In my previous post on Single Christians and Erotic Boundaries, pt. 1 we covered an overview on fornication (sexual immorality), that is, porneia in the Bible, especially in 1 Corinthians 6. This study covers 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. Here is my translation of the passage: 4:1 Finally, then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and appeal in the Lord Jesus, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and please God—just as also you are walking—that you progress even more. 4:2... Read more
The previous generation’s sexual revolution left its demise not only in secular western society but also in the portals of the church. Recent statistics suggest that while extramarital affairs and teen sex are slowly becoming less approved by Americans than they were in the 1970’s, premarital sex is becoming more approved. This is not merely a teen problem, but premarital sex tempts an ever-increasing amount of adult Christians who find themselves single because of school, career, divorce, widowhood, lack of... Read more
This study begins a series on the important subject of covenant in Scripture. God’s covenants with the Genesis patriarchs, Moses and the people of Israel, David, and in prophetic discourse have significant ramifications for New Testament passages, especially in relation to Jesus and the Lord’s Supper, Paul’s letters, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. Former Bishop of Durham, N. T. Wright regards covenant keeping to be comprehensive in relation to salvation. In relation to the Apostle Paul it deals with... Read more
In A Tale of Two Plagues, we covered two ancient plagues— the plague in Athens during the early Peloponnesian War as described by Thucydides, and the plague in Alexandria recorded by Eusebius. The second plague included Christians, whose behavior stood out among Alexandrians. We also discovered many parallels to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The pestilence described in Alexandria attacked many other regions of the Roman Empire. It is often called today the Cyprian Plague, named after the church father from... Read more
Where do we run to in times of trouble? Believers can find comfort in the timeless words of Scripture. What are the top 10 Bible passages that encourage us not to fear? Based on a recent poll my wife and I took (a democracy of two, but rigged by me!), here are our picks from the Old Testament. See if you agree: Number 10: Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is... Read more
Our first interview focused on Jesus, and in this second interview with fellow New Testament scholar, Craig S. Keener, we now focus on some teachings of the Apostle Paul through Craig’s recent book, Galatians: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019). He actually has two commentaries on Galatians; the first one was published earlier in the New Cambridge Bible Commentary Series (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018). The commentary from Baker is the more thorough of the two. As a Pauline scholar... Read more
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing biblical scholar, Dr. Craig S. Keener, Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary. He has authored many books, together which have sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. Recently, he has written an important book entitled, Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2019). Craig, whom I consider a fellow scholar and friend, has agreed to answer several questions about his recent book, Christobiography: B. J. Oropeza: You recently wrote... Read more
We who consider ourselves to be in Christ must recognize that the true enemy in this pandemic is not whoever we might be elicited by our news outlets to blame. The true enemy is COVID-19. We as the church should not mirror our society’s political divisions and deceptive ideologies. Our political leanings should not matter to one another; what should matter is that we uphold biblical values without turning a blind eye to abuse, slander, crime, injustice, violence, vandalism, and... Read more
As COVID-19 spikes again, and our country’s divisions deepen over what to do about the virus, a lesson from the annals of history teach us about early Christian and non-Christian reactions to plagues. The ancient Greek historian Thucydides writes a gripping description of a terrible plague that struck Athens and other city-states during the early stages of the Peloponnesian War (c. 430 BC). Eusebius of Caesarea then writes about believers and non-believers alike struck by a plague that ravaged Alexandria,... Read more
It comes with great sadness that biblical scholarship has lost a great man this week, my mentor, James D. G. Dunn. He leaves behind his wonderful wife, Meta, and his children, Catrina, David, and Fiona. An excerpt from his festschrift that I, along with C. K. Robertson and Doug Mohrmann, published says it well: “Future eras of biblical scholarship, when looking back at this time in history, will confirm what is already clearly evident – that James D. G. Dunn... Read more
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