Bible Literacy
How to read the Bible (and make sense of it).
Related topics: Authentic Christianity, Book Reviews, Theology, Worldviews
the #codexinstagramus initiative: a bible photography project
What if you could only use pictures to tell the story of the Gospel? I've been thinking a great deal about Luke, the writer of his Gospel and the Book of Acts. The influence of his writing is unquestionable. But one thing most people don't know about him is that he...
which is the best bible translation?
I'll be honest. Answering the question about the best Bible translation isn't as clean-cut as we'd like. And there are passionate voices on all sides of the argument. After everything I've learned about the various translations, my answer about the best Bible...
when fear rises
I wake with a headache and a stiff neck. I shiver in the breeze of the open window and pull the sheet up to my chin. I breathe a prayer for those out west who can barely breathe for the heat of the air, for those who can barely breathe for the heat of life,...
beware: your kids may one day read the bible
I live with four women. And our dog is female too. This means we are a very verbal household. At any one point in the day, it is common to have three to four conversations directed at me simultaneously. Seriously. My mind freezes and I lock up. Many times...
ephesians 5:21-33: wives and husbands
[serialposts] Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. - Ephesians 5:21 Submit. It can cause a stirring of rebellion in any heart. This simple word can make one feel powerless and out of control. “Submit” screams of putting aside my wants, my desires, and...
ephesians 5:1-20: walk in love
[serialposts] Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. ~Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB) One of my favorite I Love Lucy episodes is...
ephesians 4:17-32: the new life
[serialposts] So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them...
ephesians 4:1-16: unity in the body of Christ
[serialposts]Chapter four of Ephesians begins with Paul describing how we, as Christians, are to unite in one faith: 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to...
ephesians 3:14-21: prayer for spiritual strength
[serialposts]It’s the middle of chapter three in Ephesians and Paul is still penning words from prison. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love...
ephesians 3:1-13: the mystery of the Gospel revealed
[serialposts]My fingers tap allegro on the chair in front of me, keeping time to the rhythm of my heart when I look at the back of her teenage head, her waif frame knuckled between siblings. I know this feeling; it isn’t the first time it’s hovered over me in...
ephesians 2:11-22: one in Christ
[serialposts]Have you ever noticed how much "Once upon a time" sounds like "In the beginning"? It's how the great stories begin (and reveals where the great stories were born). I noticed this when I read Ephesians the way I went looking for thimbleberries. We were...
ephesians 2:1-10: by grace through faith
[serialposts]I can remember talking about this passage in Confirmation as if it were yesterday. There's not much I remember from those middle school years, but this passage stuck with me. This is what makes us Lutheran, my pastor said. It is this passage that...
ephesians 1:15-23: thanksgiving and prayer
[serialposts]For many of these ideas, I am indebted to the excellent commentary on the book of Ephesians in the NIV Application series written by Dr. Klyne Snodgrass, Professor of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary. Like any good letter-writer in the...