Several years ago I attended a breakfast hosted by a large Grand Rapids-based publishing house. The event targeted local ministers from various denominations in order to promote recent publications. I like both books and good food so I accepted the invitation. At the breakfast I sat next to an Episcopalian rector. As we talked, I…
Yesterday we published a piece by Dr. Layton Talbert about how Orthodox Judaism treats Isaiah 53. While corresponding with me about his article, Dr. Talbert mentioned an interesting project going on among Jews in Israel (and, indeed, all over the world). Despite the tradition of misinterpreting and ignoring Isaiah 53, many Jews are today busy…
The short answer is that, as a rule, they don’t. Every year around September, they systematically avoid reading Isaiah 53. But that begs a little explanation. My good friend Craig Hartman (director of Shalom Ministries) describes an approach he likes to use with Orthodox Jews. He starts with a question: “As an Orthodox Jew you…
There’s a very striking story about a man who never learned to read but who had a well-worn Bible. Someone asked him why the pages were so worn and his answer was that since he couldn’t read it, over the years he thought he might as well count the words. It’s a fantastic sermon illustration…
I wonder exactly what it was like that Sunday just a short time after the founding of the church at Jerusalem. Things were happening. People were getting saved every week. The Apostles were performing miracles and the church was growing. People were selling their possessions and contributing to the common fund so the needs of…
Choices lead to consequences. Good choices have positive consequences; sinful choices have negative consequences. Those statements are not surprising to us, yet we often forget them, or at least don’t think much about them. We make choices every day, but we do not always see the consequences of those choices. In addition, sometimes we don’t…
This study provides a biblical, historical and practical overview how God has provided his Word to us in written form. Biblical (and Early Christian) Evidence for Translation Since people no longer speak biblical Hebrew and Greek, we rely upon translations to expose people to the Word of God. Therefore, it is important to understand what…
Who is “The Temple of God” in 1 Corinthians 3:16–17? For those of us who grew up in Fundamentalism, hearing a sermon about a Christian’s body being the temple of the Holy Ghost was a normal experience. Preachers have often preached 1 Corinthians 6:19, warning Christians to avoid destructive habits such as smoking, drugs, and…
In 1917 the Bible Institute of Los Angeles printed a collection of articles—edited by R. A. Torrey, A. C. Dixon, and many others—called The Fundamentals. Leaders from all realms of fundamentalism made contributions. The articles identified and clarified the fundamentals of the faith as distinctive from what had become liberal mainline Christianity. The series has…
Four Biblical Principles Regarding the Clothes You Wear Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). The whatsoever you do in that passage pretty much covers everything, including our clothing choices. Now please understand, I am writing this article for those who are…