I like to share my thoughts on theological and philosophical topics. I am also a student working through an MDiv and occasionally share papers on the blog. If you have any questions on a paper or blog post, send me a message! I’d love to talk with you about it.
That Thing Jesus Did Not Do (But You Think He Did)
he common reaction to this scene in John is that Jesus walked up to the temple, saw the money changers and merchants handling their business, and in a moment of pure, holy rage twisted together a whip and created an Indiana Jones salvation moment, flipping tables and screaming at the Nazis. Quite the opposite of a berserked warrior hero, Jesus is about to lay down his life and take upon himself the shame of this crooked marketplace.
The Bible and Culture
The bible is a collection of divine revelations given by God to humans within the context of their culture, giving the bible and culture a cyclical relationship where one impacts the other. This does not mean culture in any way has authority over the bible. It simply means that culture helps us understand the bible, because culture helped us receive divine revelation from God.
Without culture, we wouldn’t be able to understand anything. That’s why God gave us culture. When you see the world getting increasingly chaotic and confusing, don’t blame or fear culture.
God’s Promises in Unlikely Places
This small, simple passage about ritual purification regarding childbirth is a promise that echoes throughout all of eternity that God will make us, the rebellious, unclean, sinful wretches that we are, purified and able to enter into His presence once again.
Don’t rush through these chapters in the Bible. They may seem odd and out of place in our contemporary context, but there are powerful promises in them that reveal the hope of a good God who redeems His beloved creation, you and me.
