Biblical References
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages are from the NIVArchives
-
Join 1,559 other subscribers
Like on Facebook
Follow on RSS Feed
Top Posts for Past 48 Hours
-
Most Recent Posts
- Farewell from Jesus Without Baggage July 22, 2019
- What Flat-Earthers Believe about the Sun, Moon, Stars, and the Space Program May 6, 2019
- How Do Flat-Earthers Envision the Flat Earth? April 29, 2019
- Why the ‘Vault of the Sky’ is so Important to Flat-Earthers April 22, 2019
- I Was a Fifth-Grade Flat-Earther April 15, 2019
Click a topic you like
alienation atonement authority baggage behavior Bible book of Revelation book or movie review Buddha C. S. Lewis conditional immortality creationism dispensationalism doubt Enoch eternal life evangelicalism evolution faith favorite blogs fear fundamentalism gays God graphic guest post hate hell inerrancy Jesus judgment Kingdom of God legalism love love your enemies New Testament Old Testament original sin Paul persecution Pharisees polls prayer quote resurrection Satan sin sinners suffering superstition The Father The Father's House the Good News the invitation uncategorized witnessingFollow me on Twitter
My TweetsSome of My Favorite Blogs
Blog Stats
- 1,073,438 hits
Google authorship
https://plus.google.com/100085583227352458801
Category Archives: authority
5 Common False Assumptions Inerrantists Make about Me as a Progressive Believer
Since I often challenge the concept of biblical inerrancy, I receive a lot of feedback from inerrantists. But often that feedback reveals false assumptions inerrantists make about me—assumptions that are sometimes the very opposite of what I believe. Here are … Continue reading
Posted in authority, Bible, inerrancy, Jesus, The Father
Tagged 2 Timothy 4, Book of James, Cherry-picking, Genesis, genre
53 Comments
How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns: a Book Review
For me, this is perhaps one of the best books I have ever read—and I have read a LOT of books! On page 4, Pete sets the stage by stating that the Bible is not a divine instruction manual or … Continue reading
Posted in authority, Bible, book or movie review, evangelicalism, fundamentalism, God, inerrancy, Old Testament
Tagged Exile, homosexuality, Inspiration, Old Testament Law, Peter Enns, Proverbs 26, Proverbs 8, Romans 1, violent God, wisdom
50 Comments
Why Do Inerrantists Think the Bible is Inerrant Anyway?
Sometimes I get the objection from inerrantists that ‘God would not leave us a defective Bible’. This assumes, of course, that God has somehow given us a ‘Bible’ in the first place. It diminishes the contributions of the individual writers … Continue reading
Posted in authority, Bible, God, inerrancy
Tagged 2 Timothy 3:16, Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen, KJV 1611, presupposition, Revelation 22
133 Comments
How Should We Respond to the Leading of the Spirit?
Sometimes when I read or think about something I get tremendous insights. I might make a strong connection between two things, see an angle I never saw before, or even think something completely original. I am sure you have had … Continue reading
Posted in authority, inerrancy, judgment
Tagged Holy Spirit, Insights, John 14, John 16, Pentecostal, revelations, Tongues
35 Comments
How Did Jesus’ Original Listeners Remember and Share What Jesus Said and Did?
How did Jesus’ listeners remember what Jesus said and did? They didn’t take notes, and Jesus didn’t leave any writings. There were no current newspaper accounts for them to check to refresh their memories. All they had was what they … Continue reading
Were the Gospels Written from Generations of Flawed Oral Transmission or Were They Much Closer to Eyewitness than that?
Have you ever played the telephone game? It’s a remarkable experience. A number of people sit in a circle. The first person whispers a story in the second person’s ear. Then the second person whispers the story into the third … Continue reading
Posted in authority, Bible, inerrancy, Jesus
Tagged Book of John, book of Mark, John 21, Mark 13, Oral Tradition, Papias, Peter, Telephone game
27 Comments
Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?
Michael and Debi Pearl’s parenting book, To Train Up a Child, is very popular among American fundamentalists. Michael has given great thought to his ideas on child-training and expresses them well. He also shares some good insights on child-parent relationships, … Continue reading
Child Abuse in Fundamentalist Parenting Practices
Last time, we talked about patterns of extreme child abuse in some very isolated families. However, a different level of child abuse exists among typical fundamentalists. Rather than criminal abuse, however, this abuse is centered around parenting practices promoted by several … Continue reading
Posted in authority, book or movie review, fundamentalism
Tagged corporal punishment, Michael Pearl, parenting, To Train Up a Child
81 Comments
If God Doesn’t Speak through the Bible then How Does God Speak?
Recently, I published an article titled The Bible Clearly Says’ is Always a Seriously Misguided Statement in which I contended that the Bible does not speak in one voice (the voice of God) but in the many voices of the … Continue reading
Posted in authority, Bible, God, inerrancy, Jesus, Paul
Tagged Infallibility, Inspiration
128 Comments
For My Inerrantist Friends: Why Appeals to Inerrancy are Totally Ineffective in Discussion
Frequently, I receive comments from those who disagree with me—and this is as it should be! I enjoy dialog with those who disagree with me because I never learn anything if I only talk with people who already agree! However, … Continue reading
Posted in authority, Bible, doubt, evangelicalism, fundamentalism, inerrancy, Old Testament
Tagged American Literature, Dialog, Progressive Christians, proof-texting
91 Comments
5 Ways Christian Patriarchy Harms Men
It is easy to understand how Christian patriarchy harms women, but it might not be so clear how patriarchy harms men. Patriarchy is a religious belief in which women must submit to their husbands, who are heads of their homes, … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, suffering
Tagged Leave it to Beaver, patriarchy, Unbrella of Protection
42 Comments
John Piper Tells an Unconvincing Story to Illustrate Gender Differences between Men and Women
In Piper’s article we discussed last time, he also includes a story meant to illustrate specific gender differences between men and women. It is not convincing. Piper’s Story Piper begins: Suppose…a young man and woman…find themselves chatting before the worship service. … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, legalism
Tagged complementarianism, John Piper, patriarchy
38 Comments
John Piper and Christian Patriarchy
John Piper is a leading voice for complementarian patriarchy. Piper is chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, a mentor to younger men of the New Calvinist movement, and was Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for 33 years. Today, … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, legalism
Tagged complementarianism, Ephesians 5, John Piper, patriarchy
34 Comments
Complementarian Patriarchy and Fundamentalist Patriarchy are Both Harmful; But How are They Different?
Christian patriarchy is a misguided belief with very harmful consequences. But there are some who embrace Christian patriarchy who prefer the term ‘complementarianism’ instead of ‘patriarchy’; it sounds more gentle and also helps to disassociate them from the more extreme … Continue reading
Posted in authority, fundamentalism
Tagged complementarianism, Danvers Statement, homeschooling, patriarchy, purity culture, Quiverfull
30 Comments
Examining Passages from Genesis Used to Support Patriarchy in the Church
Last time, we discussed biblical passages from the New Testament epistles used to support Christian patriarchy; today we will look at passages from the first chapters of Genesis. I chose these passages because they are specifically referenced in the 1988 … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, evangelicalism, fundamentalism, Paul
Tagged 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Timothy 2, Genesis 2, Genesis 3, patriarchy
22 Comments
The Alleged Biblical Basis for Christian Patriarchy
Untold numbers of Christians believe women are not equal to men and are subject to male leadership. This very harmful belief leads to terrible consequences such as the oppression and denigration of women and to an environment of physical, emotional, … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, fundamentalism, inerrancy, legalism, Paul
Tagged 1 Peter 3, Colossians 3, Ephesians 5, patriarchy, Slavery, submit
34 Comments
How Christian Patriarchy is a Misguided and Harmful Belief that Does Tremendous Damage
I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s when the family on Leave it to Beaver was highly regarded (1957-1963 plus reruns). Ward was in charge and June supported him and kept house. Ward Cleaver was definitely the head of … Continue reading
Posted in authority
Tagged 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Peter 3, 1 Timothy 2, Colossians 3, complementarianism, Ephesians 5, patriarchy, sexual abuse, spousal abuse
66 Comments
Jesus Without Baggage 