In the first two chapters of his Gospel, Matthew directs his readers’ attention to four different prophecies that he says are fulfilled in the story of Jesus. He will continue making such claims throughout the book, but these four provide an adequate base for us to begin examining how Matthew understands the nature of scripture, prophecy, and fulfillment. We’ll take a look at them one by one. Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken... Read more
I was raised as a missionary kid in a fundamentalist family. My dad, a pastor as well as a missionary, preached on plenty of different topics, but the theme that has always stuck with me was this: Never blindly accept what someone teaches you, not even if he’s a pastor, and not even if it’s me. Test everything by the Word of God. To one extent or another, that piece of advice has directed the entire course of my life.... Read more
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1–2, WEB) We’ve heard this story so many times, it’s tempting to just skim over it. King Herod is the bad guy. The wise men are the good guys. On... Read more
Drew Hart’s Trouble I’ve Seen is forcing me to do some hard thinking, and that’s always a good thing. I’m still trying to process and make sense of everything Hart has to say. The subtitle of the book is Changing the Way the Church Views Racism, and if Hart is right, then I definitely have a lot to change in my own perspectives. I absolutely agree with the thrust of the book’s message. Racism is very real and very much... Read more
What comes to mind when you see the word jihad? A so-called holy war? The Crusades? ISIS? These are the sorts of things I’ve always related to jihad. But as it turns out, I had no idea what jihad really means. In The Jihad of Jesus: The Sacred Nonviolent Struggle for Justice, Dave Andrews reclaims the true meaning of jihad, which is good news for Christians and Muslims alike. He introduces the book with a clarification of the term, taken... Read more
My introduction to Brian Zahnd was his book A Farewell to Mars: An Evangelical Pastor’s Journey Toward the Biblical Gospel of Peace. I loved it! The book is a brilliant exposé of the nationalistic idolatry that enslaves so much of Evangelicalism today, and it’s a wonderful examination of nonviolent eschatology and atonement theory. The main place I thought the book fell short was in living up to its subtitle. A Farewell to Mars shows us the before, and it shows... Read more
The Christian church has always agreed that there will be a final judgment of the living and the dead. This judgment leads to blessing for those who are in Christ (the righteous), along with punishment1 for those who are not in Christ (the sinners). In today’s vocabulary, the common word for that punishment is hell. Though the church agrees on the reality of hell, it has never agreed on the nature of hell. From the earliest Christians on, at least... Read more
Just wanted to provide a quick update for those who have been praying for my family and me. Less than a week after being laid off from Faithlife, I received a new job offer. This Monday, I’ll be heading in to work for Lineage Media and Solutions in Bellevue, Washington. That means we won’t lose the house, and we won’t have to move (again). God is good! Read more
This past Tuesday, Faithlife Corporation—the makers of Logos Bible Software, the publishers of Lexham Press, and my former employer—laid off about 60 employees, myself included. I’m still trying to process it all. There was no warning. One day everything is fine. The next day I’m out of a job, with a pregnant wife, a mortgage to pay, and no savings to help us out. Don’t get me wrong—God has always provided for us, and I know he will continue to... Read more
Pastor Larry Wright was leading a New Year’s Eve prayer service in a downtown Fayetteville church when a man entered the building armed with a semi-automatic assault rifle. We’ve heard these stories way too many times in recent days. And we know how they end. People die. Loved ones grieve. Social media becomes outraged. And then nothing changes. We wait for the story to repeat. But this time, the story went a bit differently. The man walked in with his... Read more
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