Many would consider the Roman Empire one of the greatest civilizations in history. In regard to the New Testament, the story of early Christianity finds its setting under the shadow of a meta-narrative[1] that dominated most of the Mediterranean world and even beyond. Caesar Augustus is the earliest figure of the Roman Empire that the New Testament makes reference to, as he was the emperor during the time of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2). Born in 63 BC[2], he came to... Read more
Today, I want to make some “big picture” observations about the Armor of God… 1. The weapons are not literal but meant to capture the reader/hearer’s imagination to understand the great resources of God at our disposal 2. The armor metaphor comes from mostly the book of Isaiah, and partially from the average Roman soldier Behind this text, is another group of passages that come out of the Old Testament. The armor metaphor is mostly connected to God as the... Read more
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Gen. 1.31a) The Scriptures begin with the declaration that God created the cosmos, and called it “very good.” Unfortunately, many of us do not experience the goodness of God’s world on a regular basis because the goodness of creation has been overshadowed by darkness. Perhaps there are those among us who are overwhelmed by the images of violence on our newscasts each night; and wonder how a God... Read more
WikiLeaks has been one of the political issues dominating our news and radio in the last couple of weeks. Almost daily, I hear this issue being discussed in my casual car rides while I listen to NPR. Interestingly, there are two basic opinions about the cables that are being released. There is one side of the spectrum that wants to call out the sins of the government. One voice in this conversation is author and activist, Julie Clawson, who wrote... Read more
It makes plain sense… or so I was taught. When I was a youth and even in my undergrad program I was taught a phrase to guide solid biblical interpretation: “If the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense.” What this advocates is to take the bible at the surface level of its meaning. So, if Paul says something that to us sounds literal or “plain” on the surface, then we ought to be able to trust that. Certainly... Read more
How does God deal with evil powers? Let’s look at 2 biblical Images, connected to our passage in Ephesians 6, that I think will give us some insight into our questions. 1. Yahweh (God’s proper name) as the Divine Warrior In Ephesians 6 we read about “the armor of God.” Paul seems to have drawn from two main sources in order to create this masterful motivational speech. First, he was in jail when he wrote this letter, so its likely... Read more
Over the past week it has been interesting to see the kind of reactions folks have to discussing “spiritual warfare.” There are three broad responses besides the “right ons!” and the “way to be academic and true to the spiritual realm!” type. 1) Abused post-Pentecostals who hear spiritual warfare and think “demon-under-every-bush.” I want to assure you that if this is your situation, that I have never been part of a Pentecostal church. I have been Mennonite Brethren most my... Read more
Today, I am honored to have a bit of a ‘hero’ on the blog. Dr. Ron Martoia has made a lasting impact on my spiritual journey. The same comment has been said by pastors throughout the world who appreciate his work in calling the church to her mission (ultimately, God’s mission) in the 21st century. He started asking questions about reshaping our understanding of the Bible as narrative, before it was en vogue, as he invited pastors and leaders to... Read more
The President's Speech Independence Day — MOVIECLIPS.com Independence Day is one of my favorite movies in spite of its themes of war and nation :-). In this clip, we find the moment where it’s time to take action against the alien invaders. So the president, after having lost his wife, gets up in the middle of the prepping militia, and gives a motivational speech that will energize them for the battle to come. One thing that you should know... Read more
Our culture is obsessed with two realities. Hollywood is intrigued by the idea of invisible spiritual powers. Many examples could be brought to the surface, but my favorite would be “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” A second cultural observation is that we also have a deep concern about systemic evil and global poverty. Bono of U2 and (RED)… need I saw more (except to add that today is World AIDS Day and you can help!)? Today I am going to... Read more
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