A few days ago, I was watching the fascinating sport of curling during the Winter Olympics. I’ve never really watched curling before, and it is still a strange sport for me to try to understand. One person takes the stone and throws it across the ice, and then others use brooms (?) to sweep the ice, altering the speed and direction of the stone. Teams work together to try to get their stone as close […]
Lent always seems to sneak up on me. As someone who really tries to intentionally observe the Lenten season, I hate feeling rushed to come up with “what I’m doing for Lent.” Furthermore, it has been my general observation that those hurried Lenten commitments made without prayer or much reflection tend to be a bit more… well, superficial. I’m giving up sweets for Lent. I’m giving up soda for Lent. I’m giving up chocolate for […]
We all know at least one perfectionist. They might reside in your home, at your workplace, or in your school. They might be the friend who plans things far in advance (how can they schedule a coffee date 3 months away?). The devil, or the salvation of the world, is in the details over which they scrupulously ponder. Often, these type A people are natural born leaders who challenge others to be great in everything […]
In my quest to explore the background of Philo of Alexandria’s thoughts on education, I came across one of the most influential individuals to every write on the subject, Plato. Philo was a notorious propagator of Platonic thought. In fact, many scholars consider the Jewish theologian one of the most essential voices of what has been referred to as Middle-Platonism. I’m a big fan of Philo, so much so that I wrote my PhD thesis on his […]
1 Peter 3:15 is a core verse used to make a case for apologetics. Apologetics is the defense of a religion and, rightly so, this verse speaks firmly of that. While we often find ourselves and our congregations either snoozing this topic, I believe 1 Peter 3:15 gives us more than just equipping ourselves with more knowledge. Apologetics is not a field of study, but a lifestyle. Unlike the college majors we declare, apologetics is […]
Death and Life is the published PhD Thesis of Andrew K. Boakye (PhD, University of Manchester), who is currently Lecturer in Religions and Theology at the University of Manchester. I was first introduced to Dr. Boakye’s research at the 2012 Galatians & Theology Conference held at my alma mater (University of St Andrews), where he gave a paper just before I gave mine, entitled, “If the Law Could Make Alive: Justification as Resurrection in Galatians.” Ever since […]
What constitutes an unreached people group? Generally, it applies to a group, usually related to a geographical area, in which less than 2% of the population identify as Christian. Furthermore, it is where there is no local culture evangelizing to the rest of the culture. Being deaf is not geographically contained, but it is its own unique culture, and within that culture only 2% identify as Christian. If the church is supposed to spread the […]
Reading through Susan Eastman’s wonderful little study Paul and the Person over Christmas break has afforded me a chance to re-examine the kind of anthropology Paul takes for granted in his first letter to the Corinthians. The task of reevaluating traditional concepts of anthropology as a whole is enjoying something of a moment in biblical studies (e.g., the Los Angeles Theology Conference just concluded their annual meeting this weekend covering the theme of Theological Anthropology). […]
Roman Catholics and Protestants disagree about Mary. From among Protestants, I have seen both (a) condemnation of Roman Catholics for idolatry or syncretism and (b) genuine and healthy curiosity and desire to understand “Our Lady,” the great and holy woman who bore Jesus Christ. Why some Protestants love Mary My “Type B” friends have several great reasons for wanting to engage Mary: 1. Her beautiful song—The Magnificat (Lk 1.46-55)—demonstrates stunning scriptural wisdom and knowledge of the […]
I recently binge-watched the original Netflix series, The Crown, during my holiday break. The Crown is a series based on Queen Elizabeth II’s story on becoming queen and facing the many challenges of being the head of the United Kingdom through the decades. As the longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II has been reigning for more than 65 years since 1952. I started watching the series based on the recommendation of friends and colleagues. Since […]
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