Peering into the very late first century BC we find the briefest overlap of two individuals, both of whom would claim to be the king of the Jews. On the one hand we see Herod the Great, a capable and fierce man, full of ambition and paranoia. On the other hand, we see Jesus of Read more about 615. Who Is the Real King of the Jews? (Sean Finnegan)[…]
This is part two of my conversation with Bob Carden who served as the lead pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship for decades before retiring. (The church is now called Align Ministries, led by Garrett Bova.) Continuing on the topic of healing and deliverance from last week, we begin by talking about evil spirits and pornography Read more about 571 Give God a Shot (Bob Carden)[…]
Joshua Michael Smith grew up in northern Florida in a Baptist church. In this interview he shares his journey of faith, including how came to Christ as well as how he ended up in ministry training at Word of Life before earning a bachelors at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga. While there, he began questioning Read more about 558 Courageous Baptist Seeks Biblical Truth (Joshua Michael Smith)[…]
How should translators render the word προκσυνέω (proskuneo) into English? Since this word has a range of meanings from bowing as a sign of respect to worshiping God, translators sometimes decide what English words to use based more on their theological presuppositions than the grammar or textual context. For example, some translations (mostly those done Read more about 349 Bible 20 – Bow or Worship? (Translating Proskuneo)[…]
In preparation for Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference, I began work on a research paper to explain how the process of Bible translation works. While putting this paper together, I kept coming across important topics that I felt uncomfortable excluding. Whenever possible I prioritized brevity over thoroughness and still the “paper” grew beyond the 10 page Read more about Bible Translation Sources and Theory[…]
It’s so easy to slip into prayers that are mostly, or even only, petition–asking God to meet our needs. However, it’s clear from the prayers we see in scripture that there’s much more to it than just making requests. In fact, many of examples we have in the bible include extensive declarations of praise. They Read more about Bible Verses to Help You Praise God[…]
On January 4-6, eighty of us gathered in Woodstock, Connecticut for a weekend focused on the theme “Wisdom.” We sang, we cried, we laughed, we played floor hockey, we warmed ourselves by the fire, we renewed old friendships and made new friends, and we heard inspiring and practical bible teachings drawn from the bible’s wisdom Read more about Revive 2019 Teachings and Music[…]
What spiritual disciplines do you practice? We’re all familiar with reading our bibles and prayer, but there’s so much more available. In this interview, Blake Cortright guides us through his own journey into discovering ancient Christian disciplines that can help us today, including prayer, fasting, meditation, bible study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, Read more about Interview 19: Spiritual Disciplines (Blake Cortright)[…]
Now that we’ve worked through several counterfeit gods, including love, money, success, and power, it’s time to dig in a little deeper. Do you understand your own heart? Can you discern where you are tempted to idolize something or someone? In order to figure this out, ask yourself these four questions: What do you daydream Read more about Off Script 27: Worshiping God[…]
Today we are starting a series based on Tim Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods, wherein we’ll consider a number of idols that vie for worship in our society. In this episode we consider Aphrodite, the ancient goddess of love, and her modern counterparts. We begin by examining the somewhat dysfunctional love story of Jacob and Rachel Read more about Off Script 23: Worshiping Love[…]
Most Christians never give worshiping Jesus a second thought. However, as biblical unitarians–those who believe the Father is the only true God–we do need to wrestle with this question. Some have argued that worshiping Jesus is tantamount to idolatry since we should only worship God. Others have taken the view that we can worship Jesus Read more about Podcast 21: Should We Worship Jesus? (Sean Finnegan)[…]