Category: Theology
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A defense of theological understanding…
Sometimes in the church, I see a dismissal or even a negative judgement placed upon heavy, technical study of theology or the Bible. We should all agree that Christians should read the Bible and participate in Bible studies, but for some people like myself bible study, apologetics, and debate can become a hobby that others…
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Plundering the Egyptians – Reclaiming Truth from Non-Christian Works
In Exodus 12:35-36, as the Israelites are leaving Egypt the Bible tell us this, 35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that…
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The Virtue of Laughter: Principles for Biblical Humor
Aristotle is well-known for defining virtues as the middle between two vices. This is known as the golden mean between excess and deficiency. One interesting and important virtue that Aristotle defines this way is “eutrapelia” which is Greek for “well-turned” and is often translated as “wittiness”. Through this concept, Aristotle seeks to define a balance…
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Happy Birthday Jesus!
Most Christians are aware that Jesus likely was not actually born on December 25th, but that was a date that was chosen at some point early in church history. There are a number of different reasons for that date, and perhaps we can discuss that in a later article. For now, let us take a…
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What is a Human?
I love reading, thinking, and talking about creation and scientific fields with which the book of Genesis overlaps. Recently, I have been reading about human origins and when Adam and Eve existed. As much of a controversial topic this is, one question that I think is often misunderstood in this debate, is, “what is a…
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Demonology: Part 4: Closing Thoughts on Demonic Origins
Over the last several posts we have analyzed the biblical, apocryphal, and historical positions on demonic origins. We have shown that the biblical text is largely silent on the topic, but it does support or at least oblige the claims made in the apocryphal text of 1 Enoch. Finally, we surveyed the opinions of early…
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Saint Irenaeus and The Number of the Beast
The other day I was diving into a rabbit hole of ancient civilizations that led me to ponder the similarities between Nephilim and the Titans of Greek mythology. Both are half-divine and half-human and both are presented as giants. They also seem to originate from the same part of the Ancient Near East. That’s a…
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Demonology: Part 3: Early Church View on Demonic Origins
Just as today, early Christians took a variety of views on demonic origins. Some of the church fathers agreed with the Nephilim view and others believed that demons were simply fallen angels. Justin Martyr wrote in chapter 5 of The Second Apology, But the angels transgressed this appointment, and were captivated by love of women, and begot children who are…
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Demonology: Part 2: What are Demons?
As we discovered in the last post, there is no biblical evidence that demons are fallen angels. So, what are demons? Since the Bible is largely silent on the issue, we have to turn to outside the Bible. I believe that the best explanation of demons comes from 1 Enoch, and that the Bible does…
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Demonology: Part 1: Are Demons Fallen Angels?
No. Well not in the way most people think. There are two verses in the Bible that refer to the Devil and his angels, Matthew 25:41 41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ and Revelation 12:9.…