The Value of the Apocrypha: 1 Maccabees and Jesus

Historical context matters. I can think of many instances when learning the “rest of the story” is of immense help in understanding the current context. A social gathering gets suddenly awkward when Yuri enters the room; Boris, next to you, leans over to whisper, “He and Sasha used to date.”*  A particular church’s dynamics seem […]

Books that Didn’t Make the Cut: The Value of the Apocrypha

We don’t determine the value of something generally based on its lack of value for a particular purpose. If I need a hammer for a particular job for which my screwdriver is not helpful, it doesn’t therefore follow that my screwdriver is worthless and should be thrown away. If I want to play football, I […]

Broken Body, A Study of Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians

Broken Body A Sermon Series on Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians.  First sermon can be found here. The Church is the Body of Christ. The Church is also people…and people are broken. We get it wrong in a great many ways. The Book of 1 Corinthians is a glimpse into a Broken Body. The […]

Books that Didn’t Make the Cut: The Apocrypha

At the end of each summer, every NFL team must winnow its roster to 53 players. The very best make the cut; many hopeful young men see their hopes dashed with news they didn’t make the cut (or, more graphically, they’ve “been cut”). This is true in all walks of life – whether you are […]

Questions of Canon – Who Gets to Decide What’s in the Bible? The New Testament

It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention. The Space Race and the urgency to outstrip the Soviets on the way to the moon led to an enormous proliferation of scientific advance. And I don’t just mean Tang. Really significant stuff. But it took the crisis to make those advances necessary. Think of […]