I have posted a few sermons on this blog over the last several months. This is my most recent one on 1 Peter 2:2-10 from just near the end of this past academic year. It was my first time preaching from one of the catholic epistles. While most of my time in both New Testament exegesis and sermon-writing has revolved around the Gospels and the Pauline epistles, I really enjoyed wrestling with this text and crafting a sermon around it.... Read more

If you can only read one book about the history of early Christianity this year (or this summer, whichever comes first), I would highly recommend Larry Hurtado’s recent monograph, Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World (Baylor University Press, 2016). It was my top book in the New Testament/Early Christianity category in my “Top Books of 2016” list that I composed near the end of last year (it was very closely followed by John Barclay’s magisterial tome, Paul and the Gift;... Read more

I have been posting a good deal of Bible Project videos here as of late. But that is only because they are so great and help readers to look at the larger story that animates the whole of Scripture. In addition to their videos on biblical books and biblical themes, the Bible Project has recently been working on a series of videos looking at what exactly the Bible is. They recently posted Part 2 of the series. Needless to say I... Read more

My apologies up front to readers of this blog. This past week has been incredibly busy for me, what with final assignments, family coming to visit, and all the other things that life throws at you. As such it has been a whole week since I last posted anything. Never fear though, I am back (at least for this week). If you have been keeping up with my posts, then you will know that I am huge fan of the... Read more

As I’ve mentioned in my last few posts, I’ve been on a bit of a Catholic reading kick over the last couple of weeks. Much of this reading has centered on Thomas Aquinas and his thought, particularly his Triune metaphysics. One thing I love about Aquinas (among others) is how he interweaves faith and reason as two valid and complementary means of knowing, rather than the modernist (and false) dichotomy that is often posited between them. Of course, my Wesleyan tradition is... Read more

I’ve been on a bit of a Catholic reading and listening kick lately. I think of it as my way of engaging in ecumenical dialogue. One of these books has been Bishop Robert Barron’s Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith (Image: 2011). The book is intended to be both an introduction to Roman Catholic Christianity (though so far it has served as a good intro to little “c” catholic Christianity) and a companion to Bishop Barron’s Catholicism TV series. Part of... Read more

I am a Protestant. Granted, I am a Wesleyan with strong Anglican leanings, especially in my view of the sacraments and theology. But I am, nevertheless, still a child of the Reformation; the English Reformation anyway. That being said, I have really come to enjoy reading and listening to Roman Catholic theologians and biblical scholars. Both Raymond Brown and Joseph Fitzmyer are two of my heroes in the realm of New Testament studies (among their many other excellent writings, Brown’s commentary... Read more

What exactly does the New Testament mean when it speaks of faith? More specifically, what does it mean when it speaks about salvation by faith? Especially for those of us who inhabit one of the various Protestant traditions of Christianity, our understanding of salvation by faith typically revolves around a conception that emerged first with the Reformers like Luther and Calvin, and was further refined by evangelists like John Wesley and George Whitefield. This model of salvation by faith centers... Read more

INTRODUCTION The Book of Revelation is one of the most commented upon texts in the New Testament. Unfortunately, due to the book’s complex matrix of visual symbolism, intertextuality with the OT, and allusions to historical events in late first century, an unhelpful share of the commentaries and monographs written on Revelation over the centuries have tried to “decode” the book’s imagery for direct application to their contemporary events. This unfortunate tendency has been exacerbated over the last century-and-a-half, largely due... Read more

Happy Easter! He is risen! I’m off celebrating Christ’s resurrection with friends, so enjoy this video from the awesome people over at The Bible Project on why this day is good news! Read more