Category: Bible

Everyone disbelieves some parts of the Bible

Christians have probably argued more about the Bible, and how to interpret it, than almost anything else. Many churches say they believe the “Bible alone”, echoing the Reformation doctrine of sola scriptura. Yet I believe there is always a gap between the claim and the actual belief. I am a christian who believes the Bible […]

NT Wright on reading the New Testament

. I liked this NT Wright quote, posted on the Enough Light blog.

Who wrote the Gospel of John?

None of the four gospels explicitly states who the author(s) is/are, and the names given to them reflect the understanding of the early christians. So scholars are left to determine as best they can whether the names we have were indeed the authors. Knowing the author probably doesn’t change all that much, but I have […]

Interpreting the Bible through Jesus

I am looking at some of the core convictions of the Anabaptists, not because I am an Anabaptist, but because I think we learn from them. We have seen that they emphasise following Jesus, not just believing in him or worshiping him. What does this mean for how we read the Bible?

How does reading the Bible change you?

Some people read the Bible nearly every day. Some people feel guilty that they don’t read it every day. Some people read it only to criticise it, while others never read it. What effect does Bible reading have on the reader? Some recent surveys have some interesting findings.

Jesus the subversive

Not only did Jesus re-interpret many Old Testament passages (see Interpreting the Old Testament), but he sometimes undermined the authority of the Old Testament. This has some interesting implications.

Interpreting the Old Testament

A long time ago I noticed that when Jesus and the New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament, they did not always do it literally or accurately, but often used translations and interpretations that did not seem to be present in the original. I felt this was an important fact, so I researched the matter […]

Back-to-front Bible?

Have you come across people, not believers, who have decided to read the Bible from cover to cover to check it out, only to get discouraged and give up round about the book of Numbers? I know I have. There must be a better way!

Should christians obey the Old Testament Law?

Isn’t it a no-brainer? The Bible is inspired from beginning to end, and Jesus said that not even one tiny piece of the Law could pass away. Doesn’t that settle it? Well, it’s not that simple actually – because no-one obeys it, or even attempts to! It is a pious fiction.

Does fulfilment of Bible prophecy prove anything?

A long time ago I read a book which (primarily) examined a bunch of Biblical prophecies which had come true in verifiable history, and attempted to estimate the mathematical probability of this happening by guesswork. The book was Science Speaks, by Peter Stoner, a college professor of mathematics and astronomy, and I have just found […]