Today’s adventure in biblical interpretation is Leviticus 18:17-18. This was brought to my attention in a comment by Artisianal Toad, a proponent of polygyny. While you can read the comment quoted below, you can also read his full rationale on his blog. “Oh, did you notice that not only is there no prohibition of female […]
This article is part of the series Adventures in Biblical Interpretation. When it comes to criticizing the Bible, one of the most common cheap-shot objections is to point to the obscure laws laid out in the Torah. Various approaches are taken, from showing how out-of-date they are, to how Christians don’t bother to follow them even […]
The biblical story of Sodom from Genesis 18 and 19 is a popular story for many people. Biblical skeptics argue that it shows that God approves of rape. Conservative Christians use it to show that homosexuality is one of the greatest sins. Searching the internet for “Sodom”, “Lot”, and “rape” yields many results. Many of […]
The apostle Paul is widely considered by many to be the most important Christian to ever live. As many as fourteen books of the Bible are attributed to him.1 His influence on both the spread of Christianity and its doctrines has been profound. This is especially noteworthy because Paul was not an eyewitness to Jesus and […]
This article is part 4 of an 8 part series. Go back to part 3. The Life of Jesus According to All Four Gospels The Beginning of the End As the end of the ministry of Jesus came closer, all the gospels stressed two points: The anointing by Mary and its symbolism of death, sacrifice, and forgiveness. The acceptance […]
This article is part 3 of an 8 part series. Go back to part 2. Go forward to part 4. The Life of Jesus According to All Four Gospels The Ministry of Jesus The ministry of Jesus lasted for an estimated three or four years. There are many events described in the four gospels about who he […]
This article is part 2 of an 8 part series. Go back to part 1. Go forward to part 3. The Life of Jesus According to All Four Gospels The Baptism of Jesus The ministry of Jesus began with his baptism. While each gospel writer chose to introduce Jesus in a different way, they all talked about his baptism. […]
This article is part 1 of an 8 part series. Go forward to part 2. The Life of Jesus According to All Four Gospels Introduction We have four gospels that tell us about Jesus. But they do not all record the same story. It is interesting to see what each writer thought was important to highlight that the […]
I’ve listened to and watched many popular atheists talk about God. When asked what it would take to convince them, the most common response is some sort of personal supernatural experience. It might be an angel shouting from the sky or something equally unscientific but undeniable. But, they say, nothing short of this is enough. Arguments […]
This article is part of the series Adventures in Biblical Interpretation. In the phrase “Give us this day our daily bread” from the Lord’s Prayer, the meaning of the Greek word translated as “daily” is unknown. We have no use of the term anywhere else in the entire body of ancient literature. So when it came time to […]