[First posted June 13, 2014] What is the best way to read the Bible? Just open it up and start reading. It’s that simple. I quit attending church when I left home. I had heard all the old familiar Bible stories that are taught in Sunday School. I had also absorbed a lot of contradictory teachings … Continue reading Just open it and read
The Bible
Women of the Bible – answers
1. Who was Adam’s wife? - Eve (Genesis 3:20) 2. Hadassah changed her name when she became Queen of Persia. What was her new name? - Esther (Esther 2:7) 3. Abraham married again after Sarah died. What was the name of his second wife? - Keturah (Genesis 25:1) 4. There are three women mentioned in … Continue reading Women of the Bible – answers
Anchored in the rock
My father’s parents came from St. Lawrence County in upstate New York. They were dairy farmers because the soil there could not support any other kind of agriculture. That area is part of the Canadian shield, where the solid bedrock is often exposed, and never far below the surface. This is the kind of soil … Continue reading Anchored in the rock
The untold story of Samson
I intended that headline to be sensationalist and grab your attention. There is a big problem with how people usually tell the story of Samson. The whole story is in the Bible, but few people seem to be aware of any but the most lurid details. Let’s start at the beginning. At the time an … Continue reading The untold story of Samson
The Apocalypse
Two hundred years ago scholars in Germany, calling themselves higher critics, began analysing the writing style of the books of the Bible. They concluded, among other things, that Genesis had been compiled by an unknown writer from two different strands of oral tradition and that the book of Daniel had been written by two different … Continue reading The Apocalypse
General Epistles
Most of these epistles are more like essays addressed to a wider audience than letters addressed to a particular individual or congregation. Hebrews My Bible says the epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews. I don’t know who inserted that, or when, but it has never been the consensus of believers. The writer never … Continue reading General Epistles
The Epistles of the Apostle Paul
There is no serious doubt that Paul was the author of these epistles. It appears from the comment of the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 3:16) that they were considered Scripture from a very early period and collections of these letters would have been distributed to all the churches. From time to time we should read … Continue reading The Epistles of the Apostle Paul
Approaches to the Bible
All those who call themselves Christians say that their faith is built solely on Jesus Christ the solid rock and that they depend on the Bible for spiritual truth and for instruction in living a life that is pleasing to their Saviour. But how is it really? Some folks base their faith on a set … Continue reading Approaches to the Bible
Introduction to the New Testament -2
Acts of the Apostles - This is the second half of Luke’s history, the first part being the Gospel which bears his name. Again we see a meticulous historian at work, telling the history of the beginning of the church in chronological order and anchoring it all to places and people in the secular world. … Continue reading Introduction to the New Testament -2
Introduction to the New Testament – 1
The Gospels Matthew - The writer calls himself Levi; the other gospels call him Matthew, perhaps a name given to him when he became a disciple of Jesus. He was a publican before his call, a man who collected taxes on all merchandise transported along the road where he was stationed near Capernaum. This was … Continue reading Introduction to the New Testament – 1
Flatlander Faith 