Dr. Kenneth Cuffey Mary from Magdala: first witness of the resurrected Jesus on Easter Sunday, fellow traveler with the 12, financial supporter of the 12, present at the cross and at the tomb. One of the more puzzling characters around Jesus in the gospels is Mary Magdalene. Clearly she was important, even pivotal in her…
By Dr. Melody Green In his autobiography Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis describes how, when he was a young atheist, he read a book that he described as having “baptized my imagination.” That book was Phantastes, a fantasy novel written by the Victorian Scottish author, pastor and poet George MacDonald. Later, Lewis explains that…
Should we engage in germ line genetic engineering to put an end to inheritable genetic disease? Is it ever okay to use hormones and/or gender reassignment surgery? Does obedience to the command “Be fruitful and multiply”? (Gen. 1:28) justify using a surrogacy? Is capital punishment contrary to the gospel? Can the divorced ever serve in…
By Dr. Kenneth Cuffey A common quandary for believers is to know what God felt about the rest of the world while he dealt with Israel in the Old Testament. He seemed to focus on the descendants of Abraham until the New Testament, right? As a Gentile, I want to know . . . what…
By Lawson Lau Long before the concept of freedom of speech made its way into the consciousness of the Western world, China practiced it during the Golden Age of Chinese Thought (770-221 B.C.). In the centuries-long ferment of contrasting viewpoints, Chinese philosophers or thinkers maintained that humans are born good and are perfectible (Confucius &…
By Dr. Peter Spychalla The religious poet, a worshipper of Israel’s God, YHWH, exclaimed, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long” (Psalm 119:97). Biblical authors commend, through command and example, sustained reflection on God, His character, His works, His ways, His plans, and His instruction as revealed in the…
By Dr. Melody Green The Babylon Bee, a satirical online website focusing on contemporary Christian culture, recently ran an article titled “Banned from Playing Violent Video Games, Local Kid Settles for Reading Old Testament.” It explains that when a boy’s parents banned his video games on the grounds that they were too violent, he discovered…
Dr. Andrew Blaski As twenty-first century Christians, we sometimes treat the New Testament as though it were written in a vacuum, without considering how it was received (and indeed, compiled) by those who immediately followed its composition. It doesn’t always occur to us that there were men and women who actually knew the apostles, and that those individuals may…
Blessed are the meek? Blessed are the peacemakers? by Peter D. Spychalla, Ph.D., D.Min. Assistant Professor of New Testament & Spiritual Formation The speech of a first-century Jewish prophet arrests me: “blessed are the meek, . . . blessed are the peacemakers.” It puzzles, intrigues. How can this be? What could he possibly mean? Why…
By Dr. Todd Daly The doctrine of divine election/predestination is too often associated with acrimonious debates between the followers of Calvin and Arminius, debates that not only distort the concept of election but subtly suggest that Christians are better off jettisoning this troubled doctrine altogether. However, this troubled debate often engenders legitimate questions about the…
