The Greatest Commandment

Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” All three of the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) report the conversation between Jesus and the scribe/lawyer who asked the question. It’s intriguing to compare these three accounts (Mark 12:28-34; Matthew 22:34-40; and Luke 10:25-28). I would assume that Jesus often… Continue reading

Some Musings About the Bible

I lament both the lack of knowledge about the Bible in our culture and the various ways in which it is misused within so many churches and in secular society. On one side, we have fundamentalist Christians who insist on the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. On the opposite… Continue reading

Paul and the Gospel, Part One

Many Christians in North America would define the gospel in this way: Humans were lost in sin. We were all headed for everlasting hell. God sent His (and the God of this version of the gospel is always a He) Son to take our deserved punishment. Since Jesus was innocent… Continue reading

Quadrilateral: Scripture (Part 1)

[In the Sunday school class I teach, we recently discussed the Wesleyan Quadrilateral as a model for building one’s theology. In our post-modern world, individual Christians need a theology that is appropriate as we attempt to live in ways that are faithful to the good news of Jesus Christ as… Continue reading