I recently read Christian Smith’s book The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture (2012) published by Brazos Press. It critiques a form of biblical interpretation that too often treats the Bible in a wooden and rule book fashion, thereby diminishing the richness of Scripture. Having grown up in […]
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How do we make sense of difficult passages in the Bible? What about the violence or apparent contradictions? Peter Enns addresses these concerns in his book The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It. Enns is concerned that instead of honest engagement with Scripture some Christian thinkers make
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Numerous books have been published in recent years addressing challenging passages in the Old Testament. Many of them have focused on the Israelite conquest of Canaan, while others discuss a palette of “problems.” In this post I review three books that engage these challenges. I especially consider how they handle violence in the Old Testament.
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One of my research interests, and one I am currently writing on for publication for Eerdmans, is the origins, nature, and useful interpretation of Scripture. Well, I guess that is more like three research interests! But I like to contemplate them together, as they intertwine. Origins helps us to know what the Bible is and
Divine Scripture in Human Understanding by Joseph Gordon Read More »
John Webster provides a helpful contribution to the discussion on the inspiration of the Bible in Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch. He provides a much needed look at the role of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology) that is missing in some of the discussions on the nature of Scripture. Webster roots his views of Scripture in
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In Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament. Peter Enns proposes an incarnational model for understanding how the Bible was inspired by God. Just as Jesus is 100% divine and 100% human, so also the Bible is both divine and human (17). Jesus was “God with us.” Even though he is
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In his book, Sacred Word Broken Word, Kenton Sparks proposes an “adoptionist” model for understanding how God speaks to us in Scripture. He writes, “Scripture is God’s Word because God providentially adopted ancient human beings, like Paul, as his spokespersons. In doing so God ‘set apart’ or ‘sanctified’ their words for use in his redemptive
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The foremost scholar on ethics in ancient Israel recently published a book on the topic entitled (unsurprisingly) Ethics in Ancient Israel. John Barton has been working in the realm of ethics and the Old Testament since his dissertation days in the 1970s. His latest book is a much needed and valuable contribution to biblical studies.
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I am pleased that Preston Sprinkle continued our dialogue by responding to my last post. As with his initial review, I enjoyed reading his second post on my book Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships. What I appreciate about these conversations is that they help us to wrestle deeply with theology and biblical
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A few weeks ago, I had a brief e-mail exchange with Preston Sprinkle. I had sent him a copy of my book, Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships, with a note saying that even though we disagree I appreciate his civil engagement on the subject. He replied saying he had already ordered the
This article has moved! Read it here: https://biblesexgender.substack.com/p/part-2-a-response-to-sean-mcdowell Karen Keen has created a new Substack called Bible, Sexuality, and Gender where you can find all her articles, videos, podcasts, and other resources on the topic of sexuality and gender.
Part 2: A Response to Sean McDowell on Same-Sex Relationships Read More »
This article has moved! Read it here: https://biblesexgender.substack.com/p/a-response-to-sean-mcdowells-book Karen Keen has created a new Substack called Bible, Sexuality, and Gender where you can find all her articles, videos, podcasts, and other resources on the topic of sexuality and gender.
