Articles about Biblical Theology

Historicism is an oft forgotten distinctive with a strong past in the Advent Christian tradition.

Devin Nicely responds to a reader’s email….

I have a friend who attended a legalistic Christian School as a child. He once told me about the day when one of his teachers taught a lesson about the possibility of a lost salvation

I was recently befriended by an elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), and to my absolute joy, our conversations have been the most cordial and friendly of any I have had with an LDS member…

Like me, you’ve probably noticed a rise in the number of people who identify as “progressive Christians”. And if you’re like most people, you’ve wondered, “What the heck does that mean?” Well, that question is difficult to answer for a couple of reasons…

Recently I’ve had multiple skeptics tell me that one of the main reasons they don’t believe that Christianity is true is that “Christians can’t agree on anything.” And they go on to point out events throughout history such as the reformation and the formation of literally hundreds of denominations. But while all of these events did in fact happen, is it true that Christians can’t agree on anything? I think not!

Some time ago an article was brought to my attention that charges modern Bible translation with changing the meaning of the original text of the Bible. These questions, of course, come up from time to time. There are often those, from inside and outside of the church, who question translation accuracy in order to support a particular agenda. The problem for many Christians is that we generally do not know the original languages. So when one of these challenges arises, it can cause us to question not only the teaching of our own church, but the very teaching of the Bible itself. And so, I have written this article to reassure you that yes, our modern Bible translations are accurate to the original languages.

In Matthew 12, Mark 2, and Luke 6, we have an event recorded of Jesus’ disciples rubbing wheat grains in their hands and eating them. The Pharisees who were with them at the time accused them of performing work on the sabbath, as it seems was their custom. In response, Jesus recounts the time in David’s life when he and his men were fleeing from king Saul and came to the high priest who gave them the bread of the presence and you can read the rest if you so desire, but the focus of this article is what some skeptics take to be a contradiction regarding the high priest in particular…

It is the month of June! And in our day and age, that means that the corporations and politicians of our culture are promoting what has been dubbed “pride month.” I was debating whether to write on this topic, given the sensitive nature of it, but after seeing not just the culture generally going extra hard for pride month this year, but professing Christians also cudgeling the church into submission with the cultural norms of the day, I felt it necessary to address what I believe to be key notions believed by pro-gay Christians, helping biblical Christians to handle this behavior biblically.

In an earlier article, I laid out the basics of the Moral Argument for the existence of God. The most common objection brought by skeptics to the Moral Argument is called the Euthyphro Dilemma. Let’s begin by winding the clock back to the event that is credited with its origin.

In an earlier article, I laid out the basics of the Moral Argument for the existence of God. The most common objection brought by skeptics to the Moral Argument is called the Euthyphro Dilemma. Let’s begin by winding the clock back to the event that is credited with its origin.

In defending the doctrine of the Trinity, and more specifically the deity of Jesus, there is a rule of the Koine Greek language that is important to know. The Granville Sharp rule is used as a fortification of two verses of scripture in particular as they relate to the deity of Christ…

Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

Scrolling through Facebook just the other day, I came across a meme that must have been circulating since the new year; it was a New Year’s Resolution meme. It read, “This year, I resolve to be more like Jesus,” which is great to hear. The list that followed had some good general goals such as, “Love people more,” along with some more whimsical ones like, “Take naps on boats.” But one stood out to me among all of the others; it read, “Hang out with sinners.” Of course, this got me thinking and asking some questions perhaps too deep to be wasted on a trifling thing like a meme, but important questions with real consequences nonetheless.

Context; Context; Context. Robert Mayer reflects on how important Bible reading has been in his long journey of Christian faith and suggests how some key ideas for reading the Bible well helps us learn to better follow Jesus in a complex world.

If you have ever encountered a Jehovah’s Witness, you may have been told that Jesus was not crucified on a cross, but rather nailed to an upright torture stake with no horizontal crossbeam. They say this is because of a mistranslation from the Greek to English language. Is this actually the case? And either way, why is this such an important issue? In this article, we will examine the claims of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and explain why this is such a big deal to them.

It is no secret that the Bible boasts a wealth of fulfilled prophecies, but I would venture a guess that few Christians could name one if asked. My favorite prophecy as of now is the destruction of Tyre (the capital of the Phoenician empire). This prophecy holds a special place in my mind because of its verifiability due to the extra biblical historical and geographic evidence available to us 2300 years after its fulfillment!

Some skeptics have claimed that Jesus was a false apocalyptic prophet based on a couple of statements He made in the gospels. As a younger Christian, these verses troubled me and caused me to wonder the same thing. But a careful reading of the passages in question is sufficient to show why they should not be of concern to believers.

A great many skeptics have defined “faith” as “a belief that is ​not ​based on evidence,” and for some reason, many evangelicals accept this definition. But is this the way “faith” is used in the New Testament when Paul, Peter, or Jesus use it? Is this definition accurate in relation to the way the word was used in other works of ancient Greco-Roman literature? How do writers like Aristotle, Herodotus, Diodorus, and others who wrote in Koine Greek use the same word? Do they use it to mean “belief without evidence”? Or do they mean something entirely different. In this article we will explore these questions and clarify what is really meant by “faith.”

The Moral Argument has been one of the most effective arguments for God’s existence, and one that believers can use in a vast array of situations. Of all of the debates I have watched between atheists/agnostics and Christian philosophers, it has been the most difficult for the skeptics to answer. Even in my own dialogues on social media I have only encountered two responses to the Moral Argument: evasion and insult. Either the person I’ve presented this argument to attempts to avoid having to deal with the argument by trying to change the subject, ends the conversation, or proceeds to call me a cultist, bigot, flat-earther, religious zealot, or homophobe or misogynist if discussing abortion or homosexuality.

We’re back to my favorite apologetics subject: Ancient History! Many New Testament scholars today will differ in their positions on the dates the four gospels were written. This article will not weigh in on that discussion. ​This ​article is written to show that the gospel ​itself ​dates back to within 6 months of the crucifixion! I hope that peaks your interest. Let’s dive right into the data.

Is it pagan in origin?

Perhaps you’ve heard a skeptic say, “Religious belief is largely influenced by geography. If you were born in the Middle-East, you’d probably be a muslim. Or, if you were born in India, you’d probably be a hindu. Truth should be based on evidence and facts, not on where you were born.” Most who put forth this challenge are unaware that they have committed the Genetic Fallacy. What is the genetic fallacy? This article will tell you just that, and how to answer someone who commits it.

There is a certain crowd who creates unnecessary conflict within the body of Christ. You can find their positions all over social media, YouTube, and sometimes even on TV. In this article, we will call them the “Anti-Holiday” crowd.