to the Love of God, has been highly instrumental both in my theological... Read more
For those who have been following, Donald Trump has said several times that the Bible is his favorite book of all time. He’s gone on to call scripture, “the most special thing.” Recently he was asked what his favorite Bible verse was, and he, well… he couldn’t answer the question. When pressed for more, he just said that it was all “very private” for him and that he was a 50/50 OT vs NT guy. It was awkward if you... Read more
So, here we are. It’s another election cycle and the “fun” has begun. Like it or not, for the next 13 months the news cycle is going to be dominated by presidential politics. There will be plenty of articles to read, debates to watch, and discussions to be had. It’s all part of American tradition. However, for those of us who profess to follow Jesus of Nazareth, it is of critical importance to remember that our behavior must not be driven... Read more
I won’t be endorsing any candidates for president. Neither am I a member of any political party in the United States. But I did watch Bernie Sander’s speech at Liberty University yesterday. I mean, a socialist Jew speaking in front of a room full of people who began the event by worshipping a socialist Jew? That was must-see-TV if you ask me. Even given my aversion to Christian involvement in politics, watching the speech was worth my time. (You can catch the... Read more
The other day Mike Huckabee was on MSNBC and made the claim that Jesus specifically outlined what marriage looks like. It’s a claim I’ve heard a million times– and perhaps you have as well. However, this claim is not exactly true and is a classic case of attempting to use ancient scriptures to answer modern questions, instead of digging into the context to discover the ancient question they were actually wrestling with at the time. Such is the case with... Read more
Today, we as a nation remember one of those days which will always stand out in American history– September 11, 2001. We all have our, “Where were you?” stories. Me? For me, 9-11 happened in the evening– I was in the forces deployed to South Korea and watched the events unfold live on the Armed Forces Network. It was an especially tense time for us, and we spent the next several weeks wondering if North Korea would take advantage of... Read more
So, it’s breaking news that Kim Davis has been released from jail. For the past week, stories about Davis have comprised about 90% of my Facebook newsfeed. I even wrote one of them– it’s a story that has a time and place. But with images of dead refugees washing up on the shores of Turkey, images of hundreds upon thousands who are now without a home and in desperate need of asylum and international aid, that time has officially expired.... Read more
There’s a passage in Matthew 10 that comes up somewhat frequently in conversations– perhaps you’re familiar with it. It’s a passage where Jesus said, “Do not suppose I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have come not to bring peace, but a sword.” It’s a strong statement. I see this passage brought up most often by two opposite sets of people: conservatives who try to use it as evidence that Christians can use violence or that Jesus... Read more
As Christians we’re called to be in the world but not “of the world” yet that’s easier said than done. With a million facets of culture surrounding us, there are countless people and things that beg to shape our worldview. Many of them do so quite successfully, and without us even recognizing it. One of those things that has radically shaped many Christian’s worldview in America, is Fox News. And no, I don’t believe that’s a good thing. To help... Read more
I spent my teenage years discovering God in a Reformed Baptist church, and I met many wonderful people there. During those years I also discovered a lot about God and solidified my decision to follow him, for which I’ll always be grateful. However, I also stumbled upon some stuff which was immediately problematic for me– most memorably, the doctrine of predestination. I still remember that first sermon on predestination, the general idea that God himself predestines some people for heaven... Read more
The Official Blog of Benjamin L. Corey
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In