An old girlfriend once told me that the groom was just “a prop” at the wedding. In the nativity story, Joseph comes across as a prop. Yet, there is much more to his story if we look carefully at the text.
Are the Crusades the Ultimate Black Mark Against Christianity?
How could anyone defend a religion that would sanction the Crusades? How could Christians engage in such activities? Did the Crusades permanently damage Christian witness in the Middle East? As with most things in the Middle East, it’s complicated.
Israel: June 8-19, 2020
Why take a Biblical study trip to Israel? Because context matters.
Join me next June to experience the Land of the Bible. It will forever change how you read the Text.
Soldiers of Christ, Arise?
If you were asked to summarize the Good News of Jesus in one word, what would it be? For me, I think “love” would be at the top of my list. Words like victory, resurrection, and restoration would also be pretty high on the list.
The early church summarized the Gospel message with a much different word: suffering.
Risky Business
The amazing message Jesus has for the Samaritan woman is “I already know who you are…and I still want that drink!” That is the Gospel of Jesus in a nutshell. As God’s people, we are called to live out the Gospel in the same way.
The Trouble with Samaritans (Part 2)
The river of bad blood between Jews and Samaritans ran wide and deep. Yet, there was one event that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The Trouble with Samaritans (Part 1)
So what caused the bad blood between the Jews and Samaritans? Who’s to blame?
As with most things in Israel, it’s complicated.
Did the Samaritans Get a Bum Rap?
If you read the Bible—especially the New Testament—it’s pretty easy to come away with a bad impression of Samaritans. In fact, most of us would probably rank the Samaritans just slightly better than the Pharisees when it comes “disliked” groups of people in the Gospels.
Yet, are these portrayals accurate? The short answer is, not exactly.
Departing Thoughts
JUC has been everything I had hoped it would be and so much more. This place is probably the best-kept secret for Biblical study in the entire world—and I miss it already.
The Samaritan Passover
Growing up in suburban Cincinnati, sacrifices were not part of everyday life. They were something I read about in the Bible or learned about in Sunday school. I had never experienced a sacrifice and all that it entailed—that is until last Thursday evening at sunset.
