Hushai: Another Reason Why I Pray
Perhaps you have sometimes struggled to pray and wondered: “Does my prayer work?” Well, something from a story found in II Samuel and a figure named Hushai has caused me to push through those thoughts and engage in a daily habit of prayer. It is very...
Book Review: Jerusalem in the Times of Jesus by Joachim Jeremias
It was long overdue when the translation of Joachim Jeremias’ premier scholarship on Jerusalem’s economic, social, and cultural conditions in the first Christian century was produced. Joachim, son of the theologian and Assyriologist Friedrich Jeremias, also the...
The Apostle Paul and the Absence of the Gospels
Many reading this will be surprised to learn that the Apostle Paul did not have the Four Gospels when he began his ministry following his encounter with Christ on the Road to Damascus around AD 35. The newly inaugurated Church did not have anything they utilized as a...
God Did Not “Robe Himself in Flesh.”
We have all heard the phrase, “God robed Himself in the flesh,” but I want to take a quick moment and explain succinctly why we should avoid this phrase and why this phrase is theologically inaccurate. John 1:14 — 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt...
Double Fulfillment in Scripture: The Virgin Birth?
Isaiah 7:14–16 (KJV 1900) — 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, That he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For...
The Spirit of Pure Inquiry
The spirit of inquiry, though uncomfortable for many in the Body of Christ, is a necessary agency that works to hinder the advancement of doctrinal distortions, false teachings, and the temptation by some in the Pentecostal community to become top-heavy in...
PREACH THE WORD: A Careful Reflection on Speech in the Pulpit
As the culture of controversy has become dominated by text chains and back-room conversations, I often find that it is vital to the health and strength of the church community to respectfully and openly navigate certain controversies. In part, this is done to dull the...
The Captor that Comes as Liberator: Responding to the Fallacy of the Self-Described Social Media Holiness Reformers.
One need not peruse social media long these days to find themselves face-to-face with several outlets that have stirred the proverbial pot of biblical interpretation, often touting themselves as an enlightened alternative to all things cultish and cult-like. Uncanny...
