Bible Study
Losing The Gut
After all the gluttony and indulgence of the Christmas feasting traditions, we come to the verge of the new year. Typically this is when we all make resolutions to change and reform our behaviour. Depending on our will power these resolutions last for a few days or maybe even a couple of weeks. We [...]
Bible Reading: Pick Your Plan for 2012
Personal Bible reading can be a glorious adventure or a guilt-burdened duty. Choosing a Bible reading plan that fits your life may be part of the key to finding delight within the pages of the Old Book. Have you ever read through the whole Bible in a year? For me, this strategy for Bible [...]
Taking America Out of the Bible
As an Australian, I realise just how much American culture has influenced today’s Christian practices. Because the USA has been the world’s leading ‘Christian’ superpower, prominent evangelists often have an American worldview, church hymn books include patriotic songs, and missionaries peddle American culture to foreign fields. For better or worse, this will diminish as America’s global [...]
Hands up if you don’t read your Bible…
I love reading. I read (on average) one to two books per month and almost every day I read a bucket load of news and opinion across the internet. My most recent book was Lou Gerstner’s Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance and I am currently reading In the Plex by Stephen Levy. On the theological [...]
God & His Word
I’ve appreciated Jason’s ongoing series on the King James Version and I marvel at how the ensuing discussion alternates between a fight between kung-fu masters and schoolboys in a fight. I would like to posit the following as my contribution to this series: Almost five hundred years ago, a boat set sail from the Continent [...]
A Cure for Mental Enslavement
I’ve been going to church since I was eight years old. Almost every church I have attended has been a self-proclaimed Bible-centred church. But what I have observed in churches is a lot of Bible preaching, a lot of Bible studies, Bible stories and Bible songs, but very little actual Bible reading. By simple comparison [...]
Why Some Sins Are Worse Than Others
My high school classes are learning the catechism, and this week we covered this question: Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 83: Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Answer: Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. Puritan pastor Thomas Watson (1620-1686) wrote a [...]
Essential Virtues
I’ve been enjoying Jim Berg’s latest book Essential Virtues: Marks of the Christ-Centered Life. Berg explains how the list of virtues in II Peter chapter 1 “presents a clear template for our own growth in Christ and for our discipleship of others in the midst of our own morally corrupt culture.” It’s a great study [...]
Resources For Youth Groups
For teens, youth group can be a great way to have fun and to learn and live out the Word. But for leaders, it’s often a challenge to juggle activities and provide proper instruction. Here are three educational resources I’ve used, which can enrich teens and assist leaders. A Sneaking Suspicion (John Dickson) Written primarily [...]
From Rogue To Regent
Once upon a time there was a woman named Abigail. She was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance. She was married to a man named Nabal who was known for being harsh and evil in his doings. They lived in a place called Maon. Nabal was a very rich man who had his [...]
Learning Greek and Hebrew
Introduction For the many of you who are not using Bible study software I suggest you first read this and then check out the Logos website. Thanks to Logos I have lived a spoiled Christian Bible study life. I’ve never had to have dozens of books lying around me struggling to keep enough bookmarks around [...]
Reader Response vs Authorial Intent
There were a couple of different posts I could have started this series with but I think this is probably the best bet. Let’s get on with the show! Ways to Interpret Through pretty much any artistic medium you have essentially 2 ways to interpret the message conveyed. The medium could be anything like music, [...]
