Author Archives: Kevin
I Don’t Know When Jesus is Coming, but Neither Do You
A few years ago I was pedaling my bicycle down a back road when a woman driving an old station wagon full of kids pulled up beside me, matched my speed, rolled down the window and shouted, “Do you know … Continue reading
Unity
In 1997-98 the Lutheran Church (ELCA), the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), the Reformed Church (RCA) and the United Church of Christ (UCC) all approved resolutions aimed at mutual recognition and unity. When proposals of this importance are made, there are arguments … Continue reading
A Historical Approach to Jesus
In the context of criticism of the Jesus Seminar, it has been claimed that the actual Gospel accounts are of high reliability, and further that no Christian who reveres Christ would dare “make anything up”. Such a view is a … Continue reading
The Historical Jesus vs. the Christ of Faith
I’m a practicing Christian, and that means that I go to church and I participate in ritual actions and I speak ritual phrases. We have a canon of scripture and a body of doctrine. The Bible which we hold sacred … Continue reading
The New International Version of the Bible
The NIV is a Bible translation first published in 1978 by the International Bible Society coming out of work started by the National Association of Evangelicals. If you wish to learn more about this version from the publisher’s viewpoint, this … Continue reading
Authentic Sayings of Jesus
Matthew 5:17-20 Why do I consider Matthew 5:17-20 inauthentic? (Mat 5:17-20 NRSV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. {18} For truly I tell … Continue reading
Why have you forsaken me?
A discussion of Mark 15:34 and Psalm 22. This article was originally written in reply to a particular person, but it has general application to the critics of Christianity who read the saying of Jesus from the cross, “My God, … Continue reading
Luther and the Jews
I guess everybody has heard of Martin Luther, the 16th German Christian reformer who may be credited with starting the Protestant Reformation and loosing the Roman Catholic Church’s hegemony in Europe. Better-informed folks will know that Luther made an important … Continue reading
The Verdict? A Reply to Josh McDowell
I had been avoiding reading Josh McDowell’s Book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict: Historical Evidences for the Christian Faith, largely out of prejudice. I was pretty sure that what McDowell was trying to do was impossible, and that his book … Continue reading
Hell
I believe that God will reconcile us all to himself in some way. The Christian scriptures clearly set out the hope of eternal life to the Christian. I’m not sure that the early Christians were any more in agreement about … Continue reading