My colleague at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Catherine Mueller-Bell, is hosting an exciting event under the auspices of the Women’s Studies Lecture Series. On Thursday evening, November 7, Julie Slagter will be speaking at the seminary on modern slavery and practical steps that we can take to stop it.  Julie is the Project Manager at […]

The first two volumes of The Story of God Bible Commentary will be available very soon, Scot McKnight’s Sermon on the Mount and Lynn Cohick’s Philippians. They’re very well-written and will prove to be excellent resources for Bible teachers, pastors, and those interested in grappling with the biblical text and its implications for Christian faithfulness […]

I started this series of reflections by noting that in the NT Gospels, the gospel proclamation involves “the gospel of the kingdom.”  Jesus is announcing the arrival of God’s restored order of flourishing with his advent.  And I claimed that this reality should shape how we conceive of the gospel. Unfortunately, many good Christian people […]

I got my hands on the new Common English Bible translation Study Bible and must say that it is quite a handsome volume. I was happy to be asked to write the study notes for Ephesians and honored to be included in the excellent lineup of contributors.  The more I’ve used the CEB, the more […]

The biblical texts in the lectionary for today have to do with riches and poverty: Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm 146 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 Our rector, Stephen Holmgren, told this story that resonates with the trajectory of these passages: At the center of the ancient Forum in Rome are the remains of a large […]

Discussions of Paul and the Mosaic Law have bogged down over the last several years as the sun has set on what might be called “the new perspective era.”  Two new books have appeared, however, that treat the issue from new angles of approach. Preston Sprinkle, my former teammate on our world championship softball team […]

I wrote the other day that Christians should learn to think from and talk from Genesis 1-2 and Israel in conceiving of and talking about the gospel.  Thinking from Genesis 1-2 reminds us of God’s original intentions for humanity and for creation.  This is crucial because these shape Scripture’s depiction of what God seeks to […]

Last week I noted that the New Testament Gospels refer to “the gospel of the kingdom” and don’t contain the sort of gospel presentation with which many of us may be familiar.  We may be used to hearing about the mechanics of a personal transaction that begins with the problem of sin and separation from […]

Mark 1-3 is filled with random characters responding to Jesus in various ways.  Mark 3:31-35 is something of a concluding episode, where Jesus notes the sort of response that indicates participation in the kingdom of God. Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting […]

In answer to the question of how to communicate the gospel of the kingdom, I wrote yesterday that increasing familiarity with the biblical storyline is a necessity.  I don’t mean that this is the first step in a process that leads to making “gospel presentations.”  I’m referring to a long-term endeavor to continually orient our […]