Category Archives: Bible

We will sometimes believe that we have failed, and perhaps we have. But that can be okay. Look at Joseph. In the book of Genesis, Joseph was a teenager. Next to the youngest son, he was favored by his father, … Continue reading →

After hoping that God would do something to fix the nation of Israel, and after learning from God that his “solution” is to have the nation suffer the destruction of a Babylonian invasion and conquest, the prophet Habakkuk is feeling … Continue reading →

When I teach biblical interpretation, one of the things I use to help explain the difference between biblical narrative and biblical poetry is to ask the students to compare Judges 4 and Judges 5. These two chapters make my job … Continue reading →

In reading the Bible, as with reading anything, context is important. I don’t like to rain on people’s parades, but it disturbs me sometimes when I see people take a comforting passage and apply it to themselves or others as … Continue reading →

The universe is random. Despite the more fatalistic branches of Christianity, and other religions, the biblical picture—I believe—is not at odds with our experience of the world. That is, I believe that God has given us freedom, and that freedom … Continue reading →

Luther wrote once that he threw ink at the Devil. When he wrote those words, he was thinking metaphorically about his translation of the New Testament into German that allowed ordinary people to read God’s word for themselves. Over time, … Continue reading →

In Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan asks a question of his brother Alyosha: “Imagine that you are creating a fabric of human destiny with the object of making men happy in the end, giving them peace and rest at … Continue reading →