18
Apr
2012
God Is Not My Fall Guy
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“Hello, my name is__________, and I approve this message.” This awkward disclaimer became part of standard political jargon in 2002, when the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act was passed. Specifically, its “Stand By Your Ad” provision demands that all political ads run on radio or television include “a statement by the candidate that identifies the candidate and states... Read More
16
Apr
2012
The Preface and Opposition to New Translations
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In a previous post I noted that the Preface to the 1611 King James Version is an embarrassment to KJV-only advocates because in it the translators of the KJV make a series of statements that argue against the KJV-only position. Since KJV-only proponents insist that only the KJV is the Word of God in English, they are... Read More
15
Apr
2012
Tax Day in Ancient Israel
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Apparently, it was Benjamin Franklin who first said that the only thing we can be certain of is death and taxes. We are reminded of that again today, April 15, though the IRS has given us a couple of extra days this year to file our tax returns. Even the ancient Israelites had to deal... Read More
13
Apr
2012
Can a Person Be "Overly Righteous"?
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Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? (Ecc 7:16, ESV) Can “be not overly righteous” really be saying what it seems to be saying? Does God actually want us to tone down our righteousness? In order to correctly determine the meaning of this clause, it must... Read More
11
Apr
2012
One More Reason Why the Resurrection Is Such Good News
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I realize that resurrection Sunday may feel a bit like last week’s news. After all, it’s done. We’ve celebrated. Now we’ve moved on to what’s next, whether that’s Pentecost or something (slightly) less noble like the pennant race. We’ll be happy to do it all again next year, of course. But for now, we’ve got... Read More
9
Apr
2012
The Embarrassing Preface to the King James Version
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When the King James Version of the Bible came off the press of Robert Barker in 1611, it contained an eleven-page preface titled “The Translators to the Reader.” This preface is primarily a defense of the new translation, but it also provides important information about the translators’ views on the subject of Bible translation. It is... Read More
7
Apr
2012
The Date of Easter
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Throughout church history professing believers have argued amongst themselves about all kinds of things. In retrospect, some of these debates have been key steps in hammering out the details of important theological issues. Other debates have been less than edifying. Many of the disagreements related to the date of Easter have fallen into this latter... Read More
5
Apr
2012
Length of Days in the Creation Week: Genesis 1–2:3
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Though there are a number of Christians who question a literal interpretation of the creation week, a closer look at Genesis 1:1–2:3 should challenge those who have abandoned or are uncertain about the traditional understanding of the creation days. I will give four reasons to embrace a literal interpretation of the days in the creation... Read More
3
Apr
2012
The Modern KJV-Only Movement
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In my first post on this subject, I argued that the KJV-only position believes that only the KJV of the Bible is the Word of God, and I suggested that the somewhat official beginning of this movement should be traced to the publication of the 1881 revision of the KJV, the Revised Version (RV). In my... Read More
1
Apr
2012
Palm Sunday: The Kingdom That Might Have Been
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With the arrival of the Passion Week comes the curious and often forgotten event of Palm Sunday. Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem on that day was a truly triumphal event—a day of fulfilled prophecy where the Messiah rides into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech 9:9) and suddenly appears in the Temple (Mal 3:1). He affirms his... Read More