Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Lies we believe about God?


I originally wrote the following thoughts back in late March 2017, when the movie and book discussed below had just been released. I didn't post it to the blog at that time because emotions about the movie were high (one person on Facebook blocked me when he disagreed with my conclusions in a discussion group for ministers). But now I think the time is right.

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There has been lots of discussion and debate the past couple of weeks concerning the movie The Shack. Some people say the movie (and the novel it is adapted from) changed their relationship with God. When people who carefully scrutinize the story point out theological errors in it, fans will say things like, “It’s based on a novel, it’s not meant to be taken literally,” or “Mack’s encounter in the shack is just a dream, stop making such a big deal out of it.”

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Parallels between the honor/shame culture of the New Testament world and our present age


I have heard several times over the past few years that the times we live in are like the times of the early church. Something I read today confirmed that once again for me.

I recently started reading David A. deSilva’s Honor, Patronage, Kinship, & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture. I have seen it referenced in blogs and in other books on the cultural background of the Bible, and decided it was time to read it myself.