Biblical References
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages are from the NIVArchives
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Category Archives: God
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
Belief in Biblical Inerrancy Must be the Second Most Damaging, Misguided Christian Belief of All
Earlier we discussed that Angry God is a foundational harmful belief because it gives rise to other misguided, harmful beliefs. We can say the same about Inerrancy and for the same reason. In fact, the two are closely connected. Inerrancy leads … Continue reading
Posted in atonement, Bible, creationism, dispensationalism, evolution, fear, gays, God, hell, inerrancy, Jesus, legalism, love, Old Testament, Satan
Tagged angry God, Demons, LGBT, patriarchy, Penal Substitution, proof-texting, Rapture, YEC
84 Comments
5 Ways to Approach the Santa Issue with Questioning Children
Christmas is a fun time for both children and parents; and Santa is a big part of that. But the time comes when every child begins to question the Santa myth. How should parents handle this transition? There are multiple … Continue reading
If We Are Free to Approach God Without Fear, What Becomes of Our Other Religious Fears—Like Hell?
To many believers God is love. This is the primary thing we know about God from Jesus—unconditional love. This is what Jesus told us about the Father and also what Jesus demonstrated in his own life as the representative of … Continue reading
Posted in atonement, fear, God, hell, Jesus, legalism, love
Tagged angry God, Gehenna, Hades, Isaiah 66, Jeremiah 19, Penal Substitution
22 Comments
Judgment and Punishment in the Book of Enoch
Remember that Zoroastrianism contributed significant ideas to Jewish thought during the exilic and post-exilic periods that did not exist before in Judaism. Some of these ideas were current in Jesus’ day, such as: * A personalized adversary to God—Satan * … Continue reading
Posted in Enoch, God, hell, Jesus, judgment, Satan
Tagged 2 Peter 2, Book of Enoch, Book of Jude, Matthew 25, Michael, parable of sheep and goats, Raphael, Zoroastrianism
37 Comments
The Origin of Satan and His Demons in the Book of Enoch
As we discussed last time, Zoroastrianism had some surprising influences on Jewish thought in Jesus’ day, including ideas that did not exist before in Judaism: * A personalized adversary to God—Satan * A hierarchy of angels that followed either God … Continue reading
Posted in Enoch, God, Satan
Tagged Ahura Mazda, Angra Mainyu, Archangels, Book of Enoch, Demons, Essenes, Genesis 6, Nephilim, Semyaz, Zoroastrianism
37 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
Did God Pour Out His Wrath on Jesus During His Violent Death on the Cross?: Angry God Part 3
Many believers align with a God whom they think is angry, violent, and vindictive. Perhaps they identify with the angry god of Old Testament stories, or maybe they create God in their own image. I addressed each of these issues … Continue reading
Posted in God, Jesus, judgment, resurrection, uncategorized
Tagged angry God, Anselm, Christus Victor, crucifixion, Isaiah 53, Penal Substitution
36 Comments
We Often Create God in Our Own Image: Angry God Part 2
Last time we talked about how thinking God to be angry, violent, and vindictive, based on Old Testament stories like the flood and the genocide of the Canaanites, can cause us to be angry, violent, and vindictive too in imitation … Continue reading
Posted in fear, God, hate, Jesus, love your enemies
Tagged Amalekites, angry God, Canaanites
60 Comments
We Often Become What We THINK God is Like: Angry God Part 1
Many people at some point decide to begin reading the Bible. But the Bible is a very large book; where should they begin? A large percentage begin at the beginning, of course—Genesis! Genesis is an interesting book: there are creation … Continue reading
Posted in fear, God, Jesus, judgment, love, Old Testament
Tagged angry God, Empathy compassion and care, the flood
118 Comments
5 Potentially Bad Consequences of Insisting to Questioning Kids that Santa Claus is Real
Christmas is an exciting time for children, and Santa is a key part of the magic! Amidst the gift-giving, and food, and sparkle and lights; along with snowmen, and eggnog, and parties and cheer; it is difficult to imagine Christmas … Continue reading
The Feminine Side of God in the Bible
Most believers think of God as masculine. This is true not only of those who embrace patriarchy but of believers generally. It is easy to see why; both testaments were written by people in patriarchal cultures, so the Old Testament … Continue reading
Evolution and Inerrancy: Confusing Other Genres with History in Genesis (part 1)
From the time evolution began to be considered by scientists the concept was fascinating. And it made some sense, especially after theories (like Darwin’s) helped explain how evolution might work. In fact, it made so much sense that it now … Continue reading
Posted in creationism, evolution, God, inerrancy
Tagged Genesis 1, Marduk, Mesopotamian Creation Epic, Tiamat, YEC, young earth creationism
58 Comments
If Most Everyone Will Have Eternal Life with God Anyway, then Why Do We Need to Share the Good News of Jesus?
Recently we discussed whether those who have not heard the good news or who even follow other religions might receive eternal life and live in God’s community after death—even if they never became followers of Jesus during this lifetime. My … Continue reading
Posted in eternal life, fundamentalism, God, hell, Jesus, Kingdom of God, love, resurrection, the Good News, witnessing
15 Comments
‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life’; Is Jesus the Only Way to Life? Yes and No
When we read of the teaching and actions of Jesus, it becomes clear that Jesus is nothing if not inclusive. He is free with forgiveness, healing, and acceptance and is not at all the sort of person who creates barriers. … Continue reading
Posted in Buddha, eternal life, God, Jesus, resurrection
Tagged Acts 4, John 10, John 14, salvation, universalism, World Religions
27 Comments
5 Great Fears Believers Should Never Have
We mentioned before that many believers today are driven by fear—especially in very theologically conservative groups. This includes the fear of God, the fear of hell, the fear of making a mistake, the fear of being wrong, and the fear … Continue reading
Believers Should Never Have a Fear of God
Many believers today are driven by fear—especially in very theologically conservative groups. Leaders in those groups teach that God is often angry, harsh, and vindictive. And this is easy to believe when we read certain Old Testament stories; for these … Continue reading
How So Many Believers Completely Misunderstand God’s Love in John 3:16
I suppose most believers think John 3:16 is one of the most wonderful passages in the Bible—and I agree! This passage tells of God’s love for us in a very proactive way. This is why “John 3:16” is found everywhere: … Continue reading
Posted in alienation, baggage, God, hell, Jesus, love, The Father, the Good News
Tagged angry God, John 3:16, John 3:17-18, Penal Substitution
48 Comments
48 Short, Specific Suggestions on Loving Others as We Love Ourselves
In my previous post, I talked about Loving Others in 2017, which provides the general background for today’s post, and if you have not read it (or wish to reread it) you can click the link above. Today’s post is … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, God, love, love your enemies, suffering
Tagged loving others, loving ourselves
22 Comments
Jesus Without Baggage 