As archeologists dig through layers of dirt, they often rediscover long lost and forgotten treasures. Likewise, when we dig deep into the history recorded in the Bible, we can discover lost or forgotten truth. In today’s blog, I want to dig into the biblical history of the term “church.” What some will find surprising (but not those who regularly read our blog or listen to our podcast), is that the NT use of the term is grounded in Israel’s history.... Read more
By Tommy Moehlman Lessons from LARPing Growing up, my pals and I commandeered a small wooded area where we played hide and seek after school. We spent a lot of time LARPing (that’s Live Action Role Playing for you muggles). We knew this place better than our own neighborhoods—which paths to travel, where poison ivy grew, and what patches of thickets and thorns to avoid. So we developed eyes to see the natural paths that guided our feet in and... Read more
In my previous post I talked about the need to interpret the Bible on its own terms, but I didn’t really give any specific ways to do that. This post is intended to help with that lofty goal of contextualizing the Bible in order to better interpret it. How to Ruin a Biblical Narrative* *I use the term “narrative” somewhat loosely. Genesis 1-11 contains narrative, but a very different type than one might find in Kings. Basically, it is any... Read more
About 2 years ago, after I had just been hired at GLCC, I accompanied one of our VPs to a Northern Indiana Men’s Fellowship. I was introduced as the OT professor and I gave a message. Afterward I was greeting some of the men and the inevitable question was asked of the “OT Guy”—“Do you take Genesis literally?” Ah the age old question of interpretation. It’s a terrible position to be put in. Especially because it’s hard to distill lots... Read more
Today’s blog is something that has been bubbling in my reflective consciousness. I’ve decided to toss it out for you to think about and critique. The question I’m wrestling with has to do with change that is birthed in violence. The main question is this: should we be surprised when change that is birthed in violence fails to fulfill our hopes? In part, this is on my mind because I am currently preaching a series on Genesis 1-11. This week... Read more
First Impressions Trump’s tweeting thumbs set the agenda for the news cycle again this week. My first exposure was a headline that read “GO BACK! Trump’s Racist Tweet.” I don’t generally read news articles. I’m leery of the clickbait that comes with them and the bias that envelopes them. So, instead, I listen to the CBS World News roundup podcsast. Since it strives to be concise, it tends to convey less bias and ads than most news sources. Having seen... Read more
Long Ago, God Spoke Somewhere back in the 13th century, God delivered the Israelites from Egypt. He then led them to Mount Sinai where he began fashioning them into a priestly nation by giving them vital instructions. Equipped with these instructions, the Israelites took possession of the land of Canaan. God gave them this land so they could learn and grow into their priestly calling. This journey did little to endear the Israelites to God. They complained about food and... Read more
I am nervous that a growing number of Christians nowadays distance themselves from the Old Testament. Sam already wrote a post about this, but I want to continue the conversation. I want to suggest another compelling reason why we must keep teaching the Old Testament unashamedly in the church. Simply put, if Jesus is not understood in light of his Old Testament context, some other context will replace it. Often it’s a prominent political agenda or trending philosophical framework. This... Read more
Christians take biblical interpretation quite seriously and rightly so. Unlike the interpretation of other texts, the interpretation of the Bible is a high stakes game. This is because we believe that the Bible is God’s revealed word to humanity. If we interpret God’s word wrong, we misunderstand God’s instruction and compromise our attempts to live according to those instructions, sometimes to disastrous results. However, not everyone uses the best principles of interpretation. There are many well- meaning Christians who nevertheless... Read more
This is the third and final post about peace. You can find parts 1 and 2 here and here. PERSONAL PEACE So when it comes to seeking peace in our personal lives we need to remember that peace is a gift from God. Knowing peace each day is a blessing from God. Divine peace comes not from meditation but from the hand of God. If you are lacking peace, don’t try to make yourself feel peaceful. Often we go about... Read more
Walk and Word
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In