Search
Search

Article Archives

Category: Interpretation

Acts 15 Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 has gotten a lot of attention of late. Those who want to change The United Methodist Church’s position on same-sex practices cite it frequently. Did James and the other apostles decide that portions of the Mosaic law no longer applied to them? In what ways is our current debate similar to and different from the Jerusalem Council?

Read More »

The Story of Noah

How should we understand the story of Noah in Genesis 6-9? What are some of the issues involved? Dr. John Walton of Wheaton College explains.

Read More »

How to Interpret Prophetic Literature

In order to interpret prophetic literature, it is important to first understand what it means to be a prophet. Prophets are commonly mistaken with oracles or clairvoyants, those who see and predict the future. While prophets did at times anticipate the future, prediction was not their primary role in biblical times. In the Old Testament, God charged specific men and women to bear supernatural messages to His people.

Read More »

Reading Genesis 1 in Context (Part I)

How should we understand Genesis 1-2 in context? What are the issues involved? Dr. Sandy Richter leads us in an introduction to these few chapters that are so foundational to the Christian faith. She argues that the central question for readers of the biblical text should be, “What is this author trying to say?”

Read More »

In the Company of the Fathers: An Introduction

In the first class I took in seminary, the professor made an almost casual suggestion that remains perhaps the single most important piece of advice I received in my theological education. For every semester of seminary, he said, we should read the works of one Church Father to become grounded in the great tradition.

Read More »

Christians and the Vengeful Psalms

One of the most frequently asked questions about singing the whole Psalter – all of the psalms with all of the verses – is this question: What about the imprecatory psalms, those that call down curses on one’s enemies? How do we sing them as Christians?

Read More »
Seedbed - Seven Minute Seminary

Why Bible Background Matters

“A text without a context is just a pretext for whatever you want it to mean.” Why does Bible background matter? Dr. Ben Witherington explains why knowing the original context of a biblical passage is

Read More »