I am sensitive to politicians who misuse Scripture. (Please note that a lot of politicians do this, regardless of political affiliation. I fault any who do this, regardless of what letter they have after their name.) Today I read a news article where a presidential candidate used a verse inappropriately. I’m going to call this particular error “Smoke and Mirrors Exposition” which I define as taking a verse out of context to support an issue in which the verse has no bearing on the issue at hand. With this particular error, oftentimes the same issue supported by the politician is clearly condemned by other passages of Scripture. Continue reading
Category Archives: Theology
Usury: Does the Bible Explicitly Prohibit It?
One of my pet peeves is politicians misusing Scripture. I don’t care what letter they have after their name or what their political persuasion is. Here the topic is usury in the Bible as it relates to U.S. interest rates. (Relating these two things is a stretch anyway, since the biblical text’s statements about usury were between individuals, but here we go.)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-religious-right_n_5cde4ba3e4b00e035b8d3c38
usury
God Sings
I was teaching a Sunday School class for teenagers recently and mentioned in passing that God sings and when we sing we reflect part of his character. I received a number of confused looks from the teens present. Now my lesson wasn’t specifically on that point and my mention of it was by way of illustration, so I moved on. However, I think I’m going to revisit that briefly with them soon to help them see this important truth better. In addition, my other thought was that other Christians may have never heard this either, so here is a verse which demonstrates God as singing. Continue reading
Dating Jesus’ Tomb
Below is an article from Breakpoint on recent developments in the identification and dating of Jesus’ tomb. While it’s not definitive, it certainly provides some interesting insight and demonstrates how technology is aiding the archeological research of Christian history. Continue reading
Marriage: Leaving and Cleaving
Marriage is a great institution and one which has been established by God. This is the primary passage in the Bible regarding the union between a man and woman.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Gen. 2:24-25)
The first aspect of marriage is that it begins a new family. The man leaves his parents and he and his wife start their own unique household. This is not to say that the parents and other family members are forsaken, but that their union constitutes a newly formed family unit.
Marriage, rings over Bible
The second aspect is that there is a bond between the man and woman. The husband cleaves unto his wife. The Hebrew word for “cleave” means to “stick to” or “stay close to”. Jesus elaborated on this theme when He said, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:6)
The third aspect in this passage is that there is intimacy between the man and woman. God reserves the expression of sex for marriage. Our culture has moved away from this standard, but it is a timeless biblical standard which should be observed. Sexual expression is a rite of marriage, so to speak. As God instructs, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebrews 13:4)
Marriage is a God-ordained institution and as such, God defines it, not our culture. This union is defined by God in the Bible as always between one man and one woman. While this standard has been defined by our culture as narrow-minded, old-fashioned, and far worse, it has been the undeniable standard throughout the ages.