In case you haven’t heard, there is a new Star Wars movies that has just come out—The Last Jedi. Okay, obviously you’ve heard about it. And you’re probably well aware of the very heated reactions fans have had to the movie: they either loved it or they hated it; they either applauded its bold story-telling…
In July of 1997, after finishing a master’s degree in the New Testament at Regent College, I went with my dad to visit my grandparents, Lennart and Margaret Anderson, in Willmar, Minnesota. Because they were in their mid-80s, they had to sell their house at 723 West Trott Avenue, where they had lived for over…
King David and the Kingdom of Israel It is in the book of I Samuel where we find the Hebrews demanding to have a king. YHWH did not want them to have a king like the other nations, because, He warned, kings abuse and oppress their people. YHWH Himself was the king of the Hebrews,…
The Old Testament is a collection of 39 books, written roughly over a span of 1,000 years, and it covers the entire history of ancient Israel. It contains narratives (stories), laws, poetry, prophecies, proverbs, as well as many other genres. And, truth be told, most people, aside from knowing a few random Old Testament stories…
As it turned out, the Formula of Reunion of 433 didn’t sit too well with the more fanatical elements of Cyril’s allies. Cyril had so violently attacked Nestorius and the Antiochian insistence of the two natures of Christ, that even after he had conceded just a little in order to reunite the Church, those fanatics…
The tares of politics, intrigue, and fanaticism have always grown up side by side the wheat of the Gospel as it works its way throughout human history. No better example of this can be seen in the wild and wooly events that transpired in the events leading up to, and including, the third Church Council…
***The next three posts are taken from a Church history unit I wrote as a high school teacher, and they are based on a book I had read entitled, Jesus Wars, by Philip Jenkins, which took a look at the first four Church councils. Many Christians today assume that many of the most accepted doctrines about…
“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose,…
In my last post, I began to address the recent flood of sexual harassment allegations and revelations that have come out against many Hollywood executives and politicians. I noted that these revelations regarding the predatory behavior by men in power should not be surprising at all. Without going into sordid details, just take a look…
Back in October, Rose McGowen spoke out against the sexual predatory behavior of Harvey Weinstein, and soon after that, numerous women stepped forward to accuse Weinstein of similar things. Throughout the course of the month, many other directors, producers, and executives were accused of sexual harassment as well. October was topped off with actor Kevin…