Our culture is a walking contradiction. Drives me crazy. We are on board with Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, or any “professional” atheist writing today…then these same people buying the books of these methodologically inept charlatans of logic, flock to theaters to see a movie about nothing more, or less, than our fascination with the paranormalContinue reading “Christ Goes to the Movies: The Conjuring and Resurrection”
Category Archives: Biblical Studies
It’s called The Book of Revelation, not “Revelations”
The most popular and feared book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, suffers a thousand deaths every time someone gets this wrong. You can hear it at any coffee shop (at least in my town), church parking lot, or casual argument at work when a co-worker is trying to convince you of all theContinue reading “It’s called The Book of Revelation, not “Revelations””
Ghosts in the New Testament? Looking for Phantoms in the Gospel of Mark
INTRO With a name like ParanormalChrist, perhaps some biblical discussion on the Paranormal is in order, if nothing but to quell and satiate our fetish for paranormal activity. As has been argued in other posts, Christianity is a paranormal faith. It’s a faith that not only embodies paranormal elements in the general sense of thatContinue reading “Ghosts in the New Testament? Looking for Phantoms in the Gospel of Mark”
Crucified God: Jesus wasn’t kidding, God really forsook him
“My father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…” (Matthew 26.39) “And he took with him Peter, James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled” (Mark 14.33) “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me…And being in agony he was passionately praying and his sweat became likeContinue reading “Crucified God: Jesus wasn’t kidding, God really forsook him”
The Pope is NOT the Anti-Christ: Tips for reading Revelation
Let’s get straight to the point: The Pope and his election has absolutely nothing to do with the end of the world. Further, this recent papal election has absolutely nothing to do with a pope that will become the ever allusive “antichrist.” If that’s how you read the book of Revelation, please close your Bibles…Continue reading “The Pope is NOT the Anti-Christ: Tips for reading Revelation”
Parables: Stories About the End of the World
The following is a sermon I preached in year B this past summer. In my ministerial context, sermons are generally 20-30 minutes. This one is on the 30 minute side due to the pedagogical material at the front of the sermon. I hope this helps you wrestle with this very short Markan parable as muchContinue reading “Parables: Stories About the End of the World”
The Perverse Core of Atonement: Sacrifice or Relationship?
For me, all doctrines and dogma are “fair game” and worth critical examinination. A faith that is not able to withstand questions is an antique to be admired, not a faith that dares to walk and encounter the world with us. The atonement, by virtue of its function in faith and theology, cannot be anContinue reading “The Perverse Core of Atonement: Sacrifice or Relationship?”
Other-Wise Atonement: Thinking about the Human Sacrifice of Jesus
In the past week I have had three conversations with fellow Brothers in Christ in regard to our ideas of atonement and its relationship to ministry and life. Chief among these concerns has been the reality that more and more folks, especially folks under 30 (I am 31 FTR) are abandoning organized religion and churches.Continue reading “Other-Wise Atonement: Thinking about the Human Sacrifice of Jesus”
“I See Dead People”: Zombie Apocalypse or Resurrection of Jesus?
At the core of Christianity is a belief in the para-normal; there is nothing more para-normal than resurrection. Can we at least agree on this one point before you read the rest? The recent craze over the “zombie apocalypse” has got nothing on dead people coming out of tombs. Long before Woody Harrelson and “Zombieland,”Continue reading ““I See Dead People”: Zombie Apocalypse or Resurrection of Jesus?”
Did the First Christians Worship Jesus?
On occassion I will also post reviews to ParanormalChrist…Here is the first of many installments. This is a book review I wrote and was published in Review and Expositor: A Baptist Consortium Theological Journal over James Dunn’s little monograph, “Did the First Christians Worship Jesus?” This an edited and amended version so as to make my points,Continue reading “Did the First Christians Worship Jesus?”
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