I admit it: I generally don’t care much for Christian films or even Jesus’ flicks. But Mel Gibson’s R-rated “The Passion of the Christ’ was different. Similarly, last week I saw the new film “The Case for Christ,” produced by Pure Flix and Triple Horse Studios, and I liked it a lot. It was released the weekend before Easter in 1,174 U.S. theaters, garnering 10th place in box office receipts. Rotten Tomatoes, which sometimes can brutal, gave it a very positive 84% rating. And CinemaScore, which po … [Read more...]
Review of Dale Allison’s book, Night Comes: Death, Imagination, and the Last Things
April 17, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Dale C. Allison Jr. is the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. Dale is a friend of mine. In 2003, he was our keynote speaker for the two-day Kermit Zarley Lectures at North Park University in Chicago. He spoke on good subject, "The Resurrection of Jesus." Dale also endorsed my book, The Third Day Bible Code (2006). Dr. Allison is a leading New Testament scholar in the world. I like to read his works because he is so well-read, a careful scholar, and … [Read more...]
Does Colossians 1.15-19 Mean Jesus Preexisted and Created the Universe?
April 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Multiple issues arise in Colossians 1.15-19 that have caused many Bible readers to think Paul therein teaches that Jesus preexisted and created the universe. From this they conclude that only God does that, so Jesus must be God. But Paul does not mean any of that. This text, which is about Jesus, reads as follows in the New American Standard Bible:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, … [Read more...]
Critique of a Billy Graham Easter Message
April 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment
I think Billy Graham was the greatest man of God in the twentieth century. Not only was he such a gifted evangelist, a handsome man, and a friendly person who had a charming Southern accent, there was never any scandal with Billy Graham. He was a family man, a righteous man, and thus a devout follower of the one he constantly preached about—Jesus of Nazareth.Billy Graham knew and ministered to many world leaders. They included U.S. presidents such as Richard Nixon. Then the W … [Read more...]
Sergio Garcia Finally Won a Major–The Masters
April 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Professional golfer Sergio Garcia has been dubbed "the best player to never win a major." This week the 37-year old Spaniard was competing in his 73rd major pro golf championship, of which there are four. He defeated Englishman Justin Rose on the first extra hole today to win the 2016 Masters golf championship at Augusta, Georgia, on the famed Augusta National Golf Club. It was a trilling final round as both men tied with nine-under totals of 279. They finished the 72-hole tournament three … [Read more...]
Barry Manilow Is Gay
April 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment
How many married women out there in America used to listen to Barry Manilow sing a love song and swoon with ecstasy, pretending it was their husband singing to them? Today, Barry Manilow revealed for the first time publicly that he has always been gay.Doesn't surprise me or a lot a people. Nevertheless, Mr. Manilow sure has been good at what he does. He says he hid his sexual orientation because he feared that knowledge of it would cause him to lose many of his female fans. No … [Read more...]
A Record NINE Holes-In-One at Masters Par-Three Contest Today
April 5, 2017 by Leave a Comment
This is Masters Week. Golfers know spring has arrived when The Masters rolls around. It is held at the picturesque Augusta National Golf Club in the piney woods of Augusta, Georgia, when its many azalea shrubs and Dogwood trees are in full bloom. This is the world's premier golf event for individual competition. It occurs at a prime time--early in the year when golf fans have not been thinking about golf much for the past several months. Plus, The Masters is the first of golf's four major … [Read more...]
Encircled Meetings: On Earth As It Is In Heaven
April 4, 2017 by Leave a Comment
How should we sit in church? I think we should sit in a circle or at least a half circle as in an amphitheatre. Instead, we sit in rows, all looking toward a raised pulpit that is perhaps elevated on a stage. That's because our traditional church service is performance-oriented. Encircled meetings are more socially-oriented.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is called "the city of brotherly love." That's because the Greek word phileo means "love," and adelphos means "brother." In 1965, six of us … [Read more...]
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