Tag Archives: law

A Middle Ground Between Two Extremes: Examining The False Dilemma Of The Epistle To Diognetus Towards Judaism

Posted on April 10, 2018 by

Although the Epistle To Diognetus is an exceedingly obscure work [1], not cited by any ancient authorities and properly belonging to the collection of early Christian apologetic works, it is a work that is worth examining in somewhat close detail … Continue reading →

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The Relationship Between Pietism And Leaving Egypt

Posted on April 7, 2018 by

Having just finished the Days of Unleavened Bread, I was struck by how many of our messages related to the idea of leaving Egypt and its implications in our lives [1].  Of particular personal interest as a student in the … Continue reading →

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The Epistle Of Barnabas And The Perils Of The Allegorical Approach To God’s Laws

Posted on April 3, 2018 by

We have already spent some time discussing some of the issues and shortcomings of the Epistle of Barnabas [1], but it is worthwhile to discuss one additional element of this book which has created problems for many professed Christians and … Continue reading →

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The Problem Of Anti-Semitism In The Didache And The Epistle Of Barnabas

Posted on March 29, 2018 by

We have previously noted [1] the issue of hostility to the Jews in the Didache and its ominous implications for Christian-Jewish relations going back to the late first and early second centuries AD.  Having just looked at the way in … Continue reading →

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Some Practical Advice For Deleavening

Posted on March 18, 2018 by

[The following is the prepared text for a sermonette delivered at the United Church of God congregation in Portland, Oregon on March 17, 2018.] When it comes to deleavening and the avoidance of eating leavened bread during the Days of … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Swear To God

Posted on March 16, 2018 by

Swear To God:  The Promise And Power Of The Sacraments, by Scott Hahn It should be noted that I have read quite a bit from this author [1], and my feelings about the author are mixed.  His writing shows, as … Continue reading →

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One More Thing I Don’t Want To Know

Posted on March 10, 2018 by

As someone who is a mandatory reporter in the state of Oregon for at least three reasons, two of them involving my service in church and one of them involving my role as a CASA [1], I pay some attention … Continue reading →

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The Meeting After The Meeting Before The Meeting

Posted on February 14, 2018 by

One of my responsibilities as a CASA [1] is to attend various meetings related to my case.  This morning, for example, there was an hour long meeting with the Citizen’s Review Board that listed some findings and that (somewhat predictably … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Understanding Scripture

Posted on February 14, 2018 by

Understanding Scripture:  An Overview Of The Bible’s Origin, Reliability, And Meaning, edited by Wayne Grudem, C. John Collins, and Tomas R. Schreiner Reading this book was a fascinating sort of experience, in part because the authors themselves sought to define … Continue reading →

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The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth

Posted on February 7, 2018 by

I am often amused by struggles over questions of truth, and it is a subject that frequently fills my own mind [1].  Part of the reason for the frequency of pondering about questions of truth is the fact that I … Continue reading →

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