This past Saturday we completed our third annual online academic conference, Ecclesia and Ethics. This year our focus was on Human Sexuality. We heard several great papers from speakers like Jenell Paris, Tremper Longman III, Preston Sprinkle, Wesley Hill, Irmtraud Fischer, Mark Yarhouse, Andrew Marin, Frank Heinrich, Gabriel Dy-Liacco, and many others. If you’re interested in listening to some of the recordings from this year’s conference you can do so by registering (which simply includes...
It was Easter Sunday in 1972. My grandfather was preparing to sing an Easter cantata with his church choir when he suffered a stroke and collapsed. On the following Sunday, he went to be with the Lord. I never met my grandfather, but I’ve heard countless stories from my mother about what a wonderful man he was, full of joy, gentle-natured and filled with the love of his Savior. Four years ago, on the night...
As fun as flannel-gram Bible stories were, I always found it frustrating (especially when trying to teach with them) that so often, you are short the people and the objects necessary to tell the entire story. Sometimes you just don’t have enough Galilean common folk to make two crowds, or enough leapers or demonized people to do justice to some narratives. But perhaps the most frustrating is when you are missing entire unique characters to...
Last week the Western world of Christianity celebrated Easter. Today is the day that Orthodox Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. Therefore it is worthwhile to celebrate the Resurrection again! (Of course we ought to celebrate Easter every day!). In light of the holiday I’d like to invite you to read some of the previous Easter-oriented blog posts here at The Two Cities from the past few weeks. You can check out Brad Blakeley’s apologetic...
Following a day of worship, Easter egg hunts and family dinners (the odd combination of which deserves a blog post all its own), you might be ready to dive back into your weekly routine. But don’t miss what happened after Easter. In the rush to return to normalcy, take time to reflect on the rest of the tale. After all, a story that stars a risen Savior is far from finished. Here’s a rundown of...
It’s 62 A.D. and James “the Just” (the brother of Jesus), stands atop the parapet[1] of the Temple. Festus, the Roman provincial governor, has just died and his replacement, Albinus, has yet to arrive in Jerusalem to restore order. The Jewish Sanhedrin seize this opportune time to strike against its enemies. As James is forced to stand on this dangerous ledge overlooking the crowded courtyard below, the Jewish leaders say: “We call on you to...
What is the Biblical concept of remembrance? Well, let’s warm up: Growing up, what do you remember doing with your family for Easter traditions? For some, Easter Egg hunts are almost certainly a part of the picture. Perhaps you remember the annual gifting of some pastel-ey Easter basket filled with chocolates and bright colors. A morning brunch? A spiral ham dinner? But, how different was the Holy Week, or Resurrection Sunday for you, from the...
Last week I discussed the implications that Jesus’ resurrection has for the animal kingdom. I concluded that the animals that lived on this earth will be in the new earth and will experience a resurrection just like all of mankind. If you are curious as to how I came to these conclusions you can read that post here. As an extension of last week’s post I’d like to continue a discussion regarding the implications of...
The end of Lent is nearly a week away and Easter is quickly approaching. AND did you know that last week – March 23, 2012 – the world celebrated National Puppy Day? Now I know what you’re thinking, what does Easter have to do with puppies? The simple answer: all dogs go to Heaven. As we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus we acknowledge the victory accomplished against Sin and Death. This event is central to our...
“…you become better and better by looking for so great a good which is both sought in order to be found and found in order to be sought…” -St. Augustine “Ethics” means more than understanding how one should act in a certain situation in order to be free from blame. This type of ethics is sinful man at his worst, worrying only about himself. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says that this type of ethics started at the...
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